President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday night contained many elements that should make Israelis feel good.
According to CNN figures, the American president gave more time to the Gaza war (5:21 minutes) than he gave to either the Russia-Ukraine war (3:47) or the US’s domestic economy (4:11) or gun control (2:03) – showing how much importance he evidently places to the events surrounding our country.
Arriving at the topic late in the hour-long speech, Biden gave statements supporting Israel in its war with Hamas, calling on Hamas to release the Israeli hostages it is holding, and condemning sexual violence committed in the terror group’s Oct. 7 invasion and subsequent massacre of Israelis.
As Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike gave a standing ovation, Biden said: “Here in the chamber tonight are American families whose loved ones are still being held by Hamas. I pledge to all the families that we will not rest until we bring every one of your loved ones home.”
Acknowledging that Hamas is responsible for the death toll in Gaza because it “hides and operates among the civilian population,” Biden also laid the blame for prolonging suffering taking place in war-torn Strip at the hands of Hamas, saying that the terrorists “could end this conflict today by releasing the hostages, laying down arms, and surrendering those responsible for Oct. 7th.”
That’s the good stuff.
Biden targeted Netanyahu's policies in Gaza
In addition to his criticism of Hamas, Biden also targeted Israel with his harshest public comments yet on the Netanyahu government’s policies in Gaza. Saying that Israel has a right to go after Hamas, Biden stressed that it must do its part to enable aid to reach Gazans.
“Israel also has a fundamental responsibility, though, to protect innocent civilians in Gaza. This war has taken a greater toll on innocent civilians than all previous wars in Gaza combined,” he said, calling the situation “heartbreaking.”
“Israel must allow more aid into Gaza and ensure humanitarian workers aren’t caught in the crossfire. To the leadership of Israel I say this: Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip. Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority.”
However, in transmitting that necessary message, Biden also trumpeted the questionable claims from Hamas that more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of whom are not Hamas.
So, Biden gets us, he knows what Israel has gone through since October 7. But he also knows what he needs to say about what the world sees as the urgent issue of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Biden’s comments dovetail with the messages that Benny Gantz reportedly received last week on his visit to Washington, where he was told in talks with senior officials that the humanitarian situation in Gaza was intolerable and that just maybe, Israel was not doing enough.
However, according to a former senior Israeli defense official who spoke with the Post’s Editor in Chief Zvika Klein last week, while there is hunger in Gaza, the humanitarian crisis is overblown and is being used by Hamas to gain world sympathy.
The official said plenty of food is entering Gaza but it’s “immediately been taken by Hamas terrorists, who then sell some of the supplies for ten times more than what it’s worth.”
That claim was backed up by government spokesman Eylon Levy, who said last week that “the problem is not getting aid into Gaza. The problem is the distribution inside Gaza.”
Israel welcomed the announcement by Biden on Thursday that the US is planning to build an emergency port off the Gaza coast to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance. The port “can receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine, and temporary shelters,” top US officials told reporters in a background briefing.
It’s possible to embrace two seemingly opposing concepts in regards to the war in Gaza: that Israel needs to decisively defeat Hamas to the point that they are no longer a threat and that Israel needs to proactively bring and enable more aid to reach the civilian population.
The US is not going to forget that, and as Israel continues to fight Hamas and work for the release of the remaining hostages, it can’t afford to forget it either.