Фото: Christopher Mark Juhn/Anadolu via Getty Images
Moscow. November 2. INTERFAX.RU – US President Joe Biden said that he favors a suspension of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in order to have time to free the hostages.
“I think we need a pause. A pause means time to release prisoners,” Biden said at a campaign event in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
He made the announcement after one attendee at the event demanded: “I need you to call for a ceasefire right now.”
“I understand your emotions. This is incredibly difficult for the Israelis. It is incredibly difficult for the Muslim world,” Biden said.
The president said he supported a two-state solution but defended Israel’s right to persecute Hamas. “The fact is that Hamas is a terrorist organization. An outright terrorist organization,” Biden emphasized.
According to Bloomberg, the president faced demonstrations in Minnesota over his position on Israel’s military offensive. The agency believes that “weakening support among Muslims and Arab Americans could prevent Biden from winning re-election in key states” in the 2024 elections.
However, speaking in Minneapolis, Biden refrained from calling for a complete ceasefire, media noted.
Earlier, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that Washington does not consider a ceasefire the “right decision” because it could only benefit Hamas.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller explained what Kirby meant: “We believe that a ceasefire would allow Hamas to continue to arm itself and carry out terrorist attacks on Israel,” he told reporters.
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2023-11-02 01:57:00
