The US president said that he wants the IDF’s Gaza operation postponed to secure the release of more hostages
US President Joe Biden told reporters on Friday that he wants Israel to postpone its invasion of Gaza to allow more time for hostages to be released. The White House immediately backtracked and insisted that Biden has no input into Israel’s plans.
As he boarded Air Force One on Friday night en route to his Delaware beach house, Biden was asked whether he was urging Israel to delay sending troops into Gaza. “Yes,” the president replied, as he climbed the stairs of the airplane.
Less than an hour later, White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt told reporters that Biden had misinterpreted the question, and was not attempting to sway Israel’s decision-making.
“The president was far away,” LaBold said, according to a pool report. “He didn’t hear the full question. The question sounded like ‘Would you like to see more…