Latest reports coming out of various media outlets suggest President Joe Biden turned down Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s invitation for a Solidarity visit following Hamas’ attack on the Jewish nation.
According to The Times of Israel, White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson confirmed the news, saying that the White House had no new travel plans to announce.
Biden’s rejection comes after Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and other members of a congressional delegation were forced to take cover in an Israeli bomb shelter on Sunday.
Schumer and his delegation were visiting Israel’s capital Tel Aviv when Hamas fired rockets into Israel on Sunday.
While in Tel Aviv today, our delegation was rushed to a shelter to wait out rockets sent by Hamas. It shows you what Israelis have to go through. We must provide Israel with the support required to defend itself. pic.twitter.com/wS3kq6xFVJ
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) October 15, 2023
“While in Tel Aviv today, our delegation was rushed to a shelter to wait out rockets sent by Hamas,” Schumer wrote on X. “It shows you what Israelis have to go through. We must provide Israel with the support required to defend itself.”
Schumer shared another post revealing that the delegation met with families that were affected by Hamas’ deadly attack that has seen over a thousand innocent civilians —including 30 Americans— dead.
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— Blue (@kvnqle) October 15, 2023
Schumer’s delegation was made up of a bipartisan group of senators, including Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) , Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA). The delegation traveled to Israel and met with Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.
Herzog shared news of the visit in an X post while adding that the senators came to stand with Israel.
This morning I welcomed a bipartisan solidarity delegation of US Senators led by Senate Majority Leader @SenSchumer, along with @SenatorRomney, @SenMarkKelly, @SenJackyRosen, @BillCassidy. They came to stand with the people of Israel and to make clear that when it comes to the… pic.twitter.com/MHScbKng30
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) October 15, 2023
“They came to stand with the people of Israel and to make clear that when it comes to the war against Hamas and Islamic Jihad – we are all on the same side of the aisle,” Herzog wrote on X. “We stand together in the unequivocal demand that Hamas immediately and unconditionally release the hostages – some of whom are also American citizens. I thanked the senators for their firm support for the State of Israel while we work to defend our people.”
