Whatever it takes: Joe Biden backs Israel to the hilt

Breaking a two-day public silence, The US President promised to provide Israel with whatever it needed to defend itself.

‘Pure evil’: Joe Biden is flanked by Antony Blinken. Picture: AFP

President Joe Biden has condemned the “pure, unadulterated, evil” unleashed by Hamas on Israel, promising the US would do whatever it takes to ensure the embattled nation can defend itself against attacks that have killed over 1000 Israelis, including at least 14 Americans.

In short remarks delivered at the White House on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST), Mr Biden stressed the “sheer evil” of the terrorist group Hamas, promising to supply Israel with all the ammunition and interceptors for its iron dome that it needed to defend itself.

“In this moment we must be crystal clear, we stand with Israel… We will make sure it has what it needs to take care of its citizens and defend itself... like every nation in the world Israel has a right and duty to respond,” he said, flanked by Vice-President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Mr Biden said the Hamas attacks, which remain sporadic as Israeli defence forces seek to secure the country, reminded him of the “blood thirsty rampages of ISIS”, referring to another Islamic terrorist group operating throughout the Middle East.

The president said the US had transferred the USS Gerald Ford carrier battle group to the eastern Mediterranean, and “stood ready to provide additional assets as needed”. “Any country, any organisation thinking of taking advantage of this situation I have one word: don’t,” the president said.

Speaking moments later, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that at least 20 Americans were still unaccounted for, amid reports from the UN that around 150 Israelis were being held hostage, potentially adding to the total.

“Let me be clear, we did not move the aircraft carrier for Hamas, we moved the carrier to send a clear message of deterrence to other states or non-state actors that might seek to widen this war,” Mr Sullivan said, adding that US plains would be landing in Israel with supplies in coming days.

“The President has tasked us with engaging in contingency planning for any and all escalation scenarios … that might unfold in the days ahead,” he added, saying the US at this stage wasn’t planning to put US forces on the ground in Israel.

Mr Sullivan said Iran, which has denied reports it helped orchestrate the attacks, was “complicit” in the assault owing to its support for Hamas but that the US didn’t have firm evidence Tehran was behind, or had forewarning of, the attacks that Mr Biden described as “a human tragedy, an atrocity, on an appalling scale”.

“Iran is complicit in this attack in a broad sense because they have provided the lion’s share of the funding to the military wing of Hamas, they have provided training, they have provided capabilities”.

Republicans and some analysts have criticised the US for allowing $US6bn in Iranian oil revenues, frozen in South Korea, to be unfrozen last month in exchange for the release of US prisoners who had been held by Tehran.

“It‘s unequivocal, not one dollar of that money has been spent,” Mr Sullivan said.

Following phone calls with the leaders of France, Italy, Germany and UK, Mr Biden said he spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the day, for the third time since the crisis unfolded, telling him the US response would be “swift, decisive and overwhelming” faced with a similar attack.

“We discussed how democracies like Israel and the US are stronger when we act according to the rules of war,” he added.

The President also said he would ask congress, which remains in gridlock after Republicans removed the House of Representatives Speaker last week, to take “urgent action” when it returned in coming days.

Any request for additional funding for Israel will come amid a political standoff over additional aid for Ukraine, which some Republicans have refused to agree to.

“At home in cities across US, police have stepped up security around centres of Jewish life.. the Department of homeland security [is working to] identify and disrupt any domestic threat,” the President said.