On Thursday night, while addressing the report of the Special Counsel into his handling of classified documents in his personal possession, President Biden was also asked a question about the status of negotiations concerning hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.
In his first sentence, President Biden declared, "I’m of the view, as you know, that the conduct of the response in Gaza — in the Gaza Strip has been over the top."
This represented the President's harshest criticism of Israel since claiming they had engaged in "indiscriminate bombing" in December 2023. Biden Administration officials John Kirby and Matthew Miller had to do damage control. At the time, I commented:
The best one can hope for is that Biden won't repeat such remarks again. The fact that White House personnel like John Kirby and Matthew Miller are trying to clean up what Biden said might be an encouraging sign. Indeed, Miller went as far as to say "indiscriminate" "is not an assessment we've made". But Biden did use the word indiscriminate, and the damage has been done. In which case, it probably won't be a last time they'll be called upon as a cleanup crew.
Well, there's been another spill. Of course, much of the Biden Administration's attention over the past couple of days has been on the Special Counsel's report. Although the Special Counsel declined recommending President Biden be charged in the handling of classified documents, the report does not cast him in a good light. For his part, Special Counsel Robert Hur characterized President Biden as "an elderly man with a poor memory."
While Hur's language could be described as inflammatory and reflecting a personal opinion rather than a legal one, President Biden did not help his cause during the press conference. Immediately after declaring that Israel's actions in Gaza were over the top, he called Abdel Fattah el-Sisi the President of Mexico. The problem is that el-Sisi is the President of Egypt. With that said, let's not forget that defeated, former President Donald Trump recently referred to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as the "leader of Turkey".
Nevertheless, the fact that President Biden has characterized Israel's response in Gaza as "over the top" warrants questions. Here are 10 of mine.
1. In which way are Israeli military operations "over the top"?
2. Do you believe Israel is deliberately targeting Palestinian civilians or committing war crimes?
3. When Hamas invaded Israel and took its people hostage you likened them to ISIS. Is this still your assessment?
4. If you still believe that Hamas is the equivalent of ISIS, do you agree with Israel's objective of eliminating Hamas?
5. If you agree with Israel's objective of eliminating Hamas while also believing that Israeli military operations are "over the top" what strategies does your administration recommend to Israel regarding its military campaign against Hamas?
6. If you do not believe Hamas is the equivalent of ISIS, do you think Israel has to live with Hamas despite its pledge to launch more October 7th style attacks until Israel is destroyed?
7. Regarding humanitarian assistance to Gaza, what evidence do you have that aid is not falling into the hand of Hamas?
8. If U.S. humanitarian assistance does fall into the hands of Hamas, does it stand to reason that Hamas would use these funds to launch another attack against Israeli civilians?
9. You have also said that you are seeking a "sustained pause in fighting". Does this mean you now support a ceasefire?
10. If you do support a ceasefire, do you not recognize the fact Hamas will use the ceasefire as an opportunity to rebuild its military infrastructure and launch another October 7th style attack against Israeli civilians?
I pose these 10 questions with the understanding that President Biden is probably more sympathetic to Israel than any other world leader. Indeed, Israelis themselves hold President Biden in higher esteem than they do defeated, former President Trump. It is all the more reason for me to pose such questions when President Biden gives the appearance he is going wobbly on Israel.
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