President Biden is facing bipartisan backlash following his handling of an Israeli airstrike that tragically claimed the lives of seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen in Gaza, as reported by the New York Post on Wednesday.
In his public statement issued on Tuesday, Biden expressed sorrow over the loss of life but refrained from indicating any shift in the administration’s support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas. Instead, he placed blame on Israel for the airstrike and called for a thorough investigation to hold those responsible accountable.
Privately, however, reports suggest Biden was deeply angered upon learning that the Israel Defense Forces had mistakenly targeted members of celebrity chef Jose Andres’ humanitarian group.
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Criticism of Biden’s response has been swift and bipartisan. Former Obama speechwriter and podcast host Jon Favreau condemned Biden’s private expressions of anger, arguing they do not excuse his failure to take tangible actions to protect innocent lives.
Democratic Michigan State Representative Abraham Aiyash criticized Biden for prioritizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s interests over basic human decency, emphasizing the importance of actions over words.
On the other side, Republicans criticized Biden for directing his frustration at Israel rather than Hamas, the group responsible for launching rockets into Israeli territory.
Representative Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin criticized Biden for failing to express outrage over the treatment of American and Israeli hostages by Hamas, accusing the president of abandoning Israel.
Representative Mike Waltz of Florida reminded Biden of past actions resulting in civilian casualties, highlighting what he sees as hypocrisy in Biden’s response to the Israeli airstrike.
The criticism against Biden comes amid continued violence in Gaza, where at least 196 humanitarian workers have been killed since the conflict began, according to the United Nations.
