U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday called on Israel not to “move on Haifa,” apparently confusing the northern Israeli city with Rafah, Hamas’s final terror stronghold in the Gaza Strip.
BIDEN: "I made it clear to the Israelis — don't move on Haifa!"
Haifa is a major city *IN* Israel. pic.twitter.com/BdNgoDlGkM
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 18, 2024
“I made it clear to the Israelis: Don’t move on Haifa. It’s just not… I mean… anyway,” Biden said on Wednesday.
The 81-year-old president made the error while being questioned by Nexstar Media’s Reshad Hudson about his strategy to regain support from pro-Hamas voters amid the Israel-Hamas war.
Biden stated, “I’ve been meeting with them, number one. Number two, I made it clear that we have to vastly increase the amount of food, water, healthcare going into Gaza.” He then added, “And I made it clear to Israelis—don’t move on Haifa,” seemingly intending to refer to Rafah instead.
However, unnamed Egyptian officials told the Qatari Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news outlet on Wednesday that Biden has agreed to back an Israeli operation in Rafah in exchange for Jerusalem forgoing a major strike on Iran.
Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reported on Wednesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had backtracked on a pre-approved military response to Tehran’s massive drone and missile attack due to pressure by Biden.
