President Biden visits Israel: ‘You are not alone’

U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday to offer his support for Israel against Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that that Biden’s visit was “deeply, deeply moving,” calling it the first ever by a U.S. president to visit Israel during a war.

“It speaks to the depth of your personal commitment to Israel. It speaks to the depth of your personal commitment to the future of the Jewish people and the one and only Jewish state.”

Netanyahu also stressed that the war in Gaza this time around will be different because Hamas is a “different kind of enemy.”

“While Israel seeks to minimise civilian casualties, Hamas seeks to maximise civilian casualties. Hamas wants to kill as many Israelis as possible and has no regard whatsoever to Palestinian lives. Every day, they perpetrate a double war crime: targeting our civilians while hiding behind their civilians, embedding themselves in the civilian population and using them as human shields,” he said.

Biden once again stressed the “appalling, terrorist assault, brutal, inhumane” atrocities committed by Hamas last week, but applauded the decision to form an emergency government.

“This cabinet came together and is standing strong, standing united. And I want you to know you are not alone. You are not alone,” he said.

Biden was initially scheduled to travel to Amman in Jordan for a summit between with Egypt’s President Al-Sissi, Jordan’s King Abdullah and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The summit was, however, canceled after the explosion at the hospital.

In his meeting with Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, Biden also commented on the explosion, saying: “It appears that it was done by the other team.”

Israel said it would present its evidence to the United States to convince the world that it wasn’t behind the explosion.

Biden’s visit to Israel will focus on putting pressure on Hamas to release some 200 hostages from Gaza, which includes American citizens. Biden will also discuss efforts to open Egypt’s Rafah border crossing with Gaza to allow humanitarian need in.

Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel had agreed to make a plan for humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Lastly, Biden’s presence in Israel is seen as a sign to Iran and Hezbollah, both of which have threatened Israel with war should the bombings of Gaza continue.

Biden has stressed repeatedly that the U.S. will not sit idly by if any of Israel’s enemies “take advantage” of the situation. “I have one word for you; don’t,” Biden said.