Biden traveled to Israel during the war
The Up First Report: Tamara Keith’s visit to Israel with the U.S. President Barack Obama on the trip to the Middle East
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The president is going to the Middle East to reiterate the U.S.’s support for Israel and to press for aid to Gaza civilians. He is scheduled to meet with Netanyahu in Tel Aviv and Arab leaders in Amman. There are Israeli forces gathered at the Gaza border. NPR’s Tamara Keith will travel with the president.
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Hamas in Gaza: The President’s Planned Visit to the Middle East after the Air Force One Exit from the White House
The director of counterterrorism at the Middle East Institute was not happy about the timing of the visit. “Whatever the circumstances behind this strike at the hospital in Gaza, it doesn’t really matter at this point. The tensions have been on the go for a while now.
Air Force One left after carrying an American president to Tel Aviv at a time when Gaza was facing a humanitarian catastrophe and anger was spreading across the Middle East.
As Air Force One sat on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, White House officials told reporters that the summit in Jordan planned for Wednesday had been abruptly canceled. For a moment, it was unclear to reporters and some administration officials aboard the plane whether it would take off to the Middle East at all. There were no questions answered by Mr. Biden when he boarded.
It is not certain how aid will be distributed even if the Rafah crossing are opened due to reports that Israel has been bombing the region.
Biden’s team has been pressing Israel and Egypt to allow food, water and medicine into Gaza — and to let civilians out. Kirby was on the way to Tel Aviv and he expressed some optimism.
Biden wants to get more information about efforts to locate and free hostages who are thought to be American citizens. Biden will meet with people who lost loved ones during the attacks, as well as first responders, Kirby said.
Biden is expected to ask Congress later this week for more funding for Israel in order to support it in the war against Hamas.
Kirby said he will be asking tough questions, even though he is a true friend of Israel.
“I am outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, and the terrible loss of life that resulted,” Biden said in a statement. “The United States stands unequivocally for the protection of civilian life during conflict and we mourn the patients, medical staff and other innocents killed or wounded in this tragedy.”
The hospital explosion made Biden talk to Netanyahu. John Kirby of the National Security Council claimed that Israel had denied responsibility.
Abbas had called for three days of mourning after the meeting with Biden. The visit was supposed to be put off after Biden talked to the King.
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But then an explosion at a hospital in Gaza killed hundreds of people. Palestinian authorities accused Israel, while Israel said a Palestinian militant group was responsible.
But Biden has visited war zones before, including a trip to Ukraine in February. The president was on the ground in Ukranian when that travel was revealed.
