WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House on Friday discussed how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has conducted Israel's four-month war aimed at eliminating Hamas militants, with President Joe Biden and national security. He sought to downplay the harsh criticism leveled at Israel by senior security officials. From Gaza.
Biden told reporters Thursday night that he called Israel's military operation in Gaza “an overreach” and said the suffering of innocent people “must stop.” Biden has previously expressed concern about the rising number of Palestinian civilian casualties (more than 27,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began), but has refrained from directly criticizing the Israelis.
And on Friday, The New York Times obtained an audio recording of the president's deputy national security chief, John Finer, expressing “distrust” of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government during a meeting with Arab Americans. It was reported. This week's Muslim community leaders. The White House National Security Council confirmed that Finer's comments reported by the Times were accurate.
Administration officials told The Associated Press that Feiner specifically spoke about the Netanyahu administration's determination to pursue a two-state solution after the war ends, in which Israel coexists with an independent Palestinian state. Prime Minister Netanyahu has consistently opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state throughout his political career.
“The President and Mr. Finner reiterated our continued commitment to the loss of Palestinian lives in this conflict and the need to reduce harm to civilians,” a National Security Council spokesperson said. I was reflecting on the concerns I will continue to have as the process progresses.” Adrian Watson said in a statement. “From the first days of this conflict, the president has made it clear that while we share the goal of defeating Hamas, Israel must reduce the impact of its operations on innocent civilians as much as possible. ”
In the recording, Feiner also cited the Biden administration's “missteps” and said the administration's “totally inadequate public accounting of how much profit the president, the administration, the government made” in the early stages of the war. expressed regret that it may have left a “very harmful impression” on the public. This country values the lives of Palestinians. ”
The comments reflect growing frustration in the White House over the conflict that erupted on October 7 after Hamas militants launched attacks on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages. It seems like it is. An earlier cessation of fighting has freed most of the women and children taken by Hamas, but U.S. officials believe more than 100 remain prisoners.
Biden said Thursday he was not giving up on efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to get the two countries to agree to a long-term cessation of fighting to facilitate the release of the remaining hostages.
However, Hamas is demanding that Israel release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners as part of a hostage deal and end the war. Prime Minister Netanyahu refused to agree to these terms.
Biden said he remained hopeful that a deal could be reached that could pave the way for an end to the war.
“I'm working very hard right now to address the hostage ceasefire,” Biden said. “I have been working tirelessly on this deal.”
Biden on Thursday sent Feiner and other senior aides to Michigan to mentor Arab American and Muslim communities as the Biden administration seeks to mend rifts with key constituencies in 2024 battleground states. I met with them.
Government officials participating in the Michigan visit included Samantha Power, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Stephen Benjamin, head of the Office of Public Engagement, and Tom Perez, head of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
Some on the Biden campaign have faced harsh reactions from Michigan's large Arab American and Muslim communities.
Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez and other campaign aides visited suburban Detroit late last month, but found many community leaders reluctant to meet with them. .
Activists in other communities have gone further in their disapproval of the president's war response, forming a group called Ditch Biden in November to dissuade voters from supporting the president.
Michigan has the highest concentration of Arab Americans in the nation, with more than 310,000 residents of Middle Eastern or North African ancestry. Nearly half of Dearborn's approximately 110,000 residents claim Arab ancestry.
After Donald Trump won Michigan by less than 11,000 votes in 2016, Wayne County and its large Muslim community went to Democrat Biden by about 154,000 votes in 2020. He helped retake the state. Biden enjoyed a roughly 3-1 advantage in Dearborn, a 5-1 advantage in Hamtramck, and won Wayne County by more than 330,000 votes.
