Biden: ‘The United States has Israel’s back’

President Joe Biden forcefully denounced the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas in Israel over the weekend in a speech on Tuesday, vowing to stand with the Jewish state in combating the “pure, unadulterated evil.”

The president, speaking at the White House Tuesday afternoon, delivered an update on his conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other allied leaders. The U.S. had already sent military aid to Israel, including additional interceptors to replenish the Iron Dome missile defense system, and Biden said that when Congress comes back into session, he will call on it to pass legislation appropriating additional funds.

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Biden distinguished Hamas terrorists from Palestinian citizens, claiming the group “does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination.”

“Their stated purpose is the annihilation of the state of Israel and the murder of Jewish people,” he continued. “They use Palestinian civilians as human shields. Hamas offers nothing but terror and bloodshed with no regard to who pays the price.”

Biden has spoken with Netanyahu multiple times since the attacks, and he said Tuesday that he urged the Israeli leader to uphold the regular rules of war in carrying out the nation’s response.

“I told him if the United States experienced what Israel is experiencing, our response would be swift, decisive, and overwhelming,” Biden said. “We also discussed how democracies like Israel and the United States are stronger and more secure when we act according to the rule of law. Terrorists purposely target civilians, kill them. We uphold the laws of war, the law of war. It matters. There’s a difference.”

“This is a moment for the United States to come together, to grieve with those who are mourning. Let’s be real clear. There is no place for hate in America. Not against Jews, not against Muslims. Not against anybody. What we reject is terrorism. We condemn the indiscriminate evil as we’ve always done. That’s what America stands for,” Biden said. “Let there be no doubt. The United States has Israel’s back. We’ll make sure the Jewish and democratic state of Israel can defend itself today, tomorrow, as we always have. It’s as simple as that.”

Biden also said the American death toll had risen to 14.

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You can watch Biden’s remarks in full below.