On Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed that America’s support for Israel will never waver while denouncing Hamas‘ “litany of brutality and inhumanity” as resembling “the worst of ISIS.”
In a speech delivered in Tel Aviv with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken said, “The message I intend to bring to Israel is this: you may be enough powerful on your own to defend yourself, yet as long as America exists, you’ll never, ever have to.” “We’ll stand by your side no matter what.”
Days after Hamas carried out fatal assaults inside Israel, the senior US diplomat’s visit there is another sign of solidarity as the Biden administration works to strengthen Israel’s defenses and prevent the conflict from escalating or spreading. The visit also comes at a time when the US is working to aid in the release of hostages, including Americans, held prisoner by Hamas and as the number of people killed as a consequence of both Hamas attacks and Israeli airstrikes in Gaza keeps rising.
Tragically, Hamas’ wicked attacks continue to claim an increasing number of innocent lives. We now know that at least 25 of those victims were Americans,” Blinken stated.
The top US diplomat listed the atrocities committed by the terrorist organization, including “babies slaughtered, bodies desecrated, young people burned alive, women raped, parents executed in front of their children, children in front of their parents,” as evidence that the US has been “adamant” with other countries about the need to categorically condemn Hamas attacks.
Blinken said of his own identification as a father and a Jew, “I understand on a personal level, the harrowing echoes that Hamas’ massacres carry for Israeli Jews, indeed, for Jews everywhere.”
“There isn’t a defense. These crimes are not justified, he declared. “This is a time for moral clarity; it must be now.”
In an unannounced visit to a donation location in Tel Aviv after his meeting with Netanyahu, Blinken spoke with a 24-year-old Israeli-American victim of the music festival massacre.
Lior Gelbaum, who was visibly moved, said to the top US envoy, “If there is any way to help, the absolute first priority is the people we love that are currently in Gaza.”
He responded, “We’re trying to do everything we can and are thinking of them.” “We’re attempting to get them back home.”
Several top US government representatives, including the Deputy Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, accompanied Blinken on the trip. His trip to Qatar, a major player in negotiations with Hamas to try to obtain the release of hostages held by the terrorist organization, will take place on Friday.
Additionally, Blinken will visit Jordan on Friday to meet with King Abdullah II of Jordan and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
In order to stop the crisis from expanding, “we’re pursuing intensive diplomacy throughout the region, and I’ll be doing that over the duration of my trip in the coming days,” Blinken said on Thursday.
Blinken reiterated, “President Biden issued yesterday a crystal clear warning to any adversary – state or non-state – thinking of taking advantage of the present crisis to attack Israel: Don’t.”
The top US ambassador made remarks beside Netanyahu in which he noted that Israel had already received some military assistance and that “more is on the way.”
We will work with Congress to ensure that Israel’s defense needs are met as they change. And I can assure you that Israel’s security enjoys resounding, resounding bipartisan support in our Congress,” Blinken remarked.
Although he didn’t mention it specifically, he claimed to have discussed with the Israeli leader the necessity of taking “every possible precaution to avoid harming civilians.”
“No nation can or would accept the killing of its inhabitants, or simply revert to the circumstances that made it possible. Israel has the right—indeed, the duty—to protect itself and make sure that something similar never occurs again, according to Blinken.
He emphasized that respect for civilian life is what sets democracies apart from groups like Hamas. “As the prime minister and I have discussed, how Israel does this matters,” he stated. Furthermore, Blinken emphasized that Hamas does not speak for the Palestinian people.