Current:Home > reviewsPresident Biden to visit Israel on Wednesday: Sec. Blinken -Aspire Capital Guides
President Biden to visit Israel on Wednesday: Sec. Blinken
View
Date:2025-04-18 01:48:56
President Joe Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced on Monday night.
Blinken made the announcement from Israel, where it was early Tuesday morning, following a lengthy meeting with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Beyond the news of Biden’s impending visit, Blinken also announced the U.S. and Israel will develop a plan "that will enable humanitarian aid from donor nations and multilateral organizations to reach civilians in Gaza and them alone, including the possibility of creating areas to help keep civilians out of harm's way," he said.
MORE: 'Extremely difficult': What would be Israel's objectives in an offensive into Gaza?
At his address to the media, Blinken said Biden has a four-part goal.
"First, the president will reaffirm the United States’ solidarity with Israel and our ironclad commitment to its security. President Biden will again make clear, as he's done unequivocally since Hamas’ slaughter of more than 1400 people, including at least 30 Americans, that Israel has the right and indeed the duty to defend its people from Hamas and other terrorists and to prevent future attacks," Blinken said. "The president will hear from Israel what it needs to defend his people as we continue to work with Congress to meet those needs."
As he continued, Blinken said the president “will underscore our crystal-clear message to any actor, state or non-state, trying to take advantage of this crisis to attack Israel: Don't. To that end, he's deployed two aircraft carrier groups and other military assets to the region.”
Blinken also said Biden will continue coordinating with Israeli partners on working to get hostages released from Hamas.
Lastly, Secretary Blinken said Biden will be briefed on Israel’s “war aims and strategy.”
The Biden administration has pledged unwavering support to Israel in the wake of the terror attacks inflicted by Hamas. The terrorist group launched an unprecedented incursion on Oct. 7, killing hundreds at a music festival and families inside Israeli communities near the Gaza border. Hamas also took nearly 200 hostages from Israel, including Americans.
President Biden called Hamas’ actions “sheer evil” and quickly bolstered munitions to Israel. Top officials, including Secretary Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, have been deployed to the region in a show of solidarity.
In recent days, Biden has also expressed concern about the humanitarian crisis unfolding for Palestinian civilians, stating while Israel has a right to defend itself it must follow the “rules of war."
In his strongest statements yet on Israel's counteroffensive against Hamas, he cautioned that an Israeli occupation of Gaza would be a "big mistake."
The death toll continues to climb in Gaza, with at least 2,750 people killed and 9,700 more injured. In Israel, at least 1,400 people have died and 3,400 have been injured.
Israel, which cut off electricity to Gaza, told more than a million civilians to flee south as it prepares for a possible ground assault. The evacuation call, rejected by Hamas, prompted panic and forced residents to make difficult decisions on whether to stay or leave.
The crisis presents a diplomatic challenge for the Biden administration.
A senior U.S. official previously told ABC News that if Biden did accept Netanyahu's invitation, it would be to try to "modulate" decision-making inside the Israeli cabinet with a belief in the administration that only Biden can successfully urge restraint.
Blinken has said a new focus is "safe zones" for civilians inside Gaza, as well as negotiating the opening of the Rafah border crossing between Israel and Egypt to allow for the flow of humanitarian assistance.
But as of Monday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency said no fuel, food, water or other kinds of aid had entered Gaza.
MORE: How to help victims of the deadly and distructive Israel-Gaza conflict
There are also concerns that the Hamas-Israel war could spread into a wider regional conflict. Fighting has increased tension along the Lebanon-Israel border, where there have been some clashes between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.
The Pentagon has placed about 2,000 American troops on a heightened state of readiness to possibly be deployed to the Middle East in case they're needed, a U.S. official confirmed to ABC News.
-ABC's Martha Raddatz, Luis Martinez and Jolie Lash contributed to this report.
veryGood! (568)
Related
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing, reading, and listening
- Watch as injured bald eagle is released back into Virginia wild after a year of treatment
- Jewish and Muslim chaplains navigate US campus tensions and help students roiled by Israel-Hamas war
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- García’s HR in 11th, Seager’s tying shot in 9th rally Rangers past D-backs 6-5 in Series opener
- U.S. strikes Iranian-backed militias in eastern Syria to retaliate for attacks on U.S. troops
- 'Anatomy of a Fall': How a 50 Cent cover song became the 'earworm' of Oscar movie season
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Rangers' Marcus Semien enjoys historic day at the plate in Simulated World Series
Ranking
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- 11 Spook-tacular Sales To Shop This Weekend: Aerie, Chewy, Madewell, Nordstrom Rack, Ulta & More
- 2023 World Series predictions: Rangers can win first championship in franchise history
- Teen Mom's Jenelle Evans Shares Son Jace Is Living With His Grandma Barbara
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Taylor Swift Slams Sexualization of Her Female Friendships in 1989 (Taylor's Version) Prologue
- Court rules Carnival Cruises was negligent during COVID-19 outbreak linked to hundreds of cases
- This week on Sunday Morning (October 29)
Recommendation
Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
Chicago slaying suspect charged with attempted murder in shooting of state trooper in Springfield
Hawaii agrees to hand over site to Maui County for wildfire landfill and memorial
Alliance of 3 ethnic rebel groups carries out coordinated attacks in northeastern Myanmar
Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
2023 World Series predictions: Rangers can win first championship in franchise history
Idaho judge upholds indictment against man accused of fatally stabbing 4 college students
The pandas at the National Zoo are going back to China earlier than expected: What to know