Biden Pledges Support for Israel, Condemns Hamas Attack

Facts

• Pres. Joe Biden delivered a speech on Tuesday that reaffirmed US support for Israel. His address denounced the Palestinian militant group Hamas and called its deadly weekend offensive on Israel from the Gaza Strip an act of 'pure unadulterated evil.”¹
• He delivered his 10-minute speech from the White House, three days after Hamas fighters launched a surprise attack that killed roughly 1K Israelis and at least 14 Americans. Vice Pres. Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken were stood behind him during the address.²
• Biden vowed that the US “will make sure Israel has what it needs” to defend itself and its citizens, adding that the Middle Eastern country has a duty to respond to the US-designated terrorist Hamas — a group that exists to 'kill Jews', according to the US president.³
• This comes after Biden met with his national security team and contacted allies — including Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu — following the outbreak of the war. In addition to deploying the USS Gerald Ford Strike Group to the Mediterranean, the White House plans to help replenish Israel's air-defence system, Iron Dome.⁴
• While Biden confirmed Tuesday that Americans are among hostages taken by Hamas, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan stated the precise number of US hostages was unknown. Sullivan added that Washington doesn't currently intend to put troops on the ground.⁵
• Sec. Blinken is expected to arrive in Israel on Thursday in a show of support, while Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin — who is traveling to a Ukraine contact group meeting in Brussels — has said that a group of US special operations forces is working with Israelis to aid planning and intelligence.⁵

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²NBC, ³USA Today, ⁴NPR Online News and ⁵Associated Press.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by Daily Wire. Joe Biden waited for too long to address the Hamas terror attack on Israel. While the White House has made some statements acknowledging the tragedy, Biden hasn’t shown the strength required from a US president following an event like this. Americans taken hostage in Israel are waiting for a leader that will bring them home safely, yet Biden is waffling to appease the rabid anti-Israel wing of his party. His weakness is now clearer than ever.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by MSNBC. Leave it to the GOP and right-wing media to make Pres. Biden the focal point of a tragedy overseas. While a thousand civilians, including 14 Americans, lost their lives — with many more taken hostage — Republicans are using the attack on Israel to promote their warped idea of “strength.” Focus should be on the victims in both Israel and Palestine, while the GOP must be reminded that the Middle East became destabilized under Republican administrations that initiated the Iraq war and ignored the plight of Palestinians.

Predictions