Visit to Tel Aviv
Joe Biden warns Israel not to repeat US mistakes after 9/11
The USA is traditionally a close ally of Israel, which is one of the reasons why US President Joe Biden traveled there early
© Brendan Smialowski / AFP
During his visit to Israel, President Joe Biden pledged the full support of the United States. However, he warned against repeating US mistakes and being “consumed” by anger.
During his visit to Israel after the Hamas attack, US President Joe Biden assured Israel of his country’s firm support, but at the same time called for a measured approach. Israel should not make the “mistakes” of the USA after the Islamist terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Biden said on Wednesday during a speech in Tel Aviv. “I warn: While you feel the anger, do not let it consume you.”
“After 9/11, we were angry in the USA,” said Biden, referring to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the US Department of Defense. “While we have sought justice and received justice, we have also made mistakes.” The “war on terrorism” declared by the USA after the terrorist attacks in 2001 led, among other things, to the devastating wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Biden assures Israel of US solidarity
In his speech, the US President called on Israel to protect the civilian population in the Gaza Strip. He also announced new humanitarian aid for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank worth $100 million (around €95 million). Even before his visit to Israel, Biden had warned against an occupation of the Palestinian territory in view of an expected ground offensive against the Gaza Strip, saying that this would be a “big mistake.”
The US President primarily used his speech in Tel Aviv to assure Israel of his country’s firm support. “The United States stands with you,” said the US President. He also announced that he would ask Congress “this week” for an “unprecedented” package of military aid for Israel. Informed circles reported on Tuesday that Biden wanted to ask Congress for $100 billion in aid for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and to secure the US border with Mexico.
In his speech, the US President also called for people not to give up on peace efforts in the Middle East – and once again advocated a two-state solution. “As difficult as it is, we must continue to work for peace,” Biden said. “We must continue to pursue a path so that Israel and the Palestinians can both live in security, dignity and peace.” For him that means a two-state solution.
Biden arrived in Israel in the morning for a solidarity visit and met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, among others. He then met representatives of the Israeli security and rescue forces as well as those affected by the Hamas attack.
The USA has traditionally been a close ally of Israel. However, the Biden administration fears an expansion of the war between Israel and Hamas, which could develop into a huge conflagration in the Middle East.
The visit was overshadowed by the impact of a rocket in a hospital in the city of Gaza, killing hundreds. Biden echoed the Israeli narrative that Palestinian militants, not Israeli forces, were responsible for the devastating rocket strike.