Racine, Wisconsin
CNN
—
President Joe Biden on Wednesday suspended some shipments of U.S.-made weapons to Israel that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged were used to kill civilians in the Gaza Strip if he orders a large-scale invasion of the city of Rafah. Then he said it for the first time.
“As a result of bombs and other attacks on populated areas, Civilians are being killed in Gaza.” Last week’s arrival.
“I think if they go into Rafah, they haven’t gone into Rafah yet, but even if they do go into Rafah, historically they have been used to deal with cities, to deal with Rafah. We’ve made it clear that we’re not going to supply the weapons that we’ve been using. We’re going to address that issue,” Biden said.
The president’s announcement that he is willing to condition the use of American weapons on Israeli actions marks a turning point in the seven-month conflict between Israel and Hamas. And his recognition that American bombs were used to kill civilians in Gaza was a clear recognition of America’s role in the war.
The president is under extraordinary pressure from members of his own party to restrict arms shipments amid the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
So far, the president has resisted these calls and strongly supported Israel’s efforts to go after Hamas. But with the impending invasion of Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where more than a million Palestinian civilians have taken refuge, the president’s calculations appear to have changed.
Hatem Khaled/Reuters
A Palestinian man looks on as smoke rises after an Israeli attack in eastern Rafah on May 7.
“We are not running away from Israeli security. We are moving away from Israel’s ability to wage war in these areas,” Biden said.
Biden said the United States would continue to provide defense weapons to Israel, including the Iron Dome air defense system, while also halting other shipments if a large-scale ground invasion of Rafah begins.
“We will continue to ensure Israel’s security in terms of Iron Dome and our ability to respond to recent attacks from the Middle East,” he said. “But that’s just wrong. We’re not going to do that – we’re not going to supply weapons or shells.”
According to the Pentagon, the US has already suspended shipments of “heavy-load munitions” due to the possibility that Israel may conduct unplanned operations against civilians in Rafah. He said a final decision has not yet been made. The administration said it is considering the possibility of selling or transferring other munitions.
Israeli officials privately expressed their “deep dissatisfaction” to U.S. officials over the shipment suspension and U.S. media briefings about the decision, according to a person briefed on the matter.
Biden’s public linking of U.S. arms shipments to Israeli actions could widen the rift between him and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom he spoke by phone on Monday. The conversation came as Israel ordered the evacuation of tens of thousands of civilians from Rafah and launched an offensive near the Rafah border.
Biden said that even though Israel’s actions in Rafah caused tensions in the region, they had not yet crossed the red line of entering a populated area.
“They haven’t gone into populated areas. What they’ve done is just at the border. And that’s currently causing problems with Egypt and I want to build a relationship with Egypt and provide support. “We have worked hard to ensure that,” he said.
He said he had told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders that U.S. support for operations in populated areas was limited.
“I have made it clear to Bibi and the War Cabinet that if they actually move into these populated areas, they will not have our support,” he said.
Biden then said he had warned Netanyahu about the risk of getting stuck in a quagmire in Gaza, drawing parallels to the U.S. experience in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“I said to Bibi, ‘Don’t make the same mistake we made in America.’ We wanted to get bin Laden. We’ll help you get Shinwar.” He said this, referring to the leader of Hamas in Gaza. “It made sense to capture bin Laden. It made no sense to try to unify Afghanistan. In my opinion, it makes no sense to think that Iraq has nuclear weapons.”
Biden has spent much of the past few months focusing on the Middle East conflict, even as he seeks to tout his domestic record to American voters. His strong support for Israel has sparked protests and anger, including signs labeling him “Massacre Joe” on college campuses and at his events.
Asked about the protests Wednesday, Biden said: “Certainly, I hear the message.”
But he warned against protests that veer toward hate speech and anti-Semitism.
“There is a legitimate right to freedom of speech and protest. There is a legitimate right to do so, and they have a right to do so,” he said. “But there is no precept that there is a legitimate right to use hate speech. There is no legitimate right to intimidate Jewish students. There is no legitimate right to block people’s access to classes. It is not a law. This is a violation.”
Biden was speaking Wednesday in Racine, Wisconsin, where he had just promoted new economic investments that could bring thousands of new jobs.
In an interview with CNN, he sought to reshape perceptions of the U.S. economy, touting strong job growth and efforts to combat corporate greed, even as polls show voters remain pessimistic about the country’s direction. questioned.
Asked if he thought there was not enough time to improve standing among Americans on the economic response with less than six months until Election Day, Biden said, “We’ve already turned things around.” ” he said.
Biden pointed to polls showing that even though many Americans view the national economy negatively, they view their own economic situation favorably.
He questioned the validity of telephone surveys, saying, “The poll data has always been wrong.”
And he said his record on job creation after the COVID-19 pandemic is a clear indicator that conditions for American workers have significantly improved.
“The idea that we’re in a really bad situation is that we’ve created more jobs. We’re in a situation where people have access to good-paying jobs,” he said. said.
Mandel Gunn/AFP/Getty Images
President Joe Biden speaks about his investment agenda in the United States at Gateway Technical College in Sturtevant, Wisconsin, May 8, 2024. As part of that effort, Biden is highlighting Microsoft’s major investment in Racine, Wisconsin. The White House said it supports the president’s plan to “grow the economy from the middle out and from the bottom up.”
Still, he acknowledged that Americans have good reason to be concerned, including the cost of goods and housing.
“The last thing I see is inflation and the cost of inflation, a combination of all these things, that people are really worried about, and for good reason.”
“That’s why I’m working hard to lower rents and increase the number of homes available,” he continued. “Let me say this: When I started this administration, people said the economy was going to collapse. We have the strongest economy in the world. Let me say it again. , in this world.”
Mr. Biden has spent much of the last year promoting his economic achievements, including new investments made possible by infrastructure and manufacturing legislation.
That includes Wisconsin, where he spoke Wednesday at the site where his predecessor, Donald Trump, once promoted an investment by Taiwan-based electronics giant Foxconn that later failed.
“He’s never been successful in creating jobs, and I’ve never been unsuccessful in creating jobs,” Biden said in an interview, later adding: I’m not kidding. please think about it. ”
Biden expressed little concern about his re-election prospects in the interview. But he warned that if President Trump loses, he is unlikely to accept the election results.
“I promise we won’t do that, but it’s dangerous,” Biden said.
Asked what advice his former boss, President Barack Obama, had given him during conversations about the campaign, Biden said simply to “keep doing what I’ve been doing.”
“I think we’re getting a good feel about the trajectory of the campaign,” he said. “And you know like me, most people don’t really focus or make decisions until the fall. There’s a lot going on, so we’ll see what happens. Sho.”
But polls show voters have little confidence in Biden’s economic record.
CNN’s latest poll shows that Biden’s approval ratings on the economy (34%) and inflation (29%) remain significantly negative, with voters focusing more on the economy than they did under the past two presidents when choosing a candidate. concerns are more important. Contest.
“No president has ever done a better job creating jobs and lowering inflation,” Biden said Wednesday.
“When I came into the office it was 9%. 9%. But people have a right to be concerned. Ordinary people.”
In fact, inflation peaked at 9.1% in June 2022, but was 1.4% in January 2021, when Biden took office.
He emphasized efforts to combat fees on things like bank accounts and credit cards, which the White House says will lower Americans’ bills.
“Is the idea that if you return a check, there’s a $30 fee? I changed that – you can’t charge more than $8 for it. Or your credit card. Your payment is late. $35. So there’s corporate greed going on out there and we have to deal with it,” he said.
This article has been updated with additional reporting.
