Israel can relieve suffering of Gazans despite attack. Following his visit to Israel, US Vice President Joe Biden stated that although Israel had suffered greatly, it should look into ways to lessen the suffering of those in Gaza who had nowhere else to go.
“Look, Israel has been badly victimized. But the truth is that if they have an opportunity to relieve the suffering of people who have nowhere to go, it’s what they should do. And if they don’t, they’ll be held accountable in ways that may be unfair,” Biden told reporters aboard Air Force One on his way back from Israel on Wednesday.
“And my point to everyone is, look, if you have an opportunity to alleviate the pain, you should do it, period. And if you don’t, you’re going to lose credibility worldwide. And I think everyone understands that” Biden said after he spent several hours in Israel in the aftermath of the terrorist strike from Hamas.
Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 likely has Israel preparing retaliation against it, including preparations for a ground invasion of Gaza.
The US has requested significant humanitarian aid for the Gazans and is currently supplying Israel with military defence assistance.
Biden said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi agreed to open up the Rafah gate to allow up to 20 trucks of humanitarian assistance into Gaza. “If Hamas confiscates them or doesn’t let it get through … then it’s going to end,” he said. “The bottom line is Sisi deserves a lot of credit,” he added.
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According to a readout of the two leaders’ phone call from the White House, Biden and Al-Sisi talked about ongoing coordination to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and ways to make sure the aid is given out for the benefit of the civilian population.
“The two leaders agreed to work together closely on encouraging an urgent and robust international response to the UN’s humanitarian appeal. They agreed on the need to preserve stability in the Middle East, prevent escalation of the conflict, and set the circumstances for a durable, permanent peace in the region,” the White House said.
As Israel can relieve suffering of Gazans despite attack, on his way back from Israel, Biden was asked about the odds of Israeli forces launching a ground invasion of Gaza.
“We had a long talk about that and what alternatives there are. Our military is talking with their military about what the alternatives are, but I’m not going to go into that, either,” the president said.
The US president continued by noting that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, appeared receptive to the case for humanitarian aid.
“Well, we’ve had a number of discussions on this. I don’t know what you picked up in Israel, but I got no pushback. Virtually none. Let me say it again. I got no pushback. (from) All the partners, virtually none. I’m hopeful we can get some Americans out as well of Gaza and I’m hopeful we can continue to work toward getting other Americans out through other means as well,” Biden said.
