President Biden said he thought there should be a humanitarian "pause" in the Israel-Hamas war, after his campaign speech Wednesday evening was interrupted by a protester calling for a ceasefire. "I think we need a pause," Biden said in response to the woman, who said she is a rabbi, and who was quickly shouted down by other attendees and then removed from the room. The call was a subtle departure for Biden and top White House aides, who throughout the Mideast crisis have been steadfast in stating they will not dictate how the Israelis carry out their military operations in response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, the AP reports. But the president has faced intensifying pressure from human rights groups, fellow world leaders, and even liberal members of his own Democratic Party, who say that the Israeli bombardment of Gaza is collective punishment and that it is time for a ceasefire.
In his comments, Biden was exerting pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give Palestinians at least a brief reprieve from the relentless military operation that's left thousands dead and mired the 141-square-mile strip in a roiling humanitarian crisis. The White House has refused to call for a ceasefire but has signaled that the Israelis should consider humanitarian pauses to allow civilians to receive aid and for foreign nationals trapped on the strip to leave Gaza. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said earlier on Wednesday that Biden's newly confirmed ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew, would soon be dispatched to the Middle East and would be tasked in part with "supporting US efforts to create the conditions for a humanitarian pause to address the worsening humanitarian conditions facing Palestinian civilians."
At his Minneapolis speech, Biden said he understood the emotions motivating the demonstrator. He said, when asked, that a pause "means give time to get the prisoners out." White House officials later clarified he meant hostages and humanitarian aid. "This is incredibly complicated for the Israelis," Biden went on. "It's incredibly complicated for the Muslim world as well. ... I supported a two-state solution, I have from the very beginning. The fact of the matter is that Hamas is a terrorist organization. A flat-out terrorist organization," he said. His presence in the city drew more than 1,000 demonstrators not far from where the fundraiser was held, and they carried Palestinian flags and signs that said "Stop Bombing Children," "Free Palestine," and "Ceasefire now." (The Israeli military says it is at the "gates of Gaza City.")
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