{"id":15673,"date":"2024-09-24T22:34:10","date_gmt":"2024-09-25T05:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=15673"},"modified":"2024-09-24T22:34:11","modified_gmt":"2024-09-25T05:34:11","slug":"biden-urges-israel-and-hezbollah-to-step-back-from-all-out-war-the-washington-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/?p=15673","title":{"rendered":"“Biden urges Israel and Hezbollah to step back from all-out war”, The Washington Post"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By\u00a0Yasmeen Abutaleb<\/a>,\u00a0Michael Birnbaum<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0John Hudson<\/a>, September 24, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the president delivered his final talk to the United Nations on Tuesday after decades in foreign policy, the Israel-Hezbollah conflict hung over his remarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

President Joe Biden speaks during the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York on Tuesday. (Michael M. Santiago\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NEW YORK \u2014 President Joe Biden<\/a> urged Israel and Hezbollah to step away from the precipice of all-out war on Tuesday, warning in a major speech before the United Nations that such a conflict could be catastrophic and arguing that there was still time for them to pull back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFull-scale war is not in anyone\u2019s interest. The situation has escalated,\u201d Biden said. \u201cA solution is still possible. In fact, it remains the only path to lasting security and to allow the residents of both countries to return to their homes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden also stressed the importance of a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, an agreement that has proved stubbornly elusive, which now appears to hold the key not only to ending the war in the Gaza Strip but also to cooling the hostilities between Israel and Lebanon. Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based militant group, has said it will keep firing rockets into Israel until a cease-fire is reached in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow is the time for the parties to finalize the terms\u201d of a cease-fire, Biden said in his speech during the U.N. General Assembly. \u201cBring the hostages home, secure security for Israel and Gaza, free of Hamas\u2019s grip, ease the suffering in Gaza, and end this war.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging rocket fire over Israel\u2019s northern border since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, but recent days have seen a sharp escalation. Israeli strikes in Lebanon this week have killed more than 550 people, including 50 children, according to Lebanon\u2019s Health Ministry, and Israeli officials have said they are turning to a new phase of their military operations focused on Lebanon rather than Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Oct. 7, Hezbollah\u2019s rocket attacks have forced Israel to evacuate about 67,500 people from communities in the north, according to the Taub Center, and many of those towns and cities remain largely empty. Israel\u2019s retaliatory strikes on southern Lebanon have displaced more than 111,000 people, according to the United Nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden\u2019s comments on the unfolding Israel-Lebanon crisis came during what is likely to be his final address to the United Nations after five decades in public life, much of it focused on foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given the lack of progress on a Gaza cease-fire \u2014 U.S. officials increasingly think neither side is willing to make the necessary compromises and say negotiations remain deadlocked \u2014 Biden instead spent much of his speech focused on his administration\u2019s work supporting Ukraine against Russia\u2019s aggression, strengthening alliances and defending democracy around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking stock of wars and world events that were taking place when he entered politics in 1972, Biden said he believed the world was at an \u201cinflection point,\u201d given the myriad conflicts unspooling across the globe, including the wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The president also cast his decision this summer not to seek a second term as one that continued his push to protect democracy, which he called one of the driving goals of his presidency. \u201cMy fellow leaders, let us never forget: Some things are more important than staying in power,\u201d Biden told the assembled heads of state. \u201cIt\u2019s your people that matter the most. Never forget, we are here to serve the people, not the other way around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the United Nations, Biden recounted the Oct. 7 attack, when Hamas militants broke through the Israel-Gaza border fence and killed 1,200 people and took approximately 250 hostage. He also spoke of Palestinian suffering under Israel\u2019s retaliatory military campaign<\/a>, which has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, as well as resulted in mass displacement and fueled a humanitarian catastrophe in the enclave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe world must not flinch from the horrors of Oct. 7. Any country \u2014 any country \u2014 would have the right and responsibility to ensure that such an attack can never happen again,\u201d Biden said, noting that he has met and grieved with hostage families, who are \u201cgoing through hell.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added: \u201cInnocent civilians in Gaza are also going through hell. Thousands and thousands killed, including aid workers. Too many families dislocated, crowding into tents, facing a dire humanitarian situation. They didn\u2019t ask for this war Hamas started.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first Arab leader to address the gathering, Jordan\u2019s King Abdullah II, recounted the pain of witnessing the suffering of the conflict and warned that it could get worse as Israel steps up its bombardment of Lebanon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Israeli government\u2019s assault has resulted in one of the fastest death rates in recent conflicts, one of the fastest rates of starvation caused by war, the largest cohort of child amputees and unprecedented levels of destruction,\u201d Abdullah said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe world is watching, and history will judge us by the courage we show,\u201d he added. \u201cAnd it is not just the future that will hold us accountable. So will the people of the here and now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Abdullah was careful not to criticize the United States directly, his comments reflected the frustration among many U.S. allies, including Arab nations and those in the Global South, at Biden\u2019s policy of providing largely unconditional military support to Israel, even as the death toll in Gaza has grown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel has said it has little choice but to try to eradicate Hamas in Gaza and that the high death toll is a direct result of the militant group\u2019s strategy of embedding among civilians. Still, many human rights and aid groups say Israel has done little to guard against civilian casualties and has actively obstructed aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With only four months left in office, a growing number of Biden\u2019s speeches and activities are aimed at burnishing his legacy. On Tuesday afternoon, the White House announced that Biden will travel to Germany and Angola next month for what is likely to be his last foreign trip before the Nov. 5 election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Germany, Biden will \u201creinforce the U.S. and German commitment to democracy\u201d and tout the countries\u2019 shared work in defending Ukraine, the White House said. Biden\u2019s trip to Angola belatedly delivers on a promise he made in 2023 to visit Africa that year, an effort to demonstrate the U.S. commitment to the continent and counter China\u2019s growing influence there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden spent much of Tuesday\u2019s speech, which was intended in large part to highlight his legacy as a global leader, focusing on his administration\u2019s work defending Ukraine against Russia\u2019s invasion, as he urged the United Nations to \u201cstand firm against aggression.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said he and Vice President\u00a0Kamala Harris<\/a>, the Democratic presidential nominee, recognized Russia\u2019s invasion as \u201can assault on everything this institution is supposed to stand for.\u201d While describing his Ukraine policy as a success, Biden warned that Russia still has a path to victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe world now has another choice to make. Will we sustain our support to help Ukraine win this war and preserve its freedom, or walk away, let aggression be renewed and a nation be destroyed?\u201d Biden told the leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who sat in the grand hall, unsmiling, a translation headset on his ear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know my answer,\u201d Biden said. \u201cWe cannot grow weary. We cannot look away, and we will not let up on our support for Ukraine, not until Ukraine wins a just and durable peace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, Russia has recently been making gains in Ukraine\u2019s east. With winter looming, some allies of Ukraine fear the country could be pushed into making concessions to Russia to end the war, and Biden\u00a0is facing pressure<\/a>\u00a0to allow American-made missile systems to strike deeper into Russian territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukrainian leaders have made that policy change a top priority in recent weeks, and many European leaders agree with them. The issue has opened cracks inside the Biden administration, with the Defense Department and White House aides skeptical of the benefits of such a policy shift and Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressing openness on a trip to Kyiv this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zelensky plans to continue to press the issue this week, including at White House meetings with Biden and Harris on Thursday. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer \u2014 who also quietly favors a policy shift \u2014 plans to continue discussions about it during this week\u2019s U.N. activities in New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday, Zelensky implored global leaders not to turn their backs on Ukraine and said supporting his country was integral to upholding the United Nations charter, which declares that countries have a right to self-defense in the event of an armed attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russian President Vladimir Putin \u201chas broken so many international norms and rules,\u201d Zelensky said. \u201cWe do not have different version of the U.N. charter for different parts of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast to the Middle East, Biden\u2019s role in managing the Ukraine conflict received more favorable reviews from world leaders on Tuesday. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen listened to Biden\u2019s speech from the assembly hall, saying in an interview that it was \u201cspecial because we know this is the last speech from President Joe Biden at the U.N.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frederiksen credited the president with holding a diverse array of European countries together in support of Ukraine as populist forces were threatening that support. \u201cBiden has been very engaged with the transatlantic bond, which I hope will continue forever no matter who is the next U.S. president,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden also addressed the civil war in Sudan and the humanitarian crisis unfolding there, including millions of people who are on the brink of famine, pointing to America\u2019s role in providing desperately needed aid to those affected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond wars, Biden stressed America\u2019s progress in cutting carbon emissions and addressing climate change; managing competition with China; tackling the promise and risk of artificial intelligence; and advancing reform and expansion of the U.N. Security Council. He also announced the United States would send 1 million doses of the mpox vaccine to Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The five-member Security Council \u2014 the United States, United Kingdom, China, Russia and France \u2014 has been criticized as dysfunctional because a single country can veto any resolution. Russia has vetoed resolutions supporting Ukraine, for example, while the United States has shielded Israel diplomatically with its veto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As he wrapped up his speech, Biden reflected on his decision to step aside this summer and end his campaign for a second term. \u201cIt was a difficult decision,\u201d Biden said. \u201cBeing president has been the honor of my life. There\u2019s so much more I want to get done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But he said that after 50 years of public service, he decided it was time for a new generation of leadership. \u201cIt\u2019s your people that matter most,\u201d Biden said. \u201cThat\u2019s the soul of democracy. It does not belong to any one country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Yasmeen Abutaleb<\/a>Yasmeen Abutaleb is a White House reporter for The Washington Post. She joined The Post in 2019 as a national health policy reporter. Yasmeen co-authored the New York Times No. 1 best seller, “Nightmare Scenario: Inside the Trump Administration Response to the Pandemic that Changed History.”follow on X @yabutaleb7<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Michael Birnbaum<\/a>Michael Birnbaum is a national security reporter for The Washington Post, covering the State Department and diplomacy. He previously served more than a decade in Europe as The Post\u2019s bureau chief in Brussels, Moscow and Berlin, reporting from more than 60 countries, and he covered climate and security from Washington. He joined The Post in 2008.follow on X @michaelbirnbaum<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By John Hudson<\/a>John Hudson is a reporter at The Washington Post covering the State Department and national security. He was part of the team that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He has reported from dozens of countries, including Ukraine, China, Afghanistan, India and Belarus.follow on X @John_Hudson<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Yasmeen Abutaleb,\u00a0Michael Birnbaum\u00a0and\u00a0John Hudson, September 24, 2024 As the president delivered his final talk to the United Nations on Tuesday after decades in foreign policy, the Israel-Hezbollah conflict hung over his remarks. President Joe Biden speaks during the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York on Tuesday. (Michael M. Santiago\/Getty Images) NEW […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1001004,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15673"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1001004"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15673"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15675,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15673\/revisions\/15675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}