WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden spoke Saturday with the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority as the U.S. ramps up its efforts to calm tensions in the region after an air strike targeting media offices.
Biden told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to share his “grave concern” about ongoing violence across Israel, the White House said in a readout. He reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself against “Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza.”
Speaking with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for the first time since taking office in January, Biden “underscored his strong commitment to a negotiated two-state solution” to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He stressed the need for Hamas to cease firing rockets into Israel, the White House said.
The conversations followed an Israeli air strike on Saturday that targeted and destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza City that housed the offices of the Associated Press and other media outlets as well as residential apartments.
Biden “raised concerns about the safety and security of journalists and reinforced the need to ensure their protection,” the White House said. He also noted the loss of civilian lives, including children, in the current conflict.
Hours later, Israel bombed the home of Khalil al-Hayeh, a top leader of Gaza’s ruling militant Hamas group, the AP reported, as weeks of tension continue to flare.
Abbas said he’d urged Biden to intervene to stop the Israeli strikes, and said the Palestinians were ready to work with the Middle East Quartet, which is composed of envoys from the EU, Russia, the U.S. and the United Nations.
Netanyahu said in a statement about call with Biden that Israel “is doing all it can to avoid harming those who are uninvolved.”
The Vienna-based International Press Institute called Saturday’s strike on the media building “completely unacceptable, even during an armed conflict.”
“There is no doubt that Israeli forces were aware that the media offices would be destroyed,” said John Daniszewski, chairman of IPI’s North American Committee and IPI special representative for journalist safety.
Separately, a dozen Jewish members of Congress wrote to Biden on Friday condemning the ongoing violence and urging the U.S. to address Israel’s “deepening occupation” in East Jerusalem.
Concern also mounted in Europe, where a top EU official was reported to be “in intense efforts” to find a way to de-escalate the current conflict.
Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has both condemned Hamas’ “indiscriminate” firing of rockets into Israel and stressed that Israel “must act proportionately.”
The United Nations Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting on the conflict for Sunday morning.
