Biden says he is “working quietly with the Israeli government to significantly reduce the withdrawal from Gaza”.
Joe Biden walks down the stairs of Air Force One after arriving at Love Field in Dallas on January 8. LM Otero/AP
US President Joe Biden said on Monday that he was working to persuade the Israeli government to significantly reduce or “exit” Gaza.
He spoke during a campaign event at the Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina – the scene of a mass shooting in 2015 – and was interrupted by protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“If you really care about the lives lost here, you should honor the lives lost and call for a cease-fire in Palestine,” one protester shouted at the president, claiming the lives of nine parishioners.
A group of protesters then started chanting “cease the war now”.
He was asked to leave, while his followers chanted “Four more years”. The moment underscores the division within the Democratic Party on the issue, three months after Israel’s military campaign in Gaza followed an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.
Biden acknowledged the outcry: “I understand the sentiment and have quietly worked with the Israeli government to significantly reduce and withdraw from Gaza.”
After the speech, Biden’s deputy campaign manager, Quentin Fulks, told reporters, “Of course, the president is listening.”
Fulks added: “He listens to every part of his base. “That’s why it’s here and that’s why we’re going to take this message everywhere.”
Fulks asserted that Biden was “very adamant” that “when people disagree with us, even from a political perspective, we respect and understand their point of view.”
When asked specifically about protesters calling for a ceasefire, communications director Michael Taylor said Biden understood the sentiment.
He said the president “approaches this not as a politician, but as a man and as a commander in chief who approaches this from the perspective of someone who cares about American security and global security.”
In recent months, there has been growing internal frustration among Joe Biden administration staff over how the president responded to the October 7 Hamas attack.
In November, more than 700 officials and politicians signed a letter asking the president to support a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The letter was signed by employees working in more than 30 departments and agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the FBI and NASA.
For his part, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be the last in a long parade of Biden national security officials to meet face-to-face with the Israeli government on Tuesday. This will be his fifth visit since the October 7 attack by Hamas.
The stakes of Blinken’s trip are high, as US allies supported Israel at the start of the war but have become critical as civilian casualties in Gaza mount. Those partners will be looking for evidence that Israel is listening to the United States, and as tensions rise in the region, allies hope Blinken can ensure Israel has a workable plan to end the war amid conflict concerns.
Just last month, Israeli officials also visited National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Amos Hochstein, a special envoy who works on energy issues and has close ties to Israel and Lebanon.
