President Biden mentioned flatly on Monday that Israel’s navy assault in Gaza within the wake of the Hamas-led Oct. 7 assaults “just isn’t genocide.” “We reject that,” he mentioned, telling an viewers of Jewish leaders and activists that Individuals “stand with Israel.”
Talking at a celebration of Jewish Heritage Month within the Rose Backyard on the White Home, Mr. Biden condemned a choice by the prosecutor for the Worldwide Felony Courtroom to hunt arrest warrants for prime Israeli officers for crimes in opposition to humanity, together with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, when he requested warrants for 3 Hamas leaders on the identical accusation on Monday.
“Let me be clear, we reject the I.C.C.’s software for arrest warrants in opposition to Israeli leaders,” Mr. Biden mentioned, including to a collection of denunciations of the prosecutor’s actions from U.S. officers all through the day. “No matter these warrants might indicate, there’s no equivalence between Israel and Hamas.”
American officers have mentioned for months that Mr. Biden’s administration rejects the accusation that members of the Israeli navy or the nation’s political leaders are conducting a genocide in opposition to Palestinians in Gaza.
Gazan authorities say no less than 35,000 folks have been killed throughout Israel’s bombing marketing campaign and floor offensive in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led assaults on Israel on Oct. 7. Israeli officers deny their forces have purposely focused civilians, arguing Hamas purposely hides its forces amongst noncombatants. In addition they deny Israel has restricted assist to Gaza with the intent of ravenous folks.
Simply hours earlier than Mr. Biden’s feedback, John Kirby, a nationwide safety spokesman for the White Home, rejected the implication from the I.C.C. transfer.
“I.D.F. troopers usually are not waking up within the morning, placing their boots on the bottom, with direct orders to go kill harmless civilians in Gaza,” Mr. Kirby mentioned, utilizing the abbreviation for the Israel Protection Forces.
However Mr. Biden has not often been as blunt as he was on Monday, prompted partially by the I.C.C.’s chief prosecutor’s request that the court docket approve arrest warrants for Mr. Netanyahu and the Israeli protection minister, Yoav Gallant, in addition to for Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s chief inside Gaza; Muhammad Deif, Hamas’s navy chief; and Ismail Haniyeh, the motion’s Qatar-based political chief.
The prosecutor, Karim Khan, didn’t instantly elevate accusations of genocide in his request for the warrants, however they’ve been leveled in opposition to Israel by assist organizations and activists, together with by many school college students in america throughout weeks of protests, a few of which turned violent, at campuses across the nation.
Mr. Biden and his aides have repeatedly mentioned they consider the deaths in Gaza are a tragedy and have mentioned Israeli forces should be extra exact of their conduct of navy operations to keep away from civilian deaths as they prosecute the battle in opposition to Hamas.
In his remarks on Monday night, Mr. Biden mentioned that his administration was “offering crucial humanitarian help to assist harmless Palestinian civilians who’re struggling tremendously due to the battle Hamas — Hamas — has unleashed. It’s heartbreaking.”
Mr. Biden’s feedback got here as he vowed to do all the pieces in his energy to assist win the discharge of the hostages nonetheless held in Gaza by Hamas. Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin, American mother and father of one of many hostages, Hersh Goldberg, had been within the viewers.
“I pledge to each of you and I imply it — and I do know you realize, Mother, I imply it — that I can’t relaxation till we carry the one you love residence,” Mr. Biden mentioned. “We obtained to carry him residence.”
