Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett rejects US President Joe Biden's remarks at the State of the Union address last week in which he stated that "humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip."
"I do not accept Biden's remarks. The problem is not a lack of food in Gaza, but that Hamas steals the food that comes in, sells it on the black market at a price 10 times higher than the normal price, and thus the food does not reach the needy who cannot afford to buy it," Bennett said in an interview with NBC's 'Meet the Press' program.
He added, "We don't use this kind of thing as a bargaining chip. You have to understand that the problem is that Hamas is stopping humanitarian aid."
During the State of the Union address, Biden said, “Tonight, I’m directing the US military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the coast of Gaza that can receive large shipments carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelter."
“No US boots will be on the ground. A temporary pier will enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into the Gaza every day … Israel must allow more aid into Gaza and ensure humanitarian workers aren’t caught in the crossfire," he said.