This is the speech President Biden needs to give - opinion

• Published date: 09 April 2024
• Author: TED FLUM
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Rather, this is the speech that President Biden needs to give, which would respond to the concerns of his progressive base, ease the tensions that have developed between the US and Israel, send a clear message to Hamas, and provide a vision for the future for Gaza and its people and peace between Israelis and Palestinians

"For the last six months, the world has witnessed the ramifications of Hamas' murderous October 7 attack on Israel. On that Saturday morning, as thousands of Jews celebrated their Sabbath and their holiday of Simchat Torah, as hundreds of young Jews gathered to celebrate music and life at the Nova festival – many of them deeply committed to finding peace with their Palestinian neighbors – as families slept in their homes with what was, unfortunately, a false sense of security, thousands of Hamas terrorists and their allies launched a vicious assault on communities in southern Israel. As they poured into Israel by land, sea, and air, they murdered anyone they came across, regardless of their age, religion, or political beliefs. From infants to seniors, including Holocaust survivors, they launched the deadliest pogrom against Jews since the Holocaust.

"The events of that day were horrific. Israelis were burnt alive. Children were murdered in front of their parents before the parents themselves were murdered. Women and young girls were raped before being killed and their bodies mutilated by their rapists. Neither infants nor seniors were spared from Hamas's brutality. Hundreds of other Israelis were taken as hostages back to Gaza. While dozens of hostages were freed as part of a temporary ceasefire, more than 100 remain captive. Those who were released have shared their stories of physical and mental abuse at the hands of their captives.

"As a result of the atrocities committed by Hamas and others, Israel has undertaken actions to free the hostages and dismantle Hamas so that it may never have the capacity to launch a similar attack – an attack that Hamas's leadership has already promised to repeat, should it remain in Gaza. Israel's actions have resulted in thousands of Hamas terrorists being killed or captured, but thousands remain in tunnels, hospitals, schools, and mosques and among the Gazan civilian population. They continue to pose a threat to Israel and to the people of Gaza.

"Unfortunately, due to Hamas's strategy of embedding itself within Gaza's civilian population, Israel's actions have resulted in many civilian deaths and have...