Biden says he is a Zionist who has done ‘more for the Palestinian community than anybody’

In a new interview, US President Biden proclaimed that he is a ‘Zionist’ but claimed to have ‘done more for the Palestinian community than anybody’

United States President Joe Biden has asserted that he is a Zionist and has done “more for the Palestinian community than anybody” in a recent interview published on Monday – filmed before the attempted assassination of his main challenger in upcoming presidential elections, Donald Trump.

Speaking with Complex Networks’ Speedy Morman on 360 with Speedy, when asked if he was a Zionist, Biden responded “yes”, earlier adding, “You don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist”.

He defined the term as “whether or not Israel is a safe haven for Jews because of their history of how they’ve been persecuted.”.

Zionism is a movement which advocated for the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine before 1948 and since then has supported the continued existence of Israel. Radical Zionists also support Israel’s continued occupation of the West Bank and control over the Gaza Strip.

The 1948 creation of Israel led to the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their lands in an event known as the Nakba (catastrophe).

Biden has called himself a Zionist on many occasions and frequently reiterated his support for Israel, most notably during a visit to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in November 2023, where he tried to cast doubt on Palestinian casualty figures.

When asked about his “unwavering” support for Israel, Biden said if there was not an Israel state,” every Jew in the world would be at risk”, adding that there is a need for Israel to “be strong”.

Biden also cleared that “defensive” weapons were approved for Israel as opposed to “offensive” weapons when asked why the US had approved $26 billion in addition to wartime assistance to Israel last April.

“I made it real clear, they cannot use weapons that we provide them to, in fact, use on civilian areas,” Biden said.

The US has been Israel’s biggest arms supplier, providing $3.8 billion in military aid per year. In May, the Biden administration said Israel likely violated international humanitarian law with US weapons, but wartime conditions prevented the nation from determining that for sure in specific airstrikes.

Rights groups have pointed out over a dozen airstrikes where there was credible evidence of Israel violating the laws of war, including cases where aid convoys, medical workers, journalists, schools and refugee centres were targeted.

In the interview, however, Biden also claimed that no one has done more for the people of Palestine than him.

“By the way, I’m the guy who did more for the Palestinian community than anybody,” Biden said, saying he has been “very supportive of the Palestinians”.

“I’m the guy that opened up all the assets. I’m the guy that ensured that I got the Egyptians to open the border to let goods through, medicine and food,” he added, referring to getting humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

Biden also added that he is the one who has “been able to pull together the Arab states to agree to help the Palestinians with food and shelter”.

Egypt had agreed with the US to temporarily allow UN-provided humanitarian aid into Gaza after Israeli forces seized the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt after launching its Rafah offensive on 6 May.

However, a crippling Israeli siege has meant that much less food is entering the Gaza Strip than before October 7 and the territory is now on the verge of famine.

Biden launched a $320 million floating pier for a new maritime aid route to Gaza earlier this year but this initiative proved to be a failure, with almost no benefit to Palestinians.

Aid officials estimate that about 600 trucks of humanitarian and commercial supplies are needed in Gaza daily to meet the population’s needs.

Only 8,500 tonnes of aid had been delivered via Cyprus, according to a Cypriot source, which is equivalent to 425 aid trucks.

The pier was met with delays, including bad weather, security concerns and difficulties getting food to starving Palestinians. It was later removed, with plans abandoned for it to be reinstalled.

There have been calls for the 81-year-old president to step down from the upcoming US elections, amid increasing concerns about his cognitive performance and advanced age.

However, Biden said he is “1000 percent” running because he has to “finish the job”.

He also called on Arab and Muslim Americans to vote for him, saying this is the best way to achieve peace and ensure the implementation of a two-state solution.