Speaking at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, on Monday, President Biden said of pro-Palestinian demonstrators that he “understands their passion,” prompting Arkansas GOP Senator Tom Cotton, a strong supporter of Israel, to harshly criticize Biden.
As Biden spoke, a Pro-Palestinian activist shouted, “Ceasefire now! Ceasefire now! Ceasefire now!” When Biden responded, “That’s all right. That’s all right,” one activist continued, “Will you call for a ceasefire?” Members of the audience shouted, “Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!” Biden then stated, “Look, folks, I understand their — I understand their passion. And I’ve been quietly working — I’ve been quietly working with the Israeli government to get them to reduce and significantly get out of Gaza. I’ve been using all that I can to do that. But I understand the passion.”
“Israel *was* out of Gaza before Hamas invaded, committed the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, and continues to hold hostages today. President Biden should show moral clarity instead of sympathizing with his antisemitic base,” Cotton blasted on X.
Israel *was* out of Gaza before Hamas invaded, committed the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, and continues to hold hostages today.
President Biden should show moral clarity instead of sympathizing with his antisemitic base. https://t.co/qmXva310lX
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) January 9, 2024
In late November, Cotton ripped President Joe Biden when he discussed American hostages still held by the terrorist group Hamas, asserting that the terrorist group was simply contemptuous of Biden. He also added, “This would never have happened under Donald Trump or Ronald Reagan.”
Cotton appeared on Fox News with Shannon Bream, who noted Cotton’s service in the military overseas, then asked, “What do you make about this call for using special forces to get our folks out?”
“We should certainly be open to that; we have elite special operation forces who are specifically trained in hostage rescue,” Cotton answered, before pointing out that any action would have to be coordinated with the Israeli forces fighting Hamas in Gaza. “I do think we have to be deferential to the Israelis, to the Israeli government and the Israeli Defense Forces about the tactical situation on the ground. But if American military forces are called upon and can provide a viable solution to get out American citizens and the citizens of Israel or other nations then we have to be open to that.”
Then he took aim at Biden’s perceived weakness among terrorist groups abroad:
But again, it’s not just those small special operations units that we have trained; we have two aircraft carriers in the region; we’ve increased the number of troops and aircraft in the region. Yet Hamas is still so contemptuous of President Biden that it hasn’t yet released American hostages.
This would never have happened under Donald Trump or Ronald Reagan. In fact, if you will recall Jimmy Carter had a hostage crisis with Iran, Hamas’ patron, for over 400 days. Iran released those hostages the day Ronald Reagan took office, because they were so scared of what Ronald Reagan might do to them. You don’t see that kind of fear of President Biden from Hamas, or Iran, or frankly, anyone around the world.
“The Biden administration is reportedly warning Israel against taking significant action against Hezbollah, warning that a U.S. intelligence assessment found that if Israel were to expand its military operations to Lebanon as well as Gaza, success would be difficult for Israel to achieve,” The Daily Wire reported this week, noting, “Since Hamas’ October 7 invasion, Israel has evacuated tens of thousands of Israelis from its northern border with Lebanon over the threat posed by Hezbollah.”
A November 30 report from The Times Of Israel derived from Channel 12 News claimed that when Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that all of Israel backed the elimination of the terrorist group Hamas “even if it takes months,” Blinken responded, “I don’t think you have the credit for that.”