Joe Biden
Israeli president Isaac Herzog sent “heartfelt thanks” for Biden’s “friendship and steadfast support for the Israeli people over his decades long career.”
“I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down,” wrote the 81-year-old U.S. president.
The Israeli prime minister is set to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress on July 24.
A reportedly scheduled White House meeting won’t happen if Biden follows recommended isolation guidelines.
“Look, if there weren’t an Israel, every Jew in the world would be at risk,” said the president, adding that Hamas are “a bunch of thugs.”
The anti-Israel protester also interrupted the president to say, “Hey, hey, what do you say? These babies are dying every day!”
The U.S. president had been criticized for not inviting the premier to Pennsylvania Avenue.
The U.S. president later said that “there’s no place for this kind of violence in America” after Trump was shot at a rally in Pennsyvlania.
The president’s tone appeared “to reflect his view that Israel and Hamas equally share blame for the situation,” Alan Dershowitz told JNS.
The president took nearly an hour of press questions at the NATO Summit in D.C., amid growing calls for him to withdraw from the election due to his age.
Israel and Jewish issues played a small but explosive role in the presidential debate between Biden and Trump late last month.
New polling shows the president trailing Trump in critical battleground states.
