Palestinians Are Furious About US President Biden’s Position on Gaza
Defending its actions, Hamas called on Biden to move away from “the policy of double standards.” Other Palestinians felt that the president’s one-sided address was irresponsible and may weaken the PA.
Palestinians are enraged by US President Joe Biden’s stance on Gaza, following Hamas’ deadly surprise assault on Israel over the weekend. The Islamic group’s attack has threatened to ignite further tensions between Washington and Ramallah.
The US president, flanked by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, reaffirmed America’s unconditional support for Israel and its counteroffensive on Gaza.
In his emotional address on Tuesday, President Biden condemned Hamas’ attack on US ally Israel as “sheer evil.”
The president looked visibly shaken by the images he saw of dead bodies belonging to Israeli civilian men, women, and children in several communities that had been infiltrated by hundreds of Hamas members in southern Israel on Saturday morning.
“There are moments in this life—I mean this literally—when a pure unadulterated evil is unleashed on this world,” he said in a hushed voice during his televised speech. “This is an act of sheer evil.”
President Biden also pledged to expedite the delivery of more munitions and military hardware to Israel.
Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, responded to the American president’s remarks with a statement defending its actions, saying the group was fighting against an occupation and defending Palestinians’ right to self-determination. In a statement published on its website, Hamas called on the president to “move away from the policy of double standards” when it comes to Israel.
Hamas: Biden’s remarks ‘attempt to cover crimes’ of Israel
The Islamist group called the president’s comments “inflammatory,” and further said in its statement: “These remarks are an attempt to cover up the crimes and terror of the Zionist government.”
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During his speech, President Biden quickly referenced Israel’s relentless and deadly bombardment of the Gaza Strip since Saturday, following Hamas’ infiltration into Israel through the security fence.
This one-sided approach could prove risky as it threatens the existence of an already weak Palestinian Authority
“This one-sided approach could prove risky as it threatens the existence of an already weak Palestinian Authority,” Wasel Abu Yousef, Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee member told The Media Line.
The PA, which has been highly critical of the Biden Administration, is furious with the US government. Abu-Yousef explained that the White House stance will make it difficult to deal with American officials in the future.
“There is nothing new in what Biden said. He is talking about providing every opportunity to shed more Palestinian blood, allowing Israel to carry out a hideous massacre,” said Abu Yousef.
I wish that President Biden’s speech had been more responsible and more balanced. Unfortunately, he only took the side of Israel.
“I wish that President Biden’s speech had been more responsible and more balanced. Unfortunately, he only took the side of Israel. He didn’t look at the suffering of the Palestinian people, and instead of pushing the situation towards escalation, what we need is de-escalation. That means Israel stopping its inhumane blockade on Gaza and an immediate cease-fire so that the bombardment also stops,” Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the political party the Palestinian National Initiative, told The Media Line.
The Palestinians have a deep mistrust of the US government. They are convinced that successive administrations have long favored Israeli policies, and the president’s stance on Israel’s current Gaza military operation proves so.
“The only way I can explain President Biden’s position is that he cares more about his re-election than the safety of the people here, whether Israelis or Palestinians. If he thinks this way and wants to satisfy the pressure of the Israeli lobby in the United States, then he will not play a positive role,” added Barghouti.
Barghouti blames the US for not pressuring Israel to stop settlement expansion and for not having a clear vision of how to save the two-state solution, which he says was “destroyed” by Israel.
“In the speech that President Biden made, and many other American speeches, there’s a tendency to dehumanize all Palestinians, not only Hamas. And accepting that Israel will take 2.3 million people living in Gaza hostage and bombard them and deprive them of water, food, electricity, medicine, and fuel, this is not human and should not be accepted,” says Barghouti.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to arrive in Israel and Jordan on Thursday to meet with senior officials amid the ongoing Hamas-Israel war, the US State Department announced Wednesday morning.
During the trip, Blinken is set to reaffirm US solidarity with Israel and its right to defend itself as well as express his condolences to the families of the victims of the Hamas terrorist attacks.
At least 1,200 people have now been confirmed dead in Israel in the deadliest attack in the country’s 75-year history.
In Gaza, more than 900 people have been killed as Israel has pounded the densely populated territory with retaliatory air strikes and artillery bombardments.
