Photo: MOHAMMED ABED / Getty Images
President Joe Biden spoke with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu , and the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas , on Saturday as the violence in Israel and the Gaza Strip was intensifying, with no signs that it would cease any time soon.
On the other hand, Netanyahu, after his call with Biden, he suggested on television Saturday night local time that Israel’s operation will continue until it achieves its objectives .
“Our goal is to send Hamas a message that it is not worth sending rockets the next time they want to,” he said. “We will take care of them and no one should take the law into their own hands.”
During a phone call with Netanyahu, Biden reiterated his support for Israel’s right to self-defense against the militant group’s rocket attacks Hamas in Gaza and c launched the attacks in towns and cities of Israel , according to a reading published by the White House, reported CNBC .
“The president noted that this current period of conflict has tragically claimed the lives of Israeli and Palestinian civilians, including children ”, says the reading. “He expressed his concern for the safety of journalists and reinforced the need to guarantee their protection.”
Netanyahu told Biden that Israel “is doing everything possible to avoid harming ”those who are not involved with Hamas and that “ those who are not involved ”were evacuated from the building of 12 Flats in the Gaza Strip that housed the offices of The Associated Press and Al. Jazeera. Three Israeli heavy missiles collapsed the building on Saturday.
The president also spoke with the leader of the Palestinian Authority Abbas on the tensions in Jerusalem and the West Bank and their shared interest in making Jerusalem “a place of peaceful coexistence for people of all religions and origins. ”
“ The president also underscored his firm commitment to a negotiated two-state solution as the best way to achieve a just and lasting resolution of the conflict Israeli-Palestinian ”, according to a reading of that call.
The extraordinary conflagration in Israel and the Gaza Strip has become an urgent early test for politics exterior of Biden.
The president was working in the Oval Office for a period of time on Saturday. Usually he works from Camp David or his home state of Delaware on the weekends.
Israel attack destroyed media offices in the United States and other countries
The news that the media offices were destroyed sparked outrage and international commotion, prompting the White House to respond before the readings of Biden’s calls were released.
The Biden government “has communicated directly to Israelis that ensuring the safety of journalists and independent media is a primary responsibility,” wrote White House press secretary Jen Psaki in a tweet on Saturday.
We have communicated directly to the Israelis that ensuring the safety and security of journalists and independent media is a paramount responsibility.
– Jen Psaki (@PressSec) May 15, 2021
The president of the news agency The Associated Press said in a statement Saturday that a dozen journalists and other AP personnel evacuated the building before the attack, but that a “terrible loss of life” was narrowly avoided and even with Israel’s advance warning that the building would be attacked.
“We are shocked and horrified that the Israeli army targets and destroys the building that houses the AP office and other news organizations in Gaza, ”said AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt. “They have known for a long time the location of our office and they knew that the journalists were there. We received a warning that the building would be affected. ”
“ This is an incredibly disturbing development, ”Pruitt said of the airstrike.
⭕ LIVE footage of the moment an Israeli air raid bombed the offices of Al Jazeera and The Associated Press in Gaza City ⬇️
🔴 LIVE updates: https: / /t.co/RvtP1lEX1x pic.twitter.com/RBO1ZiDAl0
– Al Jazeera English (@ AJEnglish) May 15, 2021
At least 139 people have died, including 39 children, in Gaza. And in Israel, eight people have died as the conflict escalates.
Senator Bob Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, requested in a statement Saturday a “full accountability of the actions that have caused the death of civilians and the destruction of the media.”
“All political and military leaders have the responsibility to respect the rules and laws of war and it is of the utmost importance that all actors find ways to reduce and reduce tensions,” said Menendez. “This violence must end.”
My statement on violence across Israel and Gaza: pic.twitter.com/OdsDojRdFr
– Senate Foreign Relations Committee (@SFRCdems) May 15, 2021
The Security Council of the UN will hold a virtual public meeting on Sunday 16 May, for address the growing violence between Israelis and Palestinians , announced diplomatic sources.