The White House is resisting pressure from liberal Democrats to condemn the Israeli government over its military campaign against Palestinian militants as the death toll in the Gaza Strip climbs for a second week.
President Joe Biden and senior administration officials were distancing themselves from New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after she called Israel “an apartheid state” and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is imploring Congress to consider applying conditions on foreign aid to the region, as Senate Democrats urge both sides to agree to a ceasefire.
“Our message is, sometimes, you have to step back from politics for a moment. It’s not easy to do, and we recognize and agree that watching the lives lost of these Palestinian children, of these families, the fear you see in the eyes of the Israeli people, it is heartbreaking,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Monday.
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It is not “constructive” for Biden to weigh in on whether Israel’s strategy and tactics are proportionate or disproportionate, nor whether either side has committed war crimes, she said.
Psaki borrowed national security adviser Jake Sullivan’s description of U.S. diplomatic efforts as “quiet and intensive” as she defended Biden from criticism he received for not calling for a ceasefire. The White House will not provide readouts of all high-level discussions, and the president continues to believe in a two-state solution, she said.
“Our focus, our goal, every single action we take, every statement we make is with the objective of reducing the violence and bringing an end to the conflict on the ground,” she added.
The violence has split the Democratic Party.
Liberal members are speaking out against what they perceive as heavy-handiness by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump. Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have both voiced their support for Israel, though Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that Israel has a responsibility to limit the number of civilian casualties.
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Fighting between Israel and Hamas is now in its second week, the deadliest unrest in the region since the 50-day Gaza war in 2014. About 11 Israelis and 200 Palestinians have died since last Monday after clashes erupted over evictions in Jerusalem. Last weekend, an Israeli airstrike killed at least 42 people in Gaza, while Hamas fired more than 3,000 rockets at Israel.
