Africa-Press – Lesotho. Joe Biden has told Israelis not to make the “mistakes” that US did after the September 11 2001 terror attacks, as he warned its citizens not to be consumed by rage over the Hamas assault that killed more than 1,400 people.
In a reference to the US’s invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, he said: “When we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes. ” In a powerful speech in Tel Aviv, the US president also said the Hamas attack brought “back memories of the Holocaust”, and compared Israel’s devastation to the aftermath of 9/11, which killed nearly 3,000 people.
Mr Biden blamed an “errant rocket” fired from Gaza for an explosion last night on a hospital feared to have killed hundreds of people, saying his information was based on US defence department sources.
“The terrorists will not win. Freedom will win,” he declared as he announced a new $100m aid package to Gaza. The Hamas-run health ministry said up to 500 people were killed in the hospital explosion, at the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in northern Gaza.
Hamas blamed the blast on an Israeli air strike; Israel said the fire was caused by a failed rocket launched from within the enclave by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Don’t repeat our 9/11 mistakes, Biden tells Israel Joe Biden made clear he came to Israel with a single message: “You are not alone”.
The Hamas attack left deep wound among Israelis, the US president said – but he urged the country not to make “mistakes” like US after the September 11 2001 terror attacks.
And he reiterated his support for a two-state solution to the conflict. After talking to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he posted on social media: “I asked tough questions as a friend of Israel. We will continue to deter any actor wanting to widen this conflict.”
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