White House: Johnson not serious about backing allies after he claimed Biden called for cease-fire

After Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) released a statement claiming that President Biden had called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, the White House said he was not serious about supporting America’s allies. He accused them of not having it.

Prime Minister Johnson’s statement on Tuesday, with the subject line “Biden’s ceasefire call is a disgrace,” highlighted the Biden administration’s call for a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and its opposition to Israel’s advance into Rafah. .

Mr Johnson said Mr Biden was “responding to political pressure from Israel’s opponents” as the November election approached, and had scaled back support for Israel with the “shocking step” of supporting a temporary ceasefire. said.

“Chairman Johnson has attacked these efforts, blocking President Biden’s requested aid to protect Israel from Hamas and Iranian-backed militias, while also blocking other important priorities such as protecting Ukraine,” “It’s unfortunate that we continue to play political games with Israel from Patting and Tehran,” White House press secretary Andrew Bates said.

The United States vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution proposed by Algeria earlier Tuesday calling on Israel to implement a ceasefire against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, calling the resolution “hopeful” as it would force negotiations toward a release. He claimed that he was “irresponsible.” Hostages in danger.

Bates said the resolution the Biden administration submitted to the U.N. Security Council at the time was an alternative document calling for a temporary ceasefire and the release of more than 100 Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

“If Speaker Johnson is serious about helping our allies, he should cancel the two-week vacation he is enjoying and call for a vote on the emergency national security bill that has already passed the Senate with bipartisan support,” Bates said. Deaf,” he said.

The United States was the only permanent member of the Security Council to use its veto to reject the resolution proposed by Algeria. The other permanent member, the United Kingdom, abstained from voting.

The Biden administration has been involved in months of negotiations for a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to free hostages taken in the deadly Oct. 7 attack. Biden said this month that the U.S. was working to broker a deal that could lead to a deal. An agreement reached in November led to a one-week cessation of fighting and the release of more than 100 hostages, followed by a six-week cessation of fighting.

Additionally, the United States supports Israel’s advance into Rafah, but only if a plan is developed to protect the safety of civilians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the military to develop a plan to evacuate civilians before invading Rafah, which borders Egypt and is the only place where humanitarian aid continues to flow into Gaza. said.

The president and Prime Minister Netanyahu have become increasingly apart in public over the direction of the war, with Biden continuing to call on Israel to be mindful of civilian casualties and calling Israel’s response in Gaza “overreach.” ” is called.

And earlier this month, Netanyahu rejected a Hamas hostage deal proposal that would have secured the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for a pause in fighting and other tough conditions. The framework established called for the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza.