US President Joe Biden stated this Wednesday that he had not demanded that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu postpone a possible ground offensive in the Gaza Strip until the release of the hostages of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
“No. It was his decision, I did not demand it,” Biden declared in response to a question at a press conference.
“What I told (Netanyahu) was that if it’s possible to get these people out safely, that’s what you should do,” he said.
Reiterating that Israel has not only the right but also “the duty” to defend itself, following the bloody Hamas attack on October 7, which left more than 1,400 dead in Israeli territory, most of them civilians, Biden added that the country must “do it”. “Everything in her power to save Palestinian civilians.”
He noted, however, that he “has no confidence” in the death toll in the Gaza Strip provided by the Palestinians.
According to local authorities, strong Israeli retaliation has so far killed at least 6,546 people in that poor Palestinian enclave controlled by Hamas since 2007, a group classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Israel.
The American head of state also called for attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank to “cease immediately.”
In his speech at the press conference held in Washington with the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, Biden also referred to the collision at sea between Chinese and Filipino ships in the South China Sea, insisting on his country’s commitment to defend the Philippines, after Manila accused China of compromising. in “intentional” confrontations.
“Any attack against Philippine planes, ships or armed forces will trigger the activation of our mutual defense partnership,” the Democratic head of state told the press.
“The United States’ commitment to the Philippines is unwavering,” he stressed.
Source: TSF
