(RepublicanJournal.org) – Israel continues its efforts to obliterate Hamas as fears rise that the conflict could grow. President Joe Biden traveled to Israel and Jordan in the hopes that he and other leaders might discuss ways to reduce civilian casualties and keep the war from spreading. The president expressed solidarity with Israel and stated he planned to ask Congress for funding to help the Jewish nation finish what Hamas started.
Biden headed to the Middle East on Wednesday, October 18, where his first stop was to meet with Israeli leaders in a show of support for their plight. From there, Biden had planned to attend a summit in neighboring Jordan with King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
According to Al Jazeera, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Sadafi said a meeting would be held the parties involved were in a position to end the “war and the massacres against Palestinians.” King Abdullah blames Israel for an attack on a hospital in Gaza that killed hundreds of people. The Israeli Defense Force denies they were responsible and says a rocket launched by a Palestinian group misfired and exploded.
The Hamas terrorist attack on Israel killed around 2,000 people. The Jewish nation’s return fire has resulted in at least 2,778 Palestinian deaths so far.
Biden had been preparing for a trip to Colorado to discuss his economic agenda when the Israeli-Hamas war broke out, changing his plans. He’d reportedly had a telephone conversation about the brutal instigating attacks with three other leaders — El-Sissi, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani — before he made his decision.
Biden’s move, as important as it was, was also considered to be a risky one, especially after the recent Gaza hospital bombing that has further complicated and increased tensions in the Middle East. Iran and other Arab nations that are more likely to side with Hamas could see the visit as one-sided given the heavy civilian casualties now also in Gaza, especially with the United States vocally siding with Israel.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken traveled to the region ahead of the president to aid in containing the conflict, which could easily spill over into neighboring Islamic nations if leaders don’t find a way to cut fuel to the fire.
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