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One of the strongest advocates in the White House for ending civilian casualties in Gaza is the person closest to the president, Jill Biden.
During a meeting with members of the Muslim community at the White House on Tuesday evening, one attendee said his wife would not be attending the meeting because of Biden’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas. He told the president he was against it.
Mr. Biden responded that he understood. “Stop it, stop it now,” the first lady urged, according to an audience member who heard him speak.
Salima Saswell, founder of the Black Muslim Leadership Council, recounted the scene in an interview, adding that she wrote down the president’s remarks because she was so shocked to hear that the first lady had strong feelings about the conflict. .
“He said she said, ‘Stop it, stop it, Joe,'” Mr Sadswell said.
Asked about the president’s comments, White House officials said Wednesday that there was no daylight between Mr. Biden and the first lady regarding the conflict and that the president, like the first lady, was furious about the civilian casualties. Ta. Officials said the first lady did not ask Israel to stop working against Hamas.
“Like the president, the first lady is saddened by the attacks on aid workers and the continuing loss of innocent life in Gaza,” Elizabeth Alexander, the first lady’s communications director, said in a statement. She added: “Both countries want Israel to do more to protect civilians.”
The first lady is not the only one making this appeal to her husband. Many of Mr. Biden’s closest allies, including Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, have said they would do more to expand humanitarian aid to Gaza and end the war, including supporting limits on military aid to Israelis. They are putting pressure on the president to act.
Mr. Biden faces growing wariness among other Democrats over his support for the war and a letter of internal opposition, including opposition from officials at about 40 government agencies.
But the first lady occupies one of the most influential positions in Biden’s inner circle and is one of the few people who provides him with candid opinions on policy and political issues.
Biden has previously opposed U.S. involvement in overseas conflicts. One reason for this was that Biden’s eldest son, Beau Biden, joined the Delaware Army National Guard in 2003 and was deployed to Iraq in 2008. She supported her husband’s war effort. Despite her subsequent deadly and chaotic efforts, she made the decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan.
“I think he trusts my instincts as a spouse, not as a policymaker or an advisor,” she told The New York Times in a 2021 interview.
One person who attended a White House event in the winter of 2022 was surprised by the first lady’s emotional response to someone praising President George W. Bush’s accomplishments. “He sent my son to war,” Biden reportedly responded angrily. To Bo, who raised me since I was little. “He sent my son to war.”
The Gaza conflict is different. Although there are no U.S. troops on the ground, recent polls show that Biden has been a staunch supporter of Israel over the past six months, and that a majority of Americans currently oppose Israeli military operations in Gaza. They are in direct conflict with Americans. Some Democratic voters in battleground states such as Michigan and Wisconsin have threatened to withdraw their support from the president if he continues to support Israel.
Biden addressed the group Tuesday night, issuing a statement saying he was outraged by the killing of seven World Central Kitchen relief workers in an Israeli airstrike on Monday night. But so far, there is no evidence that the first lady’s personal efforts have prompted the president to change his policy toward Israel.
Biden is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, a senior administration official said. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said Biden’s anger and frustration had peaked in recent weeks.
Mr. Biden’s staunch support for Israel makes it even more difficult for the first lady to campaign as she has during their decades of marriage. Like her husband, Biden has had several campaign events disrupted by people protesting America’s involvement in the conflict.
Dr. Biden’s headline-grabbing “Women for Biden” event in Arizona in March was interrupted by demonstrators demanding to know why the Bidens supported “genocide” in Gaza It was done.
In other events that month in Wisconsin and Vermont, people gathered outside Democratic Party offices and donors’ homes to protest American war aid. Keynote speech given by Dr. Biden on March 23rd. human rights campaign dinner In Los Angeles, it was interrupted by a group of people who jumped out of their seats and started shouting “ceasefire now!”
The first lady remained silent as protesters were removed from the room as supporters chanted “four more years.” After they were gone, she resumed her speech.
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