President Joe Biden on Tuesday condemned the Hamas terrorist organization for “sheer evil” for its shocking multipronged attack on Israel launched from the Gaza Strip that has killed more than a thousand civilians, including at least 14 American citizens.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone earlier on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the situation on the ground. Biden spoke out of the actions he and other allies have taken to support Israel in the aftermath of the attack and expressed his horror about “sickening” reports of torture inflicted by terrorists on innocent civilians.
“Our hearts may be broken but our resolve is clear,” Biden said. He added, “Let there be no doubt. The United States has Israel’s back. We’ll make sure the Jewish and democratic state of Israel can defend itself today, tomorrow as we always have.”
Biden, in his public remarks and statements since Hamas launched its attacks, has repeatedly emphasized his shock over the breadth and brutality of the Hamas assault — a blitz by land, sea and air that surprised Israeli and U.S. intelligence and that has killed hundreds Israelis and left even more wounded.
Biden said he has directed his team to share intelligence and military experts to consult and advise Israelis. He also confirmed that the U.S. believes that Americans are among dozens of hostages taken by Hamas.
“As president I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans being held hostage around the world,” Biden said.
The White House on Monday confirmed that it has already begun delivering critically needed munitions and military equipment to Israel, and the Pentagon was reviewing its inventories to see what else can be sent quickly to boost its ally in the war against Hamas.
The Ford carrier strike group has arrived in the far Eastern Mediterranean, within range to provide a host of air support or long-range strike options for Israel if requested, but also to surge U.S. military presence there to prevent the war from spilling over into a more dangerous regional conflict, a U.S. official told The Associated Press.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the arrival ahead of an announcement.
The Pentagon has said that the U.S. warplanes, destroyers and cruisers that sailed with the Ford will conduct maritime and air operations which could include intelligence collection, interdictions and long-range strikes.
Along with the Ford, the U.S. is sending the cruiser USS Normandy and destroyers USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney, and USS Roosevelt, and the U.S. is augmenting Air Force F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons in the region.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters traveling with him Tuesday to a Ukraine contact group meeting in Brussels that a small group of U.S. special operations forces is also working with the Israelis to help with planning and intelligence.
Biden on Monday in a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak underscored the “legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people” and their decades-long push for sovereignty. But the leaders also sought to separate the Palestinians’ aspirations from the “appalling acts of terrorism” by Hamas.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC / AP)
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19 Responses
Biden did not even help Americans trying to get out of the country, who were not taken hostage, but couldn’t get a flight out. Useless demented
Didn’t have a chance to watch. Did he mention Iran’s involvement? And his policy of negotiating with Iran?
THE JUDGE,
Maybe helping hostages is a million times more important than people inconvenienced (and I understand it is a very distressing situation to be in) by not having flights out ?
Biden is the best of those who were running for president as Democrats. He is an old timer from before Israel unfortunately became a partisan issue.
Listen to the entire speech before posting stupid hateful comments. No one (even your god with the small g and d whose attention span and d is shorter than Biden’s speech), has been a more vigorous defender of Israel for more than 50 years in public life. BTW, Biden is the one who convinced the very reluctant Republicans 10 years ago to supply the initial funding for Iron Dome under Obama, and he is the one who has authorizes immmediate shipping and funding of replacement iron dome missiles, therby savings thousands more Jewish lives than you or I have.
Jackk,
He’s not even helping the hostages he’s only offering the help
I listened to the speech and wondering what was the point of the “golda meir story” she was going to tell him “our secret weapon” and then what happened?
The President can rightfully ignore those American yidden “demanding” that the President immediately provide airt ransportation to tourists wanting to go home or that he should somehow prioritize the liberation of American citizens being held hostage. If they want to be useful, they can volunteer to assist hospitals, schools and other public services whose regular staff have been called away for Reserve duty in the IDF. Otherwise, just stay out of the way.
What kind of jew would flee Israel at a time like this?
SHAME!!!
When they say civilians know that in reality, Hamas regular military force consisted almost entirely of light infantry and short-range fires capabilities. All other warfighting functions are performed by civilians—local and foreign—contributing population support within gazas dense urban environment . Mission command is facilitated by civilian couriers who provided assured communications. Intelligence comes from civilian human and open-source intelligence analysis. Civilians dig communications tunnels and trenches, drive bulldozers to build berms, and serve as mobile protection platforms to deter idf strikes. Civilian households distribute all classes of supply to Hamas units and provide medical support, and civilian labor manufactured weapons including precision missles, anti aircraft guns, IEDs, and suicide vest IEDs from commercial off-the-shelf components or even weapons grade explosives smuggled from iran and other state arsenals.
In my opinion
that much of this population support is involuntary, yet their physical contribution to Hamas’ war effort is critical to the duration and effectiveness of Hamas’ operational reach.
I am sure all arabs are celebrating including our so called saudi allies
@achassisheryid. Iron dome was in israel prior to Biden being VP. He never supported Israel in his life. He has always been a partisan politician. his political heroes are KKK grand wizards and the like. You’re impressed when it took the white house almost 4 days to respond. His state department hasn’t responded to a single request for assistamce. Except for liberal Democrat party politicians, Dan Goldman and cory booker. Bith of whom the state department were able to extricate them on Yom Tov.
@gadolhadorah There are families there with young children and the Biden State department isn’t even responding to them. But when the liberal democrats booker and goldman called crying, they came running to the rescue. Stop defending this crap. That’s exactly what it is, a big load of crap.
Another 2 million arabs in the west bank ?
I didn’t think he could even speak coherently. Hi speech is bold and resolute! I wish he would have mentioned Iran, the sponsor of the world’s evil and the mastermind and financial backbone of this butchery! The 6 billion American tax dollars that likely helped this to happen was clearly absent! I wonder why!
Despite being a critic of Briben, this was actually a usefull satetement. It gave a warning of bolsted…
1. US Navy presence in the Mediterranean less any other enemy countries…
2. Local & Federal Security less other antisemtites…
….take advantage of the situation.
I had the patience to listen to The Honorable president speak. In the history of the USA we haven’t had such a clear-cut speech to protect and honor the Jewish people please give credit where its due and be honest and respectful.
Yaapchik, the $6 billion released to Iran were not US tax dollars but South Korean payments to Iran for purchased oil that America forbade to be transferred to Iran. The money in now in a bank in Qatar and has not been accessed by Iran. Members of Congress have misstated the facts so Yaapchik has something in common with them.
Shmendrik: You continue to be true to your posting name. There are tens of thousands of Israelis with young traumatized children in the South directly affected so the needs of some American visiting families is not the priority of the moment. Its not the end of the world to wait a few additional days until flights resume.
BTW: Booker and Goldman both rebooked on commercial flights that were still flying on Sunday and Monday. They were NOT flown out by the U.S. government. Others have crossed the border into Jordan and flown out of Amman. Otherwise, they will just have to wait.
To Mr. Doe.
You realize that your statement is a distinction without a difference?
Knowing they will have 6 Billion available for food and humanitarian purposes allows them to repurpose other money and use it for nefarious purposes.
Even the knowledge that they will have access to the money only in the future allows them to reallocate funds in the present. That’s how budgets work.
In fact, if you factor in the Biden administration providing waivers for the Iranians to conduct deals with Russia, and tacitly allowing the Iranians to resume oil sales, the total amount that Iran received is in the many tens of billions.
Excusing it by saying that the US didn’t directly give them money is very dishonest.