Israel’s Ambassador to the US and the UN, Gilad Erdan, on Saturday night thanks US President Joe Biden for his support of Israel’s right to self-defense.
Erdan’s comments came after Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reaffirmed his strong support for Israel’s right to defend itself against rocket attacks and condemned "indiscriminate attacks against towns and cities across Israel."
“Thank you, President Biden, for your strong message. May the rest of the international community follow your lead and support Israel’s right to defend itself,” Erdan tweeted.
On Friday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki repeatedly condemned Hamas during her daily press briefing, pointing out that Palestinian Arab civilians are “suffering as a result” of Hamas terrorists.
“As the president conveyed in his statement, Israel has the right to self-defense. Our focus remains on continuing to use every lever at our disposal to de-escalate the situation on the ground. I think it’s also important to remind people, Hamas is a terrorist organization,” Psaki said.
“Hamas does not represent the views, the families, the people who are suffering — all of the Palestinian people who are suffering as a result of this violence. But there’s no justification for 1,500 rockets coming from Hamas into Israeli community — communities in Israel either,” she added.
Meanwhile on Friday, Deputy Assistant US Secretary for Israel-Palestinian Affairs, Hady Amr, arrived in Israel to discuss the latest escalation the ongoing rocket fire from Gaza towards Israeli cities.
The State Department said that he will hold talks with Israeli and Palestinian Arab officials to try to restore sustainable calm.