When President Joe Biden worked as a senator in the 1980’s, he reportedly gave “a very impassioned speech” where he backed Israel defending itself at all costs – even if it meant killing women and children.
The president has been a long, firm supporter of Israel and made the comments during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting with former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in June 1982, according to the Times of Israel.
Begin recalled the story to reporters after the meeting, saying the current president’s previous speech was “impassioned” and calling him “a talented speaker.” Biden, according to Begin, backed Operation Peace for the Galilee – the Lebanon War – which had begun just a few days earlier, the Times of Israel reported.
During this speech, the current president said he’d do more than Israel to protect his country, Begin noted.
“The senator — Biden — said he would go even further than Israel, adding that he’d forcefully fend off anyone who sought to invade his country, even if that meant killing women or children,” the Times of Israel wrote.
These comments were off-putting to Begin, who pushed back and said he “disassociated” himself from the “remarks.”
“I said to him: No, sir; attention must be paid. According to our values, it is forbidden to hurt women and children, even in war … Sometimes there are casualties among the civilian population as well. But it is forbidden to aspire to this. This is a yardstick of human civilization, not to hurt civilians,” Begin said according to the report.
Quite a passage about Biden’s past defense of Israel https://t.co/MsfLjp4wmv pic.twitter.com/nVq2ZZ0SXF
— Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox) May 18, 2021
The president’s past speech has come back into the limelight amid a rise in conflict between Israel and militants in Gaza. Biden has publicly backed Israel and Monday marked the first time he hinted at supporting a ceasefire.
Biden’s support for Israel has sparked a rift between Democrats, some of whom call the country an “apartheid” state. (RELATED: White House Says Its Message For Democrats Sparring With Biden On Israel Is To ‘Step Back From Politics For A Moment’)
The White House did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller.