This Wednesday, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, made a historic state visit to Israel in the face of a very complicated situation due to the war with Hamas, following the missile attack on a hospital in Gaza. Biden assured that it was caused by Israel’s “enemies.”
For their part, Palestinian officials attributed to Israel the brutal attack on the Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital on Tuesday night in which at least 470 people were killed. However, Israel claimed that the explosion was caused by a failed rocket-launching attempt by the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which denied responsibility.
Biden’s historic arrival in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, the first visit by a U.S. president to Israel during a period of war, marked his strongest public show of support since the October 7 attacks by Hamas.
Why Did Joe Biden Go to Israel?
Arab leaders responded to the loss of life, which they attributed to Israel, by canceling a summit with Joe Biden in Jordan. This event was central to the second part of his carefully coordinated itinerary for emergency meetings with allies to avert a wider war in the region.
Joe Biden landed in Tel Aviv today, where he was greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the two held a joint press conference. “Basically, I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion at the Gaza hospital yesterday. From what I have seen, it looks like it was done by the other team, not by you. But there are a lot of people who are not safe, so we have to get through a lot of things,” was Biden’s direct message to Netanyahu. Biden was then asked by reporters what led him to conclude that Israel was not responsible, and he replied, “The data that my Defense Department showed me.”
After a day of meetings with Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders, Joe Biden discussed new agreements related to a humanitarian corridor in the area, aid to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as the promise of a broad new congressional funding request for Israel’s defense.
However, throughout the trip, the explosion at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza was the most relevant issue. Thus, at the press conference, Biden reiterated his support for Israel, passed responsibility to Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and also condemned the Palestinian military group Hamas, which launched an unprecedented attack on Israel from Gaza on October 7, leaving 1400 people dead.
Now, according to Palestinian health officials, at least 3000 people have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory attacks on Gaza. “But there are a lot of people who are not safe, so we have to overcome a lot of things,” added Biden, who will be harshly challenged over the excessive force applied by Israel.
In recent hours, several U.S. embassies in different cities around the world have been the scene of massive protests against the West. Within the US, several political leaders criticized Joe Biden’s lack of response. Therefore, Biden’s trip to the Middle East was aimed at calming the region, while demonstrating U.S. support for its ally Israel.
Following the cancellation of the summit with Arab leaders, Joe Biden is expected to speak by phone with Jordanian and Egyptian leaders from the presidential plane back home.
This story was written in Spanish by Miguel Fernández in Cultura Colectiva News
