US Secretary of State Antony Blinken affirmed that the US would always support Israel while also asserting that the Palestinians have "legitimate aspirations" that were not represented by the violent group Hamas. Read Full Article...
If you're strong enough, you could defend yourself by yourself. Nevertheless, as long as America exists, you won't need to. In the middle of the battle between Israel and Hamas, Blinken gave Netanyahu the assurance that "we will always be by your side."
But as long as America exists, you won't have to. We'll always be on your side.
Blinken visited in support of the Israeli army's ongoing punishment of Hamas for the weekend attacks that claimed 1,200 Israeli lives. Additionally, he updated the death toll for US citizens, indicating that at least 25 of them had been positively identified as victims.
Although right-wing Netanyahu has long opposed the idea of a final peace accord, President Joe Biden has sworn to defend Israel without reservation and has not advocated restraint against Hamas. Blinken, however, has highlighted the need for such an agreement.
"If everyone wants peace and justice, they must all condemn the terror that Hamas has imposed. We are aware that Hamas does not represent the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people to live in security, freedom, justice, opportunity, and dignity.
Blinken used unusually intimate language to depict his grandfather's escape from anti-Semitic pogroms in Russia and his stepfather's survival of Nazi detention camps.
"I come before you not only as the Secretary of State of the United States, but also as a Jew," said Blinken, who comes from a secular background.
"I also appear before you as a spouse and a father of small children.Like the mother, father, and three young children who were slain while hiding in their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, it is impossible for me to look at the photographs of families who were killed and not think of my own children, he added.
Blinken promised that the Congress and the Biden administration will work together to approve Israel's widely-supported requests for military aid.
As Israel's defense requirements develop, "We will work with Congress to ensure that they are met," he declared.
Netanyahu, who spoke after Blinken, thanked the US for its assistance and suggested that Hamas, the group in charge of the blockaded Gaza Strip, should be treated with similarly to the Islamic State group.
"Hamas will be destroyed in a similar manner to how ISIS was. Netanyahu added that Hamas must be dealt with in a manner similar to how ISIS was dealt with.
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