President Biden personally urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to minimize civilian casualties as the Jewish state waged war against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, according to a report.
The plea from the 80-year-old president came during a phone call with Netanyahu on Tuesday and was the most direct message from Biden to the Israeli prime minister on the topic of potential civilian deaths, according to NBC News.
Biden stopped short of making similar requests publicly during a speech on Tuesday after his call with Netanyahu.
“I just got off the phone with — the third call with Prime Minister Netanyahu,” Biden said. “And I told him if the United States experiences what Israel experiences, our response will be swift, decisive and extraordinary.”
“Terrorists deliberately target civilians, kill them. We uphold the law of war – the law of war. It is important. There is a difference,” Biden said on Tuesday.Getty Images
“We also discussed how democracies like Israel and the United States are stronger and safer when we act according to the rule of law,” he added, suggesting that the Israel Defense Forces should avoid attacks that could result in civilian casualties.
“Terrorists deliberately target civilians, kill them. We uphold the law of war – the law of war. It is important. There is a difference,” he said.
Netanyahu and Biden spoke by phone Tuesday.AP
Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,000 Israeli civilians and soldiers during Saturday morning’s raid on the country.
About 150 hostages, including Americans, according to Biden, were taken by Hamas and rushed across the border into Gaza.
Biden’s apparent plea for restraint comes as some members of the Democratic Party’s left wing have criticized Israel’s response to the unprecedented Hamas attack.
“Human rights abuses do not allow more human rights abuses, and a military response will only exacerbate the suffering of Palestinians and Israelis,” Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), a member of the liberal “Squad” of congressional lawmakers, tweeted Saturday.
“We must do our part to stop this violence and trauma by ending the US government’s support of the Israeli military occupation and apartheid,” he added.
More than 1,000 civilians were killed by Hamas terrorists in Israel over the weekend.Getty Images
Another Squad member, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), urged the Biden administration on Monday to shift from giving Israel “unconditional arms sales and military aid” to diplomacy, and suggested that Israel’s plan to destroy Hamas might be “war.” crime.”
“The Israeli Defense Minister has called the Palestinians ‘human animals’ and promised to cut off all electricity, all food, and all fuel to civilians in Gaza,” Omar wrote in a long thread on X, formerly Twitter.
“This is collective punishment, a war crime, and the US should oppose any violation of international law if we truly support a rules-based international order,” he continued.
The Israeli cabinet has declared war for the first time in 50 years and has launched airstrikes on Gaza ahead of an expected ground attack.
The first shipment of US “advanced ammunition” arrived in Israel Tuesday, aboard a US aircraft, according to the IDF.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House Tuesday that the US “has deployed missiles and interceptors to [Israel’s] Iron Dome missile defense system” at the behest of Biden.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
