Racine, Wisconsin | Thu May 9, 2024
For the first time, President Joe Biden declared on Wednesday that in the event that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a significant assault of the city of Rafah, he would stop some American weapons supplies to Israel, which he recognized have been used to kill civilians in Gaza.
In an exclusive appearance on CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront,” Biden said, “Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers.” Biden was referring to the 2,000-pound bombs whose shipments he halted last week.
“I made it clear that I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities – that deal with that problem,” Biden said, adding that they haven’t entered Rafah yet.
The seven-month battle between Israel and Hamas has reached a turning point with the president’s declaration that he was willing to tie American weaponry to Israel’s behavior. Furthermore, his admission that American bombs had been used to murder civilians in Gaza was a clear admission of America’s involvement in the conflict.
In the midst of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the president is facing intense pressure to restrict arms shipments, even from members of his own party.
The president had up to now rejected their requests and firmly backed Israel’s pursuit of Hamas. However, the president’s calculations seem to have changed in light of the impending invasion of Rafah, the southern Gazan metropolis where over a million Palestinian residents have sought refuge.
“We will not abandon Israel’s security.” Israel’s ability to conduct war in those regions is being relinquished, according to Biden.
Biden stated that in the event of a significant ground invasion of Rafah, the US would stop sending defensive weapons to Israel, including for its Iron Dome air defense system.
“We will persist in guaranteeing Israel’s security concerning Iron Dome and their capacity to counter recent attacks emanating from the Middle East,” he declared. However, it’s plain incorrect. We never will—we will not provide the guns and artillery munitions.”
As a result of Israel’s potential activities in Rafah without providing for the residents there, the US has already halted a supply of “high-payload munitions,” according to the Pentagon, even though it stated that a final decision had not yet been taken on that cargo. According to the administration, it is investigating the possible transfer or sale of further weapons.
According to a person knowledgeable on the situation, Israeli officials privately communicated to US officials their “deep frustration” about the halt in shipments and the US media briefings on the decision.
A potential rift
The apparent connection between US weapons shipments and Israel’s actions by Biden may cause a gap between him and Netanyahu, with whom he spoke over the phone on Monday. At the time, Israel had just started strikes close to the city’s borders and ordered the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from Rafah.
Even though Israel’s activities in Rafah have raised tensions in the area, Biden claimed that they had not yet passed a red line into densely inhabited areas.
“They haven’t entered the populated areas. They crossed the line with what they did. And it’s creating issues right now with Egypt, which I’ve worked extremely hard to ensure we have a connection and assistance with,” he stated.
He claimed to have told Netanyahu and other Israeli officials that there was little American backing for operations in densely populated areas.
He declared, “I’ve told Bibi and the war cabinet that if they really go on these population centers, they won’t get our support.”
Subsequently, Biden compared the US experience in Afghanistan and Iraq to caution Netanyahu about the dangers of getting mired in Gaza.
“Don’t make the same error we did in America,” I told Bibi. Our aim was to capture bin Laden. We’ll assist you in obtaining Sinwar,” he uttered, alluding to the leader of Hamas in Gaza. “Getting bin Laden made sense; trying to unite Afghanistan didn’t make sense.” In my opinion, it was absurd to believe that Iraq possessed nuclear weapons.
Even though Biden is trying to sell his domestic record to American voters, the Middle East crisis has taken up a significant amount of his time in recent months. Protests and outrage have been sparked by his strong support for Israel, even on college campuses and at his appearances, where placards calling him “Genocide Joe” have been seen.
When asked about the protests on Wednesday, Biden responded, “Yes, I understand the message.”
However, he issued a warning against antisemitic or hateful protests.
Protesting and using free speech are legal rights. They have the right to do it, and they have a legitimate reason to do so,” he stated. Nevertheless, using hate speech is not permitted. It is not acceptable to intimidate Jewish students. It is not legal to prevent someone from attending class. That is not permitted by law.
Biden fights economic perceptions
On Wednesday, Biden gave a speech in Racine, Wisconsin, where he had just pushed for fresh financial initiatives that may create thousands of new jobs.
He attempted to recast public impressions of the US economy in the CNN interview, praising robust job creation and initiatives to rein in corporate greed while challenging polls that indicated people were gloomy about the nation’s future.
When asked whether he was running out of time, fewer than six months before Election Day, to boost his reputation among Americans for his handling of the economy, Biden responded, “We’ve already turned it around.”
Biden cited polls that indicate a large number of Americans had a positive outlook on their personal financial circumstances while having a pessimistic assessment of the national economy.
“The polling data has been incorrect all along,” he declared, casting doubt on the reliability of phone surveys.
Furthermore, he asserted that his track record of creating jobs in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak was as strong evidence as any that working conditions for Americans had significantly improved.
The notion that conditions are so dire that people have, in fact, generated more jobs. People have access to well-paying work at this time,” he stated.
Nevertheless, he conceded that the expense of housing and other products was one of the legitimate concerns facing Americans.
He remarked, “The last I saw, people are really worried about the combination of inflation, the cost of inflation, and all those things, and for good reason.”
He continued, “That’s why I’m working really hard to increase the number of homes that are available and to bring down the cost of rentals.” Let me put it this way: when I took office, many predicted that the economy would implode. Our economy is the strongest in the entire globe. Again, let me emphasize it: in the globe.
The majority of the past year has been devoted to Biden’s efforts to tout his economic achievements, which include new investments made possible by legislation pertaining to manufacturing and infrastructure.
This includes Wisconsin, where he gave a speech on Wednesday at a location where his predecessor, Donald Trump, had endorsed a Foxconn project that ultimately failed. Foxconn is a major electronics company based in Taiwan.
In the interview, Biden stated, “He’s never succeeded in creating employment, and I’ve never failed.” He subsequently added, “When has he even done anything he said? I’m not making this up. Consider it.
Looking ahead to November
In the interview, Biden showed little sign of worry about his chances of winning reelection. However, he cautioned that if Trump loses, it is unlikely that he will accept the election’s outcome.
It’s risky, but I assure you he won’t, Biden stated.
When asked what guidance President Barack Obama, his former employer, had given him on the campaign, Biden replied that it was to “keep doing what I’m doing.”
“I think the campaign’s trajectory is going well,” he remarked. “Most people don’t really focus and make up their minds until the fall, as you and I both know.” Many things are happening, and we’ll see what transpires.
However, polls indicate that people are not very impressed with Biden’s economic track record.
As people believe that economic problems are more important to them when picking a candidate than they were in either of the previous two presidential campaigns, Biden’s approval scores for the economy (34%) and inflation (29%) in CNN’s most recent survey remain glaringly poor.
“No president has had the run we’ve had in terms of creating jobs and bringing down inflation,” stated Biden on Wednesday.
“When I arrived at work, it was 9%.” 9 percent. Look, folks are entitled to be worried. regular individuals.
In June 2022, inflation actually reached a peak of 9.1%. When Biden took office in January 2021, the percentage was 1.4%.
He highlighted his efforts to oppose fees, which the White House claims will reduce American bills, especially those associated with bank accounts and credit cards.
“The notion that you get charged $30 for returning a check that is bounced? I fixed that so you could only get eight dollars for it. or your credit card. Your payment was received late. $35. He remarked, “I mean, there’s corporate greed out there and it needs to be dealt with.”