Biden Defends Israel, Says No 'Significant Overreaction'

(Dreamstime)

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President Joe Biden on Thursday discussed the exchange of missiles and rockets between Israel and Palestine, saying he has not seen a "significant escalation" by Israel, a key U.S.  ally.

Biden made the comment during a press briefing at the White House when asked about the violence.

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The fight has included waves of rocket attacks from Gaza into Israeli civilian areas and Israeli airstrikes that have targeted militants but have killed civilians and children.

"One of the things that I have seen thus far is that there has not been a significant overreaction," Biden said according to the Daily Mail.

Biden was then asked if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was doing enough to curb the violence. Biden spoke to Netanyahu Wednesday.

Biden referenced his conversation with Netanyahu and said, "I have my intelligence community, the Defense Department, as well as the State Department. I've been in contact with all of their counterparts not only in Israel but in the region.

"And one of the things that I have seen thus far is that there has not been a significant overreaction," he added. "The question is how we get to a point — they get to a point —where there is a significant reduction in the attacks, particularly the rocket attacks that are indiscriminately fired into population centers," he said, alluding to militants' attacks from Palestinian-controlled Gaza.

Biden defended Israel, saying, "My expectation and hope is that this will be closing down sooner than later,'' he said. 'Israel has a right to defend itself when you have thousands of rockets flying into your territory."

But some Democrats disagree with Biden. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., who accused the U.S. of funding the violence, tweeted, "We cannot just condemn rockets fired by Hamas and ignore Israel's state-sanctioned police violence against Palestinians—including unlawful evictions, violent attacks on protestors & the murder of Palestinian children. U.S. aid should not be funding this violence."

The representative's comments come as Israel could be preparing for a ground invasion. On Thursday, Israel marshaled 9,000 reservists from the ranks to bolster its defenses. It then deployed troops to the Gaza border for a possible ground invasion.