‘Not a bargaining chip’: Biden confronts Israel on Gaza aid
In his last State of the Union address before the November elections, US President Joe Biden reiterated his administration's commitment to a two-state solution as "the only" settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address included a plea for Israel to “do its part” to ease the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip as well as a renewed call for its war against Hamas to end with a path to Palestinian statehood.
Biden said that “Israel has a right to go after Hamas” for the Oct. 7 massacre, during which the Palestinian militant group killed some 1,200 people and took 250 hostages in what the president noted was the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.
Biden also spoke, however, of Israel’s “fundamental responsibility” to protect innocent civilians in Gaza, where more than 30,000 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed in its five-month bombardment of the enclave.
“To the leadership of Israel I say this. Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip,” Biden told lawmakers gathered in the chamber of the House of Representatives.
“Israel must also do its part. Israel must allow more aid into Gaza and ensure that humanitarian workers aren’t caught in the cross-fire,” he added.
Despite the mounting human toll in Gaza, Biden has resisted calls from the progressive wing of his party to restrict US military assistance to Israel or stop protecting it diplomatically at the United Nations. The Democrats' pressure was on display in the House chamber, where a number of progressive lawmakers could be seen wearing “cease-fire” and Palestinian flag pins.
Also seated in the House gallery as guests of bipartisan members of Congress were the families of Americans held captive or killed by Hamas. Biden pledged the US government “will not rest” until their loved ones are returned home.
Along with Qatar and Egypt, the United States is seeking a six-week pause in the fighting, during which Hamas would free dozens of the remaining captives in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners. Biden pitched the cease-fire deal as one that “would get the hostages home, ease the intolerable humanitarian crisis, and build toward something more enduring.”
Biden also announced that he had directed the US military to lead in the construction on a temporary port off Gaza's coast for cargo ships to unload humanitarian assistance. No US boots will be on the ground to carry out what Biden framed as an emergency humanitarian mission.
It was the second time in less than a week that the president has announced a major US aid initiative to the war-torn territory. To help address the growing hunger crisis, US military aircraft on Saturday began dropping pallets of food and other supplies into Gaza.
Biden also used his speech to reaffirm support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which he described as the only path to ensuring Israel’s security and dignity for the Palestinians.
“As we look to the future, the only real solution is a two-state solution,” Biden said. “There is no other path that guarantees peace between Israel and all of its Arab neighbors, including Saudi Arabia.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly rejected the administration’s vision for postwar Gaza, including its calls for a revitalized Palestinian Authority to govern the territory. The Biden administration has linked Israeli concessions on Palestinian statehood to a potential grand deal that sees Saudi Arabia normalize relations with the Jewish state.
