U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday that President Joe Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday as the country recovers from the horrific Hamas terrorist attacks that claimed 1,400 lives, most of which were civilians.
Blinken announced Biden’s upcoming visit on Monday while visiting the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.
“On Wednesday, President Biden will visit Israel. He’s coming here at a critical moment for Israel,” he said.
Blinken said that the president will visit Israel to accomplish the following tasks: reaffirm the United States’ solidarity with Israel, hear from Israel what it needs to defend itself, and send a message to outside aggressors that they will face a penalty if they try to attack Israel at this moment in time.
BREAKING: Sec. of State Blinken announces Pres. Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday.
Follow live updates on the Israel-Gaza conflict: https://t.co/CYqSGfKiIf pic.twitter.com/gHFYtSSvhd
— ABC News (@ABC) October 17, 2023
The announcement comes after Biden reportedly snubbed an offer from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit the country as a show of solidarity. Those reports were immediately rebuked by the White House.
Since the horrific Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 that killed more than 1,400 people (mostly civilians), Joe Biden has been publicly stalwart in his support for the country’s right to defend itself.
“If the United States experienced what Israel has experienced, our response would be swift, decisive, and overwhelming,” he said on October 10.
Biden called the Hamas terrorist attack a “violation of every code of human morality,” noting that the organization’s “stated purpose of being is to kill Jews” and that its methods recalled memories of attempts to carry out the “genocide of the Jewish people” in history.
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During Antony Blinken’s visit to Israel, he reportedly had to be placed in a bomb shelter during a rocket attack.
“Blinken came to Israel last week to offer U.S. support in the wake of a devastating terror attack by the Palestinian terror group Hamas on Oct. 7, which killed 1,400 Israelis and wounded over 4,100,” Breitbart News reported. “He also toured several Arab capitals in the region to urge opposition to terror and to discuss humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians.”
“Hamas rocket attacks also forced Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, to descend into a bomb shelter briefly before resuming deliberations. Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were both present,” the report added.
WATCH: “Barrage” of Rockets Triggers Alarm, Evacuation at Israeli Parliament
The Knesset via Storyful
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
