President Joe Biden said late Thursday night that the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday “did not help,” and urged all parties to move toward a ceasefire to end the war in Gaza.
Haniyeh was killed by a suspected hidden bomb at a Tehran guesthouse where he was attending the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Massoud Pezechkian. Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the attack, but it is widely believed to be behind it.
Asked whether he was worried Haniyeh’s death would make it harder to reach a ceasefire, Biden said he was “very worried,” adding that he had told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the day that “the basis for a ceasefire is there. He should move for one, and they should move now.”
In response to a follow-up question about whether Haniyeh’s death “ruined” the possibility of a ceasefire, Biden said: “It doesn’t help.”
Biden spoke in the presence of Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee to succeed him, who did not disagree with or contradict Biden’s comments about the terrorist leader’s death.
Haniyeh, a billionaire who died while personally responsible for the deaths of thousands, lived a life of luxury under the protection of the Qatari government and in close proximity to the country’s main US military base. He was one of the Hamas leaders who indirectly negotiated with Israel through Qatari, Egyptian and US intermediaries for the release of Israeli hostages taken in the October 7 terror attacks, in clear violation of international law.
The two sides reached an agreement in November for a temporary pause in fighting and Hamas released most of its prisoners – children, women and elderly – but the terror group broke the ceasefire and started fighting again.
Since then, Hamas has rejected any agreement that does not commit Israel to ending the war, a promise that would allow the terror group to survive, retain its weapons and return to power, guaranteeing Israel’s defeat and future attacks.
Desperate to reach a deal, the Biden administration dropped a key demand to link a ceasefire to the release of hostages, which Israel still agreed to despite protests from right-wing members of the Israeli cabinet.
In late May, Biden unveiled a plan that his administration acknowledged was “substantially identical to Hamas’ proposal,” but the terrorist group still rejected it. Biden himself blamed Hamas for the failure to reach an agreement.
Israel continued fighting, rescuing four hostages and recovering several more bodies, while killing senior Hamas figures, including Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif, whose death was confirmed earlier this week.
Asked by a reporter whether a prisoner swap would be an incentive to take more Americans hostage, Biden said, “I don’t support the idea of letting these people rot in prison just because other people might get caught.” He said the threat of abduction has existed “throughout history” and Americans have an obligation to follow government warnings about which countries they should not visit.
Harris hailed the prisoner exchange as a victory for “diplomacy.”
Joel B. Pollack is executive editor of Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday The show airs Sunday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. (4 to 7 p.m. ET) on SiriusXM Patriot. He is the author of “Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” which is available for preorder on Amazon. He also wrote,Trumpian virtue: The lessons and legacy of Donald Trump’s presidency” is available on Audible. He is the 2018 recipient of the Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter. Joel Pollack.
