Biden pledges to free hostages, warns Israel not to use aid as bargaining chip

Shafaq News/ US President Joe Biden lamented the “deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust” in his Thursday State of the Union address, defending Israel’s right to pursue Hamas after the group’s October 7 attack, while expressing his dissatisfaction with the humanitarian toll in the ensuing war.

“To the leadership of Israel, I say this: humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip. Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority,” Biden said, as Washington continued to stiffen its tone with Israel while maintaining its overall support for the Jewish state.

Much of Biden’s speech focused on domestic issues, arriving at the Gaza conflict toward the end.

“I know the last five months have been gut-wrenching for so many people, for the Israeli people, the Palestinian people, and so many here in America,” Biden said.

The president recalled the Hamas “massacre” that killed some 1,200 Israelis and saw 253 abducted into Gaza, and he made a point to highlight the sexual violence allegations.

He took a moment to highlight the dozen-plus family members of the hostages who were in the congressional chamber as guests of lawmakers.

“I pledge to all the families that we will not rest until we bring their loved ones home,” he said.

Biden pointed to the ongoing effort to secure a six-week ceasefire, which would see the female, sick and elderly hostages released in the first stage and allow humanitarian aid to surge into Gaza where there are growing concerns of mass famine.

Biden reportedly dispatched his CIA chief, Bill Burns, back to the region in a last-ditch effort to try and secure a hostage deal by Ramadan, which begins early next week. Burns was in Egypt for talks on Wednesday and Thursday before traveling to Doha.

US officials said earlier Thursday that Hamas was holding the deal up by refusing to release the vulnerable hostages it is holding, but they said mediators would work through the weekend to try and secure a deal.

“Hamas could end this conflict today by releasing the hostages, laying down arms, and surrendering those responsible for October 7,” Biden said.

“We’ve been working non-stop to establish an immediate ceasefire that would last for at least six weeks,” he continued. “It would get the hostages home, ease the intolerable humanitarian crisis, and build toward something more enduring.”

While Biden asserted that “Israel has a right to go after Hamas,” he clarified that it “has an added burden because Hamas hides and operates among the civilian population.”

“This war has taken a greater toll on innocent civilians than all previous wars in Gaza combined. More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed. Most of whom are not Hamas,” he lamented.

“Thousands and thousands are innocent women and children. Girls and boys also orphaned. Nearly 2 million more Palestinians under bombardment or displaced. Homes destroyed, neighborhoods in rubble, cities in ruin. Families without food, water, medicine. It’s heartbreaking.”

To help address the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Biden made an anticipated announcement that he had directed the US military to carry out an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier “on the Gaza coast” that will allow for the delivery of aid to the enclave directly from the Mediterranean.

He stressed that the effort would not require any US boots on the ground and said it would allow Gaza’s coast to receive large ships carrying aid that to date had to dock in Egypt.

“This temporary pier would enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day,” he said. “But Israel must also do its part. Israel must allow more aid into Gaza and ensure that humanitarian workers aren’t caught in the crossfire,” Biden stressed.

“The only real solution is a two-state solution.”

“I say this as a lifelong supporter of Israel and the only American president to visit Israel in wartime,” he added.

“There is no other path that guarantees Israel’s security and democracy. There is no other path that guarantees Palestinians can live with peace and dignity. There is no other path that guarantees peace between Israel and all of its Arab neighbors, including Saudi Arabia,” Biden added, referencing a diplomatic initiative that would see Riyadh normalize relations with Israel and assist in the reconstruction of Gaza on the condition that Israel allows for a reformed Palestinian Authority to return to governing Gaza and agrees to establish a pathway to an eventual Palestinian state.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has all but rejected this effort, angering Biden, whose aides warn that the premier is laying the groundwork for an open-ended Israeli occupation of Gaza, given that it has failed to advance viable alternatives to Hamas’s rule.

Turning to Tehran, Biden said “creating stability in the Middle East also means containing the threat posed by Iran.”

“That’s why I built a coalition of more than a dozen countries to defend international shipping and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea,” he said, referencing attacks by Houthis in Yemen that have disrupted global shipping routes. Their strikes turned deadly for the first time this week, with three crew members killed in an attack on a vessel off the Gulf of Aden.

“I’ve ordered strikes to degrade Houthi capabilities and defend US Forces in the region,” Biden said. “As commander-in-chief, I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and military personnel.”