President Joe Biden told reporters Wednesday that he has spoken directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the escalating violence in his country and Gaza.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted earlier in the day that he spoke with Netanyahu about the airstrikes and rocket attacks carried out by both Israeli forces and Hamas in recent days, but the president had yet to speak publicly on the situation.
“My national security staff and defense staff have been in constant contact with their counterparts in the Middle East — not just with the Israelis, but also everyone from the Egyptians to the Saudis to the Emiratis,” the president said following a speech at the White House.
ISRAEL REBUFFS US CALLS FOR CEASEFIRE AS BLINKEN SENDS ENVOY TO REGION
“I had a conversation with Bibi Netanyahu not too long ago,” Biden said. “I’ll be putting out a statement very shortly on that, but my expectation and hope is that this will be closing down sooner than later, and Israel has the right to protect itself when they have thousands of rockets flying into your territory.”
Biden reiterated that he hopes “we’ll see this coming to a conclusion sooner than later.”
The White House’s readout of the call noted that the president pledged his “unwavering support” to Israel, a departure from the Obama administration in which Biden was vice president. That team was more critical, at times, of the Jewish state.
The statement also noted that Biden’s national security team had discussed the situation with their counterparts in Qatar and Jordan in addition to the countries Biden named.
Blinken dispatched a State Department envoy to the region on Wednesday to mediate peace talks between Israel and Palestine, yet some Israeli officials have brushed off calls for a ceasefire.
“I don’t think it’s the time to talk about the calls for a ceasefire,” Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat said in a statement to reporters on the subject. “There’s nothing really to talk about.”
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While the casualty count remains unknown, multiple outlets and humanitarian groups are reporting that at least 14 Palestinian children have been killed by airstrikes launched by the Israeli military.
The number of Israelis killed by rocket attacks against Jerusalem and Tel Aviv is significantly lower, thanks in large part to the country’s Iron Dome missile defense system.
