WASHINGTON, United States -- Joe Biden's Middle East diplomatic drive faltered before it got off the ground Tuesday after his trip to Jordan was canceled following a strike on a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of people.
US President Joe Biden boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, on October 17, 2023, enroute to Israel. Biden will visit Israel October 18 in a show of"ironclad" support as Washington tries to prevent the escalating war against Hamas in Gaza from spilling over into a wider Middle East conflict.
News of the hospital explosion -- for which Hamas blamed Israeli strikes, while Israel said it was caused by a rocket misfired by militants in Gaza -- then sparked frenzied speculation about whether he would actually travel. Shortly afterwards the White House confirmed Biden"will postpone his travel to Jordan," saying he took the decision"after consulting with King Abdullah II of Jordan and in light of the days of mourning announced by President Abbas."By that time the strike on the Ahli Arab hospital, in which Gaza officials said at least 200 people were killed, had already become a lightning rod for anger across the region.
"He's coming here at a critical moment for Israel, for the region and for the world," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said early Tuesday as he announced Biden's visit during his own marathon diplomatic drive.Blinken said the president wanted to show"ironclad" support for Israel after Hamas burst through its heavily fortified Gaza border on October 7, shooting, stabbing and burning to death more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians.
Biden has in recent days increased pressure on Israel to protect civilian lives from the air strikes and a siege that has left Gaza at risk of a humanitarian disaster.
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