Biden says he is “quietly working with the Israeli government to … significantly reduce departures from Gaza.”
Joe Biden walks down the stairs of Air Force One after arriving at Love Field in Dallas on January 8. LM Otero/AP
US President Joe Biden said on Monday he was working to persuade the Israeli government to significantly reduce or “disengage” the Gaza Strip.
He spoke during a campaign rally at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina – the site of a mass shooting in 2015 – and was interrupted by protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“If you really care about the lives lost here, you should honor the lives lost and demand a ceasefire in Palestine,” one protester shouted at the president, referring to the mass shooting that left nine community members dead.
Then a group of protesters began chanting, “Stop fire now.”
They were asked to leave as their supporters began chanting “Four more years.” The moment underscores divisions within the Democratic Party on the issue three months after Israel's military operation in Gaza following Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7.
Biden acknowledged the outcry: “I understand the sentiment and have quietly worked with the Israeli government to significantly reduce and exit Gaza.”
After the speech, Biden's deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks told reporters: “Of course the president is listening.”
Fulks added: “He listens to every part of his base. “That’s why he’s here and that’s why we’re going to continue to carry that message everywhere.”
Fulks assured that Biden is “very firm” that “even when people have disagreements with us from a policy perspective, we respect their points of view and understand them.”
When asked specifically about the protesters calling for a ceasefire, communications director Michael Tyler said Biden understood the sentiment.
He said the president “is approaching this not as a politician, but as a human being and as a commander in chief, approaching this from the perspective of someone who has American security and global security in mind.”
In recent months, there has been growing internal frustration among Joe Biden administration staffers over how the president responded after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
In November, more than 700 officials and politicians signed a letter calling on the president to support a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The letter was signed by employees from more than 30 departments and agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the FBI and NASA.
For his part, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be the last in a long parade of Biden national security officials to meet face-to-face with the Israeli government on Tuesday. It is his fifth visit since the Hamas attack on October 7th.
The stakes are high in Blinken's trip, as U.S. allies supported Israel early in the war but have become critical amid rising civilian casualties in Gaza. Those partners will look for evidence that Israel is listening to the United States, and as tensions rise in the region, allies hope Blinken can ensure Israel has a viable plan to end the war amid concerns of conflict .
Just last month, Israeli officials also received visits from national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Amos Hochstein, a special envoy who deals with energy issues and has close ties with Israel and Lebanon.