Current:Home > reviewsJohnathan Walker:Biden will be plunging into Middle East turmoil on his visit to Israel -WealthMap Solutions
Johnathan Walker:Biden will be plunging into Middle East turmoil on his visit to Israel
PredictIQ Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-09 22:20:38
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will touch down in Israel on Johnathan WalkerWednesday for a diplomatic scramble to prevent the war with Hamas from spiraling into an even larger conflict, a challenge that became more difficult as outrage swept through the Middle East over an explosion that killed hundreds in a Gaza Strip hospital.
Biden was originally scheduled to visit Jordan as well, but his meetings with Arab leaders were called off as he was leaving Washington, costing him an opportunity for the face-to-face conversations that he views as crucial for navigating this fraught moment.
Now Biden’s only stop will be Israel, where he’s expected to huddle with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel has been preparing for a potential ground invasion of Gaza in response to Hamas’ attacks on Oct. 7, which killed 1,400 Israelis.
John Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, told reporters aboard Air Force One that Biden “wants to get a sense from the Israelis on the situation on the ground” and will “ask some tough questions.”
“He’ll be asking them as a friend,” Kirby added.
The president also planned to meet Israeli first responders and the families of victims killed and hostages taken when Hamas made its incursion into Israel.
Roughly 2,800 Palestinians have been reported killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza. Another 1,200 people are believed to be buried under the rubble, alive or dead, health authorities said.
Those numbers predate the explosion at the Al-Ahli hospital on Tuesday. No clear cause has been established for the blast.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said an Israeli airstrike caused the destruction. The Israeli military denied involvement and blamed a misfired rocket from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another militant group. However, that organization also rejected responsibility.
Biden said in a statement that he was “outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, and the terrible loss of life that resulted.” He also said he “directed my national security team to continue gathering information about what exactly happened.”
Protests swept through the region after the deaths at the hospital, which had been treating wounded Palestinians and sheltering many more who were seeking a refuge from the fighting.
Hundreds of Palestinians flooded the streets of major West Bank cities including Ramallah. More people joined protests that erupted in Beirut, Lebanon and Amman, Jordan, where an angry crowd gathered outside the Israeli Embassy.
Outrage over the hospital explosion scuttled Biden’s plans to visit Jordan, where King Abdullah II had planned to host meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. But Abbas withdrew in protest, and the summit was subsequently canceled outright.
Kirby said Jordan had declared three days of mourning after the hospital explosion and that Biden understood the move and was part of a “mutual” decision to call off the Jordan portion of his trip. He said Biden would have an opportunity to speak to the Arab leaders by phone as he returned to Washington.
Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s foreign minister, told a state-run television network that the war is “pushing the region to the brink.”
There are also fears that a new front could erupt along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, where Hezbollah operates. The Iran-backed organization has been skirmishing with Israeli forces.
Always a believer in the power of personal diplomacy, Biden’s trip will test the limits of U.S. influence in the Middle East at a volatile time. It’s his second trip to a conflict zone this year, after visiting Ukraine in February to show solidarity with the country as it battles a Russian invasion.
The visit to Israel coincides with rising humanitarian concerns in Gaza, where Israel has cut off the flow of food, fuel and water. Mediators have been struggling to break a deadlock over providing supplies to desperate civilians, aid groups and hospitals.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, bouncing back and forth between Arab and Israeli leadership ahead of Biden’s visit, spent seven and a half hours meeting Monday in Tel Aviv in an effort to broker some kind of aid agreement and emerged with a green light to develop a plan on how aid can enter Gaza and be distributed to civilians.
“We’re optimistic that we’ll be able to get some humanitarian assistance in,” Kirby said.
Although only a modest accomplishment on the surface, U.S. officials stressed that Blinken’s talks led to a significant change in Israel’s position going in — that Gaza would remain cut off from fuel, electricity, water and other essential supplies.
U.S. officials said it has become clear that already limited Arab tolerance of Israel’s military operations would evaporate entirely if conditions in Gaza worsened.
Their analysis projected that outright condemnation of Israel by Arab leaders would not only be a boon to Hamas but would likely encourage Iran to step up its anti-Israel activity, adding to fears that a regional conflagration might erupt, according to four officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration thinking.
___
AP writer Matthew Lee in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.
veryGood! (583)
Related
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Amy Robach Reveals What She's Lost Amid Divorce From Andrew Shue
- Ex-gang leader makes his bid in Las Vegas court for house arrest before trial in Tupac Shakur case
- Who's performing at tonight's Times Square ball drop to ring in New Year's Eve 2024?
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- Planning to retire in 2024? 3 things you should know about taxes
- Tens of thousands flee central Gaza as Israel's offensive expands
- Powerful earthquakes leave at least four dead, destroy buildings along Japan’s western coast
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- South Korean opposition leader is attacked and injured by an unidentified man, officials say
Ranking
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Somalia dismisses Ethiopia-Somaliland coastline deal, says it compromises sovereignty
- Zapatista indigenous rebel movement marks 30 years since its armed uprising in southern Mexico
- What's open New Year's Day 2024? Details on Walmart, Starbucks, restaurants, stores
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- Blac Chyna Reduces Her Breast Size in Latest Plastic Surgery Reversal Procedure
- Members of Germany’s smallest governing party vote to stay in Scholz’s coalition, prompting relief
- Pakistan human rights body says an upcoming election is unlikely to be free and fair
Recommendation
The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
Shannen Doherty Shares She Completed This “Bucket List” Activity With Her Cancer Doctor
135th Rose Parade boasts floral floats, sunny skies as California tradition kicks off the new year
Report: Members of refereeing crew for Lions-Cowboys game unlikely to work postseason
The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
Members of Germany’s smallest governing party vote to stay in Scholz’s coalition, prompting relief
Jennifer Love Hewitt Says She Experienced Hardship “No One Knew About”
Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi is declared winner of election that opposition wants redone