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Last Updated: October 12, 2023, 06:42 IST
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
Biden told a gathering of US Jewish community leaders at the White House that the attacks on Israel in which 1,200 people were killed was the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. (Reuters File Photo) (Reuters File Photo)
Biden urges Israel to follow rules of war amid escalating Hamas conflict. US support for Israel and caution to Iran
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday condemned the attack by Hamas on Israel as the “deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust” but urged Israel to follow ‘rules of war’. “This attack was a campaign of pure cruelty – not just hate, but pure cruelty – against the Jewish people,” Biden told Jewish leaders gathered at the White House.
As Israel responded with air strikes on Gaza, Biden said he had spoken earlier Wednesday to Netanyahu. The US president said he had known “Bibi” Netanyahu for four decades and they had a “very frank relationship”. The 80-year-old US president urged Benjamin Netanyahu to follow the rules of war after the Israeli prime minister promised to destroy Hamas.
“And the one thing that I did say is that it is really important that Israel, with all the anger and frustration… that exists, is that they operate by the rules of war,” Biden said. “And there are rules of war.” Biden’s call for restraint over Israel’s response comes after he called the “sheer evil” of the Hamas attacks on Saturday. Netanyahu had earlier promised the complete destruction of Hamas, saying “Every Hamas member is a dead man.”
Happening Now: President Biden joins a roundtable with Jewish community leaders to deliver remarks on his unwavering support for Israel and his work to combat antisemitism following the Hamas terrorist attacks. https://t.co/1dmuTR9lqI— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 11, 2023
Warning to Iran
During his address, the US president recalled that Washington had moved the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and its fleet into the region. US officials said another carrier would soon be available if needed.
Biden said he had “made it clear to the Iranians. Be careful.” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed earlier Wednesday to Israel in a show of solidarity with Israel. While fears have been growing of a regional conflagration, US officials said earlier they still had not seen any intelligence to show Iran was involved in planning or preparing the Hamas attacks.
At least 22 Americans were killed in the Hamas attacks, while an unknown number of US citizens are among an estimated 150 people who were taken hostage. The Hamas assault on Israel has raised fears of domestic attacks in the United States, and compounded concerns about a resurgence of anti-Semitism across the United States.
On Tuesday, Biden said that US authorities were on alert. “In cities across the United States of America, police departments have stepped up security around centers… of Jewish life,” Biden said. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also said that the president would meet with his domestic security advisors later in the week.
(With agency inputs)
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