President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday that he expects a “significant de-escalation” in the violence between Israel and Hamas to put the two sides on a path to a ceasefire, according to the White House.
Wednesday was the first time that Biden set a deadline on when he would like to see a reduction in the latest violence, which has persisted in the Middle East for more than a week and led to Israeli and Palestinian civilian deaths. Biden has previously expressed support for a ceasefire in the region, after officials stopped short of doing so publicly.
Readout of Pres. Joe Biden’s conversation with PM Netanyahu this morning:
President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu today. The two leaders had a detailed discussion on the state of events in Gaza, Israel’s progress in degrading the capabilities of Hamas and other terrorist elements, and ongoing diplomatic efforts by regional governments and the United States. The President conveyed to the Prime Minister that he expected a significant de-escalation today on the path to a ceasefire.
PM Netanyahu spoke following his call with President Biden. He did not comment on Biden telling him to move towards de-escalation, but said only that he greatly appreciates Biden’s support of Israel’s right to defend itself, and adds: “I am determined to continue this operation until its goal is achieved — to bring back peace and security to you, the citizens of Israel.”
Here’s what Ben Shapiro had to say about it:
Life is filled with disappointments https://t.co/RHAQ0eksGW
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) May 19, 2021
If you have trouble taking sides with Israel against Hamas — a terrorist group that subjects 2 million Palestinians to tyranny, hundreds of thousands of civilians to rocket fire, and children to treatment as human shields — you should not be taken seriously as a human being.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) May 19, 2021
This comes as Biden met with Rep. Rashida Tlaib after backing Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire. Rep. Tlaib has been a staunch critic of Pres. Biden for not doing enough to stop the Israelis in defending themselves.
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley responds:
Biden is calling for Israel to de-escalate while the terrorist group Hamas is still firing rockets at Israeli citizens.
It would be unacceptable if one of our allies called for de-escalation if Washington DC were targeted by rockets.
We must stand with Israel against terrorism.
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) May 19, 2021
In response Republican Senators will deliver remarks this afternoon to demand the US Admin stand firm with Israel:
🚨 Today at ~12:30pm ET my Senate GOP colleagues and I will deliver remarks to demand Joe Biden and his administration stand firmly with our ally Israel.
Livestream will be provided by @SenateGOP –> https://t.co/Vo79pNUy2d
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) May 19, 2021
The United States will always stand firmly with our ally Israel, especially in the fight against terror.
Join us at approx. 12:30pm EST as members of the Senate Republican Conference discuss why our support must never waver. Tune in here ⤵️ https://t.co/1UO578qzFF
— Senate Republicans (@SenateGOP) May 19, 2021
