President Joe Biden got on the phone yesterday with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, and together they issued a joint statement of support for Israel. “Our countries will support Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its people against such atrocities [as those said to be being committed by Hamas—ed.]. We further emphasize that this is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage,” they said. “All of us recognize the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, and support equal measures of justice and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike [the Palestinians will probably dispute that assertion—ed.]. But make no mistake: Hamas does not represent those aspirations, and it offers nothing for the Palestinian people other than more terror and bloodshed.”
Prior to that phone call and the joint statement, Biden met this morning for updates on the situation in Gaza, with Secretary of State Tony Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer, Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall, and White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients. Biden “directed his team to follow up on coordination with Israel on all aspects of the crisis and to continue their work with regional partners to warn anyone who might seek to take advantage in this situation,” the White House said, in a likely reference to efforts to keep Hezbollah out of the fight, reported the Times of Israel.
