President Joe Biden firmly scolded the Israeli government, warning them not to launch an assault on Haifa. But Haifa is a large city in Israel.
In an embarrassing gaffe on April 17, President Biden conflated Haifa, the Israeli port city, with Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
In an interview with Nexstar Media’s Reshad Hudson, the 81-year-old president was questioned about his strategy to regain support among pro-Palestinian voters after Israel’s war with Hamas. That was when his blunder happened.
Biden said he had been in contact with them and had repeatedly stressed the need to increase the shipments of food, water, and medical supplies to Gaza. He claimed he told the Israelis straight out not to move on Haifa. (Probably meaning to say Rafah)
According to reports, Fatah, the moderate Palestinian Authority governing party, acknowledged that Hamas steals humanitarian assistance and murders charity workers in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian Media Watch obtained the admission, which not only verifies what Israel has been reporting but also goes on to explain that Hamas has been murdering humanitarian workers directly while hiding amongst them.
Rafah has become the most populated in the Gaza Strip, housing over one million Palestinian refugees. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the Israeli Defense Forces would advance into the town regardless of the opposition.
Israel has made Rafah its top priority in its fight against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and for the freeing of captives held by the terrorist organization in the last several weeks. It is said that four out of the six surviving battalions of Hamas are based out of Rafah.
The third-largest city in Israel, Haifa, is located about 100 miles north of Rafah and is a popular tourist destination.
The error caused Biden to be criticized by many on social media.
In one of his comments, former United States Ambassador to Israel David Friedman jokingly said on X that he believes Israel should comply with Biden’s request that they not strike Haifa.
According to a February ABC News/Ipsos survey, the overwhelming majority of American citizens (86%) think that Joe Biden, the oldest-serving president in US history, should not serve another term.
