President Joe Biden divides liberals after supporting both Israel and Palestine in their bloody conflict with each other.
On Tuesday, Biden condemned the “abhorrent” terrorist attacks over the weekend by Hamas and vowed that the U.S. would support Israel.
“We stand with Israel. We stand with Israel. And we will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself, and respond to this attack,” Biden said in remarks from the State Dining Room. “There is no justification for terrorism. There is no excuse.”
That’s when the president appeared to also show support for Palestine, saying that the terrorist organization does not represent Palestinians.
“Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination. Its stated purpose is the annihilation of the State of Israel and the murder of Jewish people,” he continued.
This comes after the Iran-backed Hamas launched thousands of missiles at Israel and invaded towns along the Gaza border two weeks ago, killing at least 700 people. The attack prompted Israel to declare war against the terrorist group.
“It’s abhorrent,” Biden continued. “The brutality of Hamas brings to mind the worst rampages of ISIS. This is terrorism. But sadly, for the Jewish people, it’s not new.”
Biden has had three different phone conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since Saturday. Biden has also had daily meetings with his national security staff, and the U.S. and European allies put out a statement on Monday affirming support for Israel.
Additionally, the Biden administration has moved military units to Israel and begun supplying the country with munitions and interceptors to ensure the Iron Dome defense system has enough supplies. Officials said that the administration does not currently have plans to deploy American troops.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meanwhile, said that it was likely that Americans were among the hostages taken into the Gaza Strip by Hamas.
“We have reports that several Americans were killed; we’re working overtime to verify that. At the same time, there are reports of missing Americans and, there again, we’re working to verify those reports,” Blinken said during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
