From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Biden warns Israel against making the same mistakes US made after 9/11
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US President Joe Biden says the October 7 Hamas onslaught in which over 1,300 people were killed is equivalent in scale to fifteen 9/11 attacks.
However, he warns Israel against making the same mistakes that the US made after 9/11 when many Americans were consumed with rage over what had happened.
“Justice must be done,” he says. “But I caution this: While you feel that rage, don’t be consumed by it. After 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. While we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes. I’m the first US president to visit Israel in time of war. I’ve made wartime decisions. I know that choices are never clear or easy for leadership. There’s always cost. But it requires being deliberate, it requires asking very hard questions. It requires clarity about the objectives and an honest assessment about whether the path you’re on will achieve those objectives.”
