President Joe Biden said Monday that his administration is supporting Israel in its all-out war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, and that he has put U.S. officials on high alert in the wake of the stunning, “heart wrenching” weekend attack on Israel by the U.S.-designated terrorist group.
He confirmed that at least 11 Americans were killed in the multipronged, surprise Hamas attack, and said officials believe that some of Hamas’ hostages may be Americans.
“I have directed my team to work with their Israeli counterparts on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the United States government to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts on hostage recovery efforts,” he said.
And domestically, he said, “in cities across the country, police departments have stepped up security around centers of Jewish life, and the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other federal law enforcement partners are closely monitoring for any domestic threats in connection with the horrific terrorist attacks in Israel.”
The White House has been a hive of activity since Saturday morning’s attack, with Biden and administration figures speaking to officials from countries in the Mideast, Palestinian officials, and close allies like the U.K., Germany and Italy.
In the U.S., political figures on both sides of the aisle condemned Hamas and spoke of the far-reaching global impacts of events in the Gaza Strip, which is an area about twice the size of Washington, D.C.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is in China with a congressional delegation, said he asked China’s president to toughen his stance.
“I raised with President Xi [Jinping] the unfolding atrocities carried out against Israel and the need for the world community to stand together against terrorism and with the Israeli people, and pointedly requested from President Xi that the Chinese Foreign Minister strengthen their statement; they did,” he said.
And Schumer’s Republican counterpart, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, demanded swift action against known Hamas supporter Iran.
“The West should reimpose extensive multilateral sanctions on Tehran and deny Iranian planes overflight rights. Impound the shipping vessels Iran uses to circumvent sanctions. Close Iranian banks with access to the West, and cease the Iranian operations of European businesses,” he wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published Monday afternoon. “Treat Iranian officials like pariahs and sink Iranian naval boats that threaten international shipping.”
Over the weekend, a senior Biden administration official told journalists: “it’s too early to say whether the state of Iran was directly involved, or planning, or supporting,” but added that “there’s no doubt that Hamas is funded, equipped, armed by Iran and others. And so that’s why we have taken action throughout this administration to hold Iran accountable, to impose sanctions on Iran for support to Hamas and other terrorist organizations. That is going to continue, believe me.”
Biden did not mention Iran in his lengthy statement Monday.
