Washington: In his strongest criticism yet of Israel since Hamas launched its massive assault on October 7, US President Joe Biden has said that the Jewish nation is losing support due to the “indiscriminate bombing” of the Gaza Strip.
Addressing a donors’ fundraising event here on Tuesday night, the President said: “Israel’s security can rest on the US, but right now it has more than the United States. It has the European Union, it has Europe, it has most of the world.
“But they’re starting to lose that support by indiscriminate bombing that takes place (Gaza)”.
Biden, however, added that there was “no question about the need to take on Hamas” and Israel had “every right” to do so, reports the BBC.
In a statement shortly after Biden’s remarks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country had received the “full backing” of the US for its ground war as well as its goal of destroying Hamas and recovering hostages.
He added that Washington had blocked “international pressure to stop the war”.
“Yes, there is disagreement about ‘the day after Hamas’ and I hope that we will reach (an) agreement here as well,” the BBC quoted the Prime Minister as saying.
Biden has offered unwavering public support to Israel since the Hamas attack.
But he has faced intense pressure at home, including from his fellow Democrats, to rein in Israel’s ongoing military offensive in the Hamas-controlled enclave, the BBC reported
More than 18,400 people have been killed by Israeli bombing in Gaza since October 7, when Hamas broke through Israel’s heavily guarded perimeter and massacred 1,200 people.
(IANS)
