On Saturday, US President Joe Biden deplored the “horrific attack” by Hamas militants, and his government pledged to give Israel “whatever it needs to defend itself” after the sudden attack that drew condemnation and anger from Israel’s allies.
Biden said in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “we are ready to offer all appropriate means of support,” according to the White House.
He was also called King Abdullah II of Jordan. Secretary of State Antony Blinken went to meetings at the White House and called his counterparts around the world. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin contacted the Israeli Defense Minister.
The Hamas attack, carried out on a major Jewish holiday, was Israel’s deadliest attack in years and could lead to a wider conflict. Israel resists airstrikes in Gaza. “We are at war,” Netanyahu said.
The clashes dealt a serious blow to American efforts to extend the Abrahamic Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and the Arab countries, to Saudi Arabia and other smaller states.
US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said Washington would try to cooperate with Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to try to contain the situation.
But given the scale of the Hamas attack and Israel’s response, they are not optimistic about a short-term solution.
Many South American governments have shown their unanimous rejection of the attacks carried out on Saturday in Israeli territory. Chile “expresses its full condemnation” calling for an end to “this unjustified violence.”
For its part, Uruguay deplored “with the greatest strength the terrorist actions carried out against Israel and its population.”
Paraguay’s president, Santiago Peña, condemned the violence and expressed on X, formerly known as Twitter, “all our support for the sister country of Israel,” while in Argentina the attack spilled over into the election campaign.
Argentina condemned the “terrorist actions of Hamas against Israeli territory,” while official candidate Sergio Massa issued a strong condemnation.
Meanwhile, the candidate of the opposition Together for Change, Patricia Bullrich, expressed her “absolute condemnation” of social networks of terrorism “you who attack the population of Israel.”
The candidate of La Libertad Avanza, Javier Milei, said: “My most complete and absolute solidarity with Israel and its absolute right to defend itself from terrorism.”
Other world leaders condemned the attack, saying Israel has the right to defend itself and pledging solidarity.
“We believe that order will be restored and terrorists will be destroyed,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a message on his official Telegram channel. “Israel’s right to self-defense cannot be questioned.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the “senseless attack” and said “this violence is neither a political solution nor an act of courage. It is pure terrorism.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed similar sentiments.
They called for a ceasefire
Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister and former ambassador to Israel and Egypt, told the Tass agency that Moscow was in contact with “all parties (to the conflict), including Arab countries” and called for ” a ceasefire.” “Peace come soon.” ” between Hamas and Israel.
Bogdanov did not clarify which Arab countries he was referring to.
Saudi Arabia has called for an immediate end to the hostilities.
“The kingdom recalls its repeated warnings about the dangers of the situation that has erupted as a result of the occupation, depriving the Palestinian people of their legitimate rights and the repetition of the system of provocations against them,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement. .
But in Iran, Israel’s regional enemy, the parliament began its Saturday session chanting “death to Israel” and “Israel is destroyed, Palestine is the conqueror.”
In Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, hundreds took to the streets to celebrate.
In the Bourj al-Barajneh camp south of Beirut, people danced in the streets, and young people in the northern city of Tripoli handed out candy to passersby.
In the Bekaa Valley, pro-Palestinian protesters blocked the streets. The top Sunni religious authority told mosques to broadcast the message “God is great” over loudspeakers after night prayers “in unity with our people in Palestine.”
