Biden Tries To Claim Credit For Cease-Fire Between Israel And Hamas
Democratic President Joe Biden sought to take credit for brokering the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas on Thursday, despite reports that it was Egypt who brokered the talks.
In his remarks at the White House, Biden mentioned Egyptian officials and thanked them for their “important position” in ending the war. However, he repeatedly stressed the extensive work that his own government had done to achieve the cease fire.
“Over the last 11 days, I spoke with the prime minister six times. I’ve also spoken with President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority more the once and part of our intense diplomatic engagement,” Biden said .
Biden tries to claim credit for cease-fire between Israel and Hamas https://t.co/dNTz055tHu
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“I want to also thank the secretary of state, the secretary of defense, our national security adviser, and everyone on our team for their incredible efforts to bring this about, this outcome that we’re about to see.”
“You know, we’ve held intensive, high-level discussions, hour by hour, literally, Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and other Middle Eastern countries, with an aim of avoiding this sort of prolonged conflict we’ve seen in previous years when the hostilities have broken out,” Biden added.
The Biden administration then promised to assist Israel in restocking its Iron Dome missile defense system and to collaborate with the Palestinian Authority to restore Gaza.
Biden also noted how he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the cease-fire and praised him for his decision to end the fighting.
“The United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks from Hamas,” Biden maintained.
“I assured him of my full support to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome system to ensure its defenses and security in the future,” he added.
The Democratic president then boasted how he talked with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is a Fatah Party member rather than a Hamas member.
Fatah and Hamas are the two main Palestinian political parties.
“I send my sincere condolences to all the families, Israeli and Palestinian, who have lost loved ones and my hope for a full recovery for the wounded,” Biden continued.
“The United States committed to working with the United Nations, and we remain committed to working with the United Nations and other international stakeholders to provide rapid humanitarian assistance and to marshal international support for the people of Gaza and the Gaza reconstruction efforts.”
“We will do this in full partnership with the Palestinian Authority, not Hamas, Palestinian Authority, in a manner that does not permit Hamas to simply restock its military arsenal.”
According to reports, the deadly fighting between Israeli and Palestinian forces has claimed the lives of at least 12 Israelis and 230 Palestinians, making it the worst outbreak of violence since the 2014 Gaza war.
Hamas has fired over 4,000 rockets into Israel in the last 11 days in response to a clash between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters, forcing the IDF to respond with devastating airstrikes.
