House

Republican labels Biden trip to Israel a ‘gutsy, bold move,’ but expresses reservations

by Sarah Fortinsky - 10/17/23 8:42 AM ET

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) on Monday called President Biden’s planned trip to Israel a “gutsy, bold move,” but he expressed reservations about the visit.

“I wish the president wasn’t going over there,” Burchett said in an interview on NewsNation’s “Cuomo.”

“I think it’s a gutsy, bold move, but I really wished he wasn’t going over there,” he continued, “Because, you know, my dad fought the Japanese in the Pacific, and he used to say, ‘Buddy, when somebody is willing to lose their life to take you out, there’s not a whole lot you can do sometimes.’”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday announced Biden would travel to Israel on Wednesday. He plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials in Tel Aviv.

They are expected to discuss issues ranging from the nearly 200 hostages held by Hamas, ways to provide humanitarian assistance and American citizens and others unable to leave Gaza.

Biden will then travel to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah II of Jordan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Abdullah on Tuesday said Jordan and Egypt will not accept Palestinian refugees. Some Republicans in Congress and GOP presidential candidates have also argued against the U.S. accepting refugees.

“This is a situation that has to be handled within Gaza and the West Bank,” Abdullah said in a meeting with the German chancellor, The Associated Press reported. “And you don’t have to carry this out on the shoulders of others.”

Biden’s historic trip comes more than a week after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel’s southern border, brutalizing its civilians and killing at least 1,400 people and taking hundreds hostage.

Israel has unleashed a barrage of airstrikes, killing more than 2,700 people in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Israel is expected to launch a ground invasion of Gaza and has warned citizens in the north of the strip to evacuate.

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