Joe Biden
President Joe Biden is attempting damage control as more and more polls indicate that he is losing ground with his own supporters over his steadfast support of the Israeli military campaign underway in the Gaza Strip.
A new report from The Washington Post detailed over the weekend how Mr Biden is seeking to mend fences with Palestinian-Americans and Muslim Democrats in general as he treads a fine line in his public remarks about the shockingly bloody conflict between Israel and Hamas forces in Gaza. Since a terrorist attack across southern Israel killed 1,200 last month, strikes launched by Israel’s military have killed more than 14,000 civilians within the Palestinian territory. Others have died in the West Bank.
According to the Post, the US president met with five prominent Muslim Americans a day after his 25 October remarks from the White House during which he questioned the legitimacy of statistics being released from Gaza. The US has repeatedly noted that the Gaza Health Ministry is controlled by Hamas, but has not offered any alternative statistics or information to cast doubt on the numbers released from Gaza.
In his White House address, the president had been somewhat clumsy with his denunciation of the agency, exclaiming bluntly: “I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed.”
During his meeting a day later, which reportedly lasted over an hour, Mr Biden is said to have apologised for his remarks and pledged to “do better” with his public statements regarding the conflict.
“I’m sorry. I’m disappointed in myself,” said the president, according to the Post. “I will do better.”
The Biden administration’s position on the conflict is facing deep resistance on the left, as progressive activist circles have largely rallied behind calls for a permanent ceasefire as images of the devastation in Gaza continue to flood social media. In Congress, those calls are growing as well; dozens of House lawmakers and a handful of senators are backing calls for a longer negotiated truce.
But the president has remained adamant that Israel has a right to use its military to degrade Hamas’s capability to wage the kind of attacks seen on 7 October, and so far rejected conditioning any military aid to the Israeli government. Across the US, fears of Islamophobia and antisemitism are on the rise as a 6-year-old Palestinian child was murdered in Illinois in what authorities believe was a hate crime. Over the weekend, a shooting in Vermont that left three college students of Palestinian descent seriously wounded evoked the same fears.
On Monday, it was announced that Israeli and Hamas leadership had reached an agreement to extend a four-day ceasefire which had been set to expire within the day.
The pause in the fighting had allowed for the release of dozens of Israelis taken hostage in the 7 October attack, coinciding with the release of Palestinian civilians held in Israeli prisons — including young teenagers.
Hamas militants also on Sunday released a four-year-old American girl whose parents had both been killed during that attack.
From news to politics, travel to sport, culture to climate – The Independent has a host of free newsletters to suit your interests. To find the stories you want to read, and more, in your inbox, click here.
News Related
-
Asylum seekers travel in an inflatable boat across the English Channel, bound for Dover on the south coast of England (Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP) Up to 40 Conservative MPs are poised to rebel over Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation policy as they question ministers’ commitment to the scheme. A major row is ...
See Details:
Up to 40 Tory MPs ‘set to rebel’ if Sunak’s Rwanda plan doesn’t override ECHR
-
In the saltmarsh fringing where the Ballyboe River dissolves into Trawbreaga Bay, a little egret wears its plumage like a windblown stole. Our car swoops across the 10 arches of Malin bridge and we park along the village green. Malin is almost as far north as you can get on ...
See Details:
Country diary: A tale of three churches
-
Photograph: Chris Ratcliffe/EPA Hampton Court is an enduring monument to the power of Henry VIII, a pleasure palace down the Thames from Westminster and the City of London. On Monday it was the scene of power projection of a different kind, as Rishi Sunak pitched for investment from some of ...
See Details:
Sunak woos business elite with royal welcome – but they seek certainty
-
-
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race to bring an overseas defender to the Premier League in January, according to a fresh report. Postecoglou’s centre-back options The Lilywhites currently have Micky Van De Ven, Ashley Phillips, Cristian Romero and Eric ...
See Details:
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January
-
A £100m campaign urging households and businesses to use less water will be funded from customers’ bills, Ofwat has said. Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign The regulator’s chief executive David Black told MPs that if the measures worked it would be cheaper than building ...
See Details:
Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign
-
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football – FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 – Group B – Canada Training – Olympic Park, Melbourne, Australia – July 24, 2023 Canada’s Christine Sinclair during training REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo (Reuters) – BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, will be renamed “Christine Sinclair ...
See Details:
Soccer-Venue renamed 'Christine Sinclair Place' for Canada soccer great's final game
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Phil Taylor makes his pick for 2024 World Darts Championship winner
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Soccer-Howe aims to boost Newcastle's momentum in PSG clash
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Hamilton heads for hibernation with a word of warning
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Carolina Panthers fire head coach Frank Reich after 1-10 start to the season
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
This exercise is critical for golfers. 4 tips to doing it right
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
One in three households with children 'will struggle to afford Christmas'
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
FA confident that Man Utd starlet will pick England over Ghana
OTHER NEWS
Michael Smith will begin the defence of his world title on the opening night (Picture: Getty Images) The 2024 World Darts Championship is less than three weeks away and the ...
Read more »
For the first time a long haul commercial aircraft is flying across the Atlantic using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). A long haul commercial flight is flying to the US ...
Read more »
The King has met business and finance leaders from across the world at a Buckingham Palace reception to mark the conclusion of the UK’s Global Investment Summit. Charles was introduced ...
Read more »
After Ohio State’s 30-24 loss to Michigan Saturday, many college football fans were wondering where Lou Holtz was. In his postgame interview after the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame 17-14 in ...
Read more »
Darius Slay wouldn’t have minded being penalized on controversial no-call No matter which team you were rooting for on Sunday, we can all agree that the officiating job performed by ...
Read more »
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) Quarterback Mac Jones remains committed to finding success with the New England Patriots even though his future is up in the air following ...
Read more »
A weird blob of warm water has appeared in the western Pacific and could affect the weather across North America this winter. (Image credit: Climate.gov/NNVL) A weird blob of warm ...
Read more »