US President Joe Biden landed in Israel on Air Force One at 10:55 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
He was greeted on the tarmac by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Herzog, and US chargés d’affaires Stephanie Hallett.
After President Herzog greeted Biden, he said: “G-d bless you for protecting the nation of Israel.”
The leaders immediately traveled to the David Kempinski Hotel in Tel Aviv, where the meeting between Netanyahu and Biden will take place. Biden’s stay in Israel is scheduled to last for only five hours.
The Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway is completely closed to traffic at a number of intersections and 1,500 police officers are securing the streets.
In a joint press conference from Tel Aviv, Netanyahu began by thanking Biden: “I want to thank you for coming here today and for the unequivocal support you have given Israel during these trying times, a support that reflects the overwhelming will of the American people. I have seen your support every day in the breadth and depth of cooperation that we have had since the beginning of this war, a level of cooperation that is truly unprecedented in the history of the great alliance between our two nations.”
“We see that support in your steadfast commitment to provide Israel with the tools we need to defend ourselves and the clear message you’ve sent our enemies not to test our resolve and the two American aircraft carriers that you’ve sent to the region to back up those words with actions.”
“But above all, Mr. President, the world sees that support, and the moral clarity that you have demonstrated from the moment Israel was attacked. You’ve rightly drawn a clear line between the forces of civilization and the forces of barbarism. You described what Hamas did as ‘sheer evil.’ It is exactly that. Hamas murdered children in front of their parents and parents in front of their children. They burned people alive. They raped and murdered women. They beheaded soldiers. They searched for the secret hiding places where parents hid their children. Just imagine Mr. President – the fear and panic of those little children in their last moments as the monsters discovered their hiding places.”
“On October 7th, Hamas murdered 1,400 Israelis – maybe more. This is in a country of fewer than 10 million – the equivalent of 50,000 Americans murdered in a single day – that is the equivalent of twenty 9/11s. That is why October 7 is another day that will live in infamy. Mr. President, you rightly said that Hamas is worse than ISIS. The German Chancellor who visited here yesterday said that Hamas are the new Nazis – you’re both right. And just as the civilized world united to defeat the Nazis and united to defeat ISIS, the civilized world must unite to defeat Hamas.”
“Your visit is the first visit of an American president to Israel at a time of war. It is deeply deeply moving.”
In his remarks, Biden said; “I wanted to be here today for a simple reason: I want the people of Israel and the people of the world to know where the United States stands.”
“The terrorist group Hamas slaughtered over 1,300 people – and that’s not hyperbole – just slaughtered, slaughtered – including 31 Americans. They have taken scores of people hostage, including children. You said: ‘Imagine what those children hiding from Hamas were thinking.’ It’s beyond my comprehension to imagine what they were thinking, beyond my comprehension. They have committed evils and atrocities that make ISIS look somewhat more rational.”
“Americans are grieving with you, they really are. Americans are worried because they know this is not an easy field to navigate – what you have to do.”
“Israel, as they respond to these attacks, it seems to me that we have to continue to ensure that you have what you need to defend yourselves. And we’re going to make sure that occurs, as you know.”
“I am deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday. And based on what I’ve seen, it appears it was done by the other team, not you – but there’s a lot of people out there who are not sure. So we’ve gotta overcome a lot of things. And this also means encouraging life-saving capacity to help the Palestinians who are innocent, caught in the middle of this.”
“The world is looking. Israel has a value set like the United States does – and other democracies – and they’re looking to see what we’re going to do.”
Following their remarks, Biden met with Netanyahu in a meeting that lasted over an hour – double the time allotted for it. He then met with Israel’s war cabinet, held another brief press conference, and then met with President Herzog.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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10 Responses
AMERICA IS COMLIANT IN THIS WAR……Biden is the Beit Din and will be held accountable…..All Americans living in Israel are equally at fault…..shut your faces and let Isaeli’s lead…..not being an America I can just admit, I loathe most of you as bullies in Israel and I trust that BIBI doesn’t adhere to the filth America dishes out….RIH america….Biden, you are evil
Biden has two brains cells left and they are trying to eat each other.
Perhaps it is time to move past your right wing biases and run the headline Oheiv Yisrael without the question mark.
And once you are at it a public apology for presenting Biden as afraid to leave his basement and suffering from dementia is also in order.
What a farce. He went to Israel to stop the ground invasion. After all, you can’t simultaneously invade and send humanitarian aid, can you? Mark my words, it won’t be long before Israel will be back to square one, right after they trade the hostages for a bunch of terrorists and a cease fire. That will be as “peace” as it gets.
I think we should take it as a sign from above.
It’s the first time a President is visiting during a war, because this war is more than the others. It’s directly related to a global situation, and מלכות אדום has it’s own interests that are not exactly ours…
מלכות אדום is starting to do what it does according to the heavenly plan. See the very last פסוק in נבואת בלעם in פרשת בלק, look in the מפרשים there, and you’ll be stunned.
Here’s the מלבי”ם, for example:
וְצִים מִיַּד כִּתִּים וְעִנּוּ אַשּׁוּר וְעִנּוּ עֵבֶר וְגַם הוּא עֲדֵי אֹבֵד
וצים, וראה שיצאו אניות מלחמה מיד כתים שהם הרומיים שישלחו לכבוש את הישמעאלים וינצחום בכמה מלחמות עד שיענו את אשור ואת בני עבר הנהר שכולל גם את ישראל שנענה ונלחץ בעת ההיא, וגם הוא כמ”ש (דניאל ז’ יא) מן קל מליא רברבתא וגו’ קטילת חיותא וגו’ ויהיבת ליקדת אשא.
Where is the puppetmaster ?
The mindless comments in these threads are truly indicative of the dysfunction in both the governments of EY and the U.S. and the public’s even more dysfunctional analysis of the realities of this tragedy. By dragging out their response for going on 12 days, the IDF is inviting more of these “mass casualty even” in Gaza and a steady erosion of what had been almost universal support, including some from within the Arab states. Now, the U.S. has to move back to the “two sides” rhetoric and dilute its support of Israel’s right to defend itself with warnings about needing to respect “international law” and avoid collateral damage. They should have gone in within 72 hours and inflicted whatever damage they could and got out with a follow up strategy of aerial and precision bombing in response to any subsequent attacks.
Crazykanoiy, did you offer the same question when President Trump undoubtably offered chesed to Israel and the Jews?
It’s amazing to see the comments over here. I want to know why he didn’t have the guts to go to yerushalayim? Why is he meeting in tel Aviv? Only possible answer is that it’s near the airport and he’s able to get in and out fast .
The other thing is there are reports coming out of this meeting where sleazy Joe told the Israelis that if they want any money or bombs etc etc that they needed to open up for humanitarian aid, are euphemism for rebuilding and restocking supplies when it comes to the Yishmaelistans YMSH.
Well guess what, that would mean in some ways, Biden pulled a Ukraine on netanyahu etc. Let’s not forget Biden went to Ukraine as vice president and threatened to hold back money unless they fired the prosecutor who was rightfully so looking after never had a job hunter Biden.
Sleazy Joe is sleaze no matter how you slice it.
I was watching this with great emotion and feelings of gratitude towards the president and was stunned that he actually risked coming into such an environment where there are rockets launched towards there seemingly every other day.
Then, after asking myself, why indeed did he come? Why would the secret service allow this trip? I realized my terrible naïveté.
The answer is very sad to me. OBVIOUSLY, EVERYONE involved (PA, IRAN, SAUDI, JORDAN, EGYPT ETC. ETC.) that can (does) have influence on Hamas were told in no uncertain terms that if any missle comes remotely near Air Force One, Gaza will be flattened as a pancake. After all, who can stop America from doing that. Who’s (read-western world and our elitist academics in USA) even interested in stopping America from doing that. Who really cares about the Palestinians?
Sadly, the rules are very different for us Jews.
While I’m still grateful to the president for this trip, it stings.