During #Biden’s speech on #healthcare yesterday he was interrupted by protesters advocating for #Palestinians in #Gaza. Instead of ignoring them & moving on, #POTUS responded, “They have a point; we need to get more care into Gaza.” He added, “Everybody deserves healthcare.”
The meeting came amid growing friction between the 2 #MNNA after the passage of a #UN resolution calling for an immediate #CeaseFire & Israel’s PM, #Netanyahu, cancelled a separate delegation to DC.
The #UnitedStates & #Qatar have agreed to revisit the Gulf state’s association w/ #Hamas after resolution of the high-stakes international hostage crisis involving >220 people in #Gaza. The agreement strives to balance the #Biden admin’s goal of rescuing as many #hostages as possible w/its desire to isolate the #terrorists after their rampage in #Israel
Washington considers #Qatar a major non-NATO ally (#MNNA), & the 2 engage in billions of dollars in military sales.
Besides negotiating the release of #hostages, Qatar has also played a fixer role for the #UnitedStates in various situations.
In the recent US prisoner swap w/ #Iran involving the unblocking of $6B in Iranian oil revenue, Qatar agreed to manage the money. The agreement limited Iran’s access to the funds to #humanitarian items such as food & medicine.
Within days of pledging “rock solid & unwavering” support for #Israel in the wake of #Hamas’s vicious #Oct7 attack that left ≥1,400 Israelis dead, President #Biden began gently reminding PM #Netanyahu that “democracies like Israel & the #UnitedStates are stronger & more secure when we act according to the rule of #law.”
What if there is more #Hamas resistance to a #ground attack than you anticipate, & your forces get bogged down? What about #HumanitarianAid? How will you protect #civilians? What about the hundreds of Israelis & foreigners being held #hostage? What if the #WestBank becomes a #war zone? If #Hezbollah attacks from the north? If #Iran gets directly involved?
At a news conference before his departure, #Austin firmly took #Israel’s side, saying that after the attacks, “this is no time for neutrality or for false equivalence or for excuses for the inexcusable.”
But he called for calm in the days ahead.
“This is a time for resolve & not revenge, for purpose & not panic, & for security & not surrender.”