From the Liveblog of
Saturday, October 7, 2023
Senior White House official: US ready to offer ‘all means of support’ to Israel
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
A senior Biden administration official says on a call with reporters that the US “will treat Hamas for what they are. They are an international terrorist organization.”
Washington’s focus is currently on “ensuring that the Israelis have what they need to respond appropriately,” says the official.
The White House official says the US is ready “to offer all appropriate means of support to the people and government of Israel.”
“Israel has a right to defend itself and its people. Full stop.”
“We remain deeply aligned,” said the official, adding that Israel’s response is likely to continue “for some time.
The official says that that US will continue to “work with parties throughout the region” to make sure the fighting doesn’t spread from Gaza.
The official also speaks about the potential of a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, saying that it is “premature to say the impact” that the war will have on those efforts.
“That process has a ways to travel,” says the official, adding that “terrorist groups like Hamas will not derail any such outcome.”
