President Biden said he “did more for the Palestinian community” than anyone else when pressed about the United States’s support for Israel.
Biden doubled down on both his support for Israel and the Palestinian community when asked by Complex’s Speedy Morman in an interview why the U.S.’s support for Israel is “so strong.” The interview was filmed Friday and released Monday on Complex’s “360 with Speedy.”
“If there weren’t an Israel every Jew in the world would be at risk. Every Jew in the world would be at risk. And so there’s a need for it to be strong, and a need for Israel to be able to have after World War II … the ability for Jews to have a place that was their own,” Biden told Morman.
“But you don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist, and a Zionist is about whether or not Israel is a safe haven for Jews because of their history of how they’ve been persecuted,” Biden continued before replying, “Yes,” to whether he considers himself a Zionist.
Biden said people “don’t know what a Zionist is” before pointing to what he has done for Palestinians, like pushing for humanitarian aid to get into the Gaza Strip amid the months-long war.
“By the way, I’m the guy that did more for the Palestinian community than anybody. I’m the guy that opened up all the assets. I’m the guy that made sure that I got the Egyptians to open the border to let goods through, medicine and food,” he said.
“I’ve been very supportive of the Palestinians. But Hamas are a bunch of thugs,” he added later on.
During last month’s debate, former President Trump targeted Biden over the handling of the Israel-Hamas war after the president argued the militant group is the one keeping a cease-fire deal from being reached.
“Israel is the one. And you should let them go and let them go finish the job. He doesn’t want to do it,” Trump said.
“He’s become like a Palestinian, but hey, don’t like him because he’s a very bad Palestinian. He’s a weak one,” Trump added.
“I’ve never heard so much foolishness,” Biden responded.
Biden unveiled a three-phase cease-fire deal in May that would immediately establish at least a six-week pause in fighting. However, the deal has remained at a standstill as mediators continue to debate its parameters.