President Biden apologized to some prominent Muslim-American leaders for publicly questioning the Palestinian death toll reported by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, according to a new report.
Biden met with five American Muslim leaders the day after his Oct. 25 comments about reported deaths in Gaza roiled the Islamic community, and he vowed to “do better.”
During the meeting, which was initially scheduled for 30 minutes but lasted more than twice as long, Biden heard the leaders describe people they knew who were personally affected by the conflict.
“I’m sorry. I’m disappointed in myself,” Biden told the group, the Washington Post reported.
A day earlier, during a press conference, the president openly questioned the accuracy of the Gaza casualty figures, given Hamas’s terrorist history.
President Biden, facing criticism at home, has increasingly sought to pressure Israel to minimize civilian casualties. AP
“I have no idea that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are dying,” Biden said.
“I am sure that innocent people have died and that is the price of waging war,” he added.
More than 14,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including many women and children, have died in the conflict, according to data from the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry.
Israel has suffered more than 1,200 deaths, mostly also civilians, who were killed when the terrorist group launched a sneak attack against Israel on October 7, according to the Jewish state.
American Muslim leaders who met with Biden urged him to show more empathy toward the Palestinians. Biden reportedly hugged one of the participants at the end of the meeting.
A large banner reading “Biden: Ceasefire Now” along with fake white body bags representing those killed in the escalating conflict in Gaza are seen outside the White House on November 15.
Biden has faced pressure from members of his own administration, including a group of 20 staffers this month who wanted to hear a strategy to reduce civilian deaths in Gaza, the outlet said.
Some prominent Democrats have publicly disparaged the president’s response to the war raging half a world away.
Biden has affirmed US support for Israel following the bloody October 7 attack.
But he has also increasingly pushed for a pause in the fighting to allow humanitarian aid to flow into the besieged Gaza Strip and for hostages to be freed.
“For weeks, I have been advocating to stop the fighting for two purposes: to increase assistance reaching Gaza civilians who need help and to facilitate [the] release of hostages,” Biden said on Sunday.
“We know that innocent children in Gaza are also suffering greatly,” the president said.
Smoke rises over Gaza City on October 7, 2023, during an Israeli airstrike. AFP via Getty Images
Hamas and Israel agreed to suspend fighting for four days while a hostage-for-prisoners deal is finalized.
That pause began Friday, with Hamas agreeing to release about 50 hostages in exchange for temporary peace and dozens of Palestinian prisoners.
The president has increasingly implored Israel to minimize civilian casualties as much as possible as it seeks to uproot Hamas.
During a news conference Friday, Biden was asked how some members of his own party want conditions placed on aid to America’s staunch ally.
“Well, I think it’s a worthwhile thought, but I don’t think if I had started with that we would have gotten to where we are today,” Biden responded.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Sunday refused to rule out placing conditions on aid to Israel.
The president is asking Congress to send about $14.3 billion in aid to Israel.AP
The White House did not immediately respond to a Post request for comment on Sunday.
Sentiment among Arab-Americans toward Biden appears to have soured considerably since the outbreak of the war.
A scant 17.4% of Arab Americans indicated they would vote for Biden in 2024, according to a poll conducted last month by John Zogby Strategies, with a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn