Biden affirms support for Israel as Palestinian casualties continue to rise
Washington DC - President Joe Biden spoke on Wednesday to right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the ongoing siege over Palestinians in the region.
A readout of the call published on the White House website reads, "The President affirmed his personal history of steadfast commitment to Israel’s security and conveyed his intent to strengthen all aspects of the US-Israel partnership, including our strong defense cooperation."
"My expectation and hope is that this will be closing down sooner than later," Biden told reporters after the call on Wednesday, according to Politico. "But Israel has a right to defend itself when you have thousands of rockets flying into your territory."
The conflict has been escalating sharply since Monday, when Israeli armed security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at worshipers who gathered at Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, during the sacred month of Ramadan.
Hundreds were injured, which added to the anger simmering among Palestinian residents over a forced evictions campaign to take over Sheikh Jarrah, a neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Several Palestinian families are being removed, with their homes earmarked for settlers. The UN has warned that the evictions could potentially be classified as a war crime.
Hamas, the Islamic governing authority in Gaza, has been firing rockets into Israel since Monday evening. Six Israeli civilians and one soldier have died. The Israeli Iron Dome defense system intercepts around 90% of the rockets, Al Jazeera reported.
Israel has responded with its own airstrikes, leveling several government and residential buildings in Gaza. The death toll rose to 83 this morning, according to Palestinian health ministry figures cited by Middle East Eye. Another 388 are reportedly injured, with some in critical condition.
US lawmakers speak out against the violence
Activists are urging the Biden administration to take a firmer stance against Israeli violence. They are demanding the US government stop sending weapons and military aid to Israel, which amounts to billions of dollars every year, and instead provide aid to Palestine.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestian-American member of Congress, took part in a protest outside the State Department on Tuesday. Demonstrators chanted and waved signs reading "Free Palestine" and "Let Gaza Live."
A group of more than two dozen centrist and progressive Democrats, including Tlaib, also signed a letter on Wednesday calling on the Biden administration to speak out against Israel's Palestinian expulsion program.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another signee, had harsh words for Biden's remarks on the conflict: "By only stepping in to name Hamas' actions – which are condemnable – & refusing to acknowledge the rights of Palestinians, Biden reinforces the false idea that Palestinians instigated this cycle of violence. This is not neutral language. It takes a side – the side of occupation."
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that he had spoken to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and urged him to "end rocket attacks and deescalate tensions."
Cover photo: IMAGO / NurPhoto