The deadly Hamas militant attack on Israel and the massive retaliation it provoked from Jerusalem have thrust President Joe Biden into a Middle East crisis that risks expanding into a broader conflict and has left him fending off criticism from GOP presidential rivals that his administration's policies led to this moment.
President Joe Biden speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, in Washington.
Several 2024 Republican presidential contenders immediately tried to pin a portion of the blame on Biden. They sought to tie his recent decision to release $6 billion in blocked Iranian funds in exchange for freeing five Americans who had been detained in Iran to Saturday’s complex attack by air, land and sea.
The attack only adds new complications as the Biden administration and Iran are locked in disputes over Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran says the program is peaceful, but it now enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels. Still, the administration hasn’t given up hope on reviving a deal brokered during the Obama administration - and scrapped during the Trump White House - that eased sanctions on Iran in return for curbs to its nuclear program.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry in a statement did not condemn the Hamas attack, but noted the kingdom’s “repeated warnings of the dangers … of the situation as a result of the continued occupation, the deprivation of the Palestinian people of their legitimate rights, and the repetition of systematic provocations against its sanctities.”
Jonathan Schanzer, an analyst at the Washington think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said Biden did “a good job” at keeping Israel’s critics, particularly his fellow Democrats, at bay while Netanyahu sought to achieve his military objectives against Hamas during their last major conflict, an 11-day war in 2021. It will likely be tougher this time around.
In a briefing with Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff on Saturday, administration officials said the U.S. had warned Iran “through interlocutors” that direct involvement in the Gaza situation would imperil any future initiatives the U.S. might consider with the Islamic Republic, according to a congressional aide familiar with the session.
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Hamas Attack on Israel Thrusts Biden into Mideast Crisis and Has Him Fending off GOP CriticismThe deadly Hamas militant attack on Israel and the massive retaliation it provoked from Jerusalem have thrust President Joe Biden into a Middle East crisis that risks expanding into a broader conflict and has left him fending off criticism from GOP presidential rivals that...
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Hamas attack on Israel thrusts Biden into Mideast crisis and has him fending off GOP criticismPresident Joe Biden has been thrust into a Middle East crisis that risks expanding into a broader conflict and has left him fending off criticism from GOP presidential rivals that his administration’s policies led to this moment
Read more »
Hamas attack on Israel thrusts Biden into Mideast crisis and has him fending off GOP criticismPresident Joe Biden has been thrust into a Middle East crisis that risks expanding into a broader conflict and has left him fending off criticism from GOP presidential rivals that his administration’s policies led to this moment. The potential for prolonged and expanding violence could test Biden’s leadership on both the world stage and at home as he tries to navigate between demonstrating unflinching support for Israel and fostering a broader peace in the combustible Mideast. Sympathetic milita
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Hamas attack on Israel thrusts Biden into Mideast crisis and has him fending off GOP criticismPresident Joe Biden has been thrust into a Middle East crisis that risks expanding into a broader conflict and has left him fending off criticism from GOP presidential rivals that his administration’s policies led to this moment.
Read more »
Hamas attack on Israel thrusts Biden into Mideast crisis and has him fending off GOP criticismPresident Joe Biden has been thrust into a Middle East crisis that risks expanding into a broader conflict and has left him fending off criticism from GOP presidential rivals that his administration’s policies led to this moment
Read more »
Hamas attack on Israel thrusts Biden into Mideast crisis and has him fending off GOP criticismPresident Joe Biden has been thrust into a Middle East crisis that risks expanding into a broader conflict and has left him fending off criticism from GOP presidential rivals that his administration’s policies led to this moment
Read more »