Trump distributes blame
Biden sees the USA as “firmly” on Israel’s side
October 8, 2023, 3:12 a.m
While ex-President Trump is using the Hamas attack on Israel to accuse the ruling Democrats of alleged arms aid to Iran, reliable signals are coming from the White House to Tel Aviv: the USA are irrefutable allies, says Biden.
After the major attack by the radical Islamic Palestinian group Hamas against Israel, US President Joe Biden promised the Israelis the unwavering support of the US. “The United States stands with the people of Israel in the face of these terrorist attacks,” Biden said in a televised address.
Biden said in the presence of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that US support for Israel was “rock-solid and unwavering”. The radical Islamic Hamas launched a new war against Israel in the morning with rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, and fighters also penetrated Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. Israel responded with retaliatory attacks. According to preliminary information, more than 300 people were killed and more than a thousand others were injured on the Israeli side alone.
Warning to Iran: “The world is watching”
Biden warned that this is “not the moment for any hostile anti-Israel party to exploit these attacks to their advantage.” “The world is watching,” emphasized the US President. The warning is likely aimed at Iran and the Shiite Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, but the White House did not provide further details. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Hezbollah militia had previously expressed their support for the “proud effort” of the Gaza Strip’s ruling Hamas. US Secretary of State Blinken spoke on the phone with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in view of the current crisis. Blinken called on “all leaders in the region” to condemn the attacks on Israel.
Before his televised address, Biden had already assured after a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the USA was ready to offer Israel “all appropriate means of support”. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also assured that in the coming days the Pentagon would “work to ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself and protect civilians.” Since its founding, Israel has received more than $125 billion (118 billion euros) in military aid from the United States, according to a 2021 US State Department report.
Biden spokesman accuses Trump of “shameful lies.”
Former US President Donald Trump, who wants to run again in the next presidential election and replace Biden, responded to the conflict not only with a statement of solidarity with Israel, but also with an attack on his domestic political opponent. “These Hamas attacks are a disgrace and Israel has every right to use overwhelming force to defend itself,” Trump said. Without providing evidence, he added: “Unfortunately, US taxpayers helped fund these attacks, which many reports say came from the Biden administration.”
Trump was referring to allegations that Iran had invested the six billion dollars (5.68 billion euros) it received last month as part of a prisoner exchange into the current Hamas offensive. Biden’s deputy spokesman Andrew Bates called this on online networks a “shameful lie in every respect at a time when both parties should be completely united in supporting Israel.” The sum for Iran can only be used for humanitarian goods such as food and medicine.
Before the major Hamas attack, Biden had hoped to achieve a foreign policy success with Saudi Arabia’s recognition of the State of Israel before the US presidential election. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said the Hamas attacks were “not only supported by Iran, they were designed to stop peace efforts between Saudi Arabia and Israel.” “A peace agreement between these two countries would be a nightmare for Iran and Hamas,” Graham added.