Biden warns Israel about declining international aid over Gaza attack in interview with Seth Meyers

Washington
CNN
—

President Joe Biden warned Israel in an interview on Monday that it risks losing further international support as the attack on Gaza drags on, but expressed hope that a cease-fire agreement could be reached by early next week.

His comments to comedian Seth Meyers were aired the day before voters headed to the polls in Michigan. Michigan is a swing state in November, with Arab American activists calling on Democrats to choose “non-commitment” as a way to protest current U.S. policy. Biden, a longtime supporter of Israel, has walked a delicate political path since the war with Hamas began in early October, but amidst the huge death toll in the Gaza Strip and political pressure at home. This combination of increased demand has increased the urgency of concluding an agreement. Conflict.

“Israel has overwhelming support from the vast majority of countries,” Biden said in an interview with Meyers. “If this incredibly conservative government continues like this… it will lose support around the world.”

“I hope we can have a ceasefire by next Monday,” Biden said at an ice cream shop in New York City, stressing that the two parties appeared “close” to an agreement.

Hamas has withdrawn some key demands in hostage deal negotiations, suspended fighting in the Gaza Strip, and negotiating parties An initial agreement was reached to halt fighting and potentially consider forming a group. The number of Israeli hostages freed was announced earlier this week, two sources familiar with the discussions told CNN.

However, an Israeli official told CNN he was “surprised” that Biden was optimistic about a cease-fire agreement by Monday, but said the agreement initially included about 40 hostages, including female Israeli soldiers. He acknowledged that Israel hopes this will include the release of

“Ramadan is approaching and there was an agreement with the Israeli side to not operate during Ramadan to give us time to rescue all the hostages,” Biden said on Monday.

However, a Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson said that although Israel and Hamas had not yet reached an agreement to cease fighting in exchange for the release of hostages from Gaza, they hoped to reach an agreement before the scheduled start of Ramadan. He said that Mr. Ansari declined to respond to Mr. Biden’s assessment that a deal would be reached by Monday, saying questions “should be directed to the White House.”

Biden also mentioned the Israeli military’s looming attack on Rafah, a city of about 1.5 million Palestinians that Israel considers the last stronghold of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“Meanwhile, too many innocent people are being killed. Israel delayed its attack on Rafah,” Biden said. “They have to do that and have assured me that they are going to make sure that they have the ability to evacuate a significant portion of Rafah before eliminating the rest of Hamas.”

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told CNN late Tuesday that the United States supports Israel’s plan to attack Rafah until authorities confirm a plan to ensure the safety of refugees sheltering in the city. He said he would not. This belief comes despite comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggesting that Israel would advance into Rafah regardless of whether a humanitarian moratorium is negotiated in Gaza.

Kirby said earlier this month that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered the IDF to “develop an operational plan for Rafah, including a plan to ensure the safety of the more than 1 million refugees there.” Quoted.

But he acknowledged that the United States has so far “not been presented with any such plan.”

Asked by CNN’s MJ Lee whether the United States would not support Israeli forces entering Rafah without seeing a plan to ensure the safe evacuation of civilians, Mr. Kirby replied, “Absolutely.”

Tuesday’s Michigan primary is the latest litmus test for Democrats over the war, as Biden faces increasing pressure from his progressive base over U.S. support for Israel. Organizers in the state say they expect at least 10,000 people to vote “irresponsibly” in the Democratic primary, a move that brought the state to Donald Trump in 2016. He expressed his respect for the difference of 10,700 votes.

Approximately 146,000 Muslim Americans voted in Michigan’s general election in 2020, according to an analysis by EmGage, a group that works to expand the political power of Muslim Americans. Biden won the state by 150,000 votes.