On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden arrived for a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At a press conference with reporters, Joe Biden supported Israel’s version of who was responsible for Tuesday’s Gaza hospital bombing.
Biden told Netanyahu at Wednesday’s meeting:
“Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you. But there’s a lot of people out there not sure.”
The Israeli army has blamed Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants for Tuesday’s shelling of a hospital. According to them, it was an accidentally dropped bomb. Palestinian officials say Israel was responsible. It is not known reliably who is to blame for the hospital explosion yet. According to Peter Baker of the New York Times, US officials told reporters on the plane to Israel that they were still collecting information, so it’s unclear how Biden concluded about the situation.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says the blast killed 500 people, including staff, patients and civilians who took refuge there after an evacuation order from Israel.
During this unusually tense visit, Biden will first of all assure Netanyahu of his support for Hamas terrorist attacks and kidnappings last week, but he also promised to discuss humanitarian concerns with the prime minister as Israel continues to launch rocket attacks on the Gaza Strip and appears poised for a ground invasion. A humanitarian corridor has still not been opened to bring basic necessities such as water, food and fuel to Palestinians in Gaza. Jordan’s King Abdullah II cancelled meetings with Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that were scheduled to take place after yesterday’s hospital bombing.
The president’s visit to Israel comes as he aims to manage the complicated situation in the region while working to prevent the violence from escalating further. He has been focused on maintaining a balance between supporting Israel and preventing the situation from turning into a broader military conflict.
Gaza has been awaiting a counterattack by Israel, which is determined to eradicate Hamas. But it also would be very risky for Israel to launch a deliberate attack on a civilian target just as Biden – who has repeatedly said the United States stands by Israel – was leaving for the region for talks.
