Biden embraces Zionist identity, highlights support for Palestinians

Shafaq News/ On Friday, US President Joe Biden said that he considers himself “a Zionist” who “has done more for the Palestinian community than anybody,” while calling for providing more aid to the Gaza Strip.

In a taped interview with Complex Networks’ Speedy Morman on “360 with Speedy,” Biden said he was “1,000%” committed to staying in the 2024 race”, despite concerns about his “mental fitness” after a poor debate performance last month.

The interview was filmed on Friday, just before the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, and published on Monday.

During the interview, Biden addressed the Gaza conflict after weeks of interviews mainly scrutinizing his age and ability to lead following his “shaky” CNN debate performance on June 27.

Asked whether he is a Zionist, Biden answered "yes," as he has consistently described himself as one, before and after October 7, adding, “You don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist, and a Zionist is about whether or not Israel is a safe haven for Jews because of their history of how they’ve been persecuted.”

“Now, you’ll be able to make a lot of that because different people don’t know what a Zionist is,” he confirmed.

Progressives in the Democratic Party urged Biden to publicly express more sympathy for Palestinians amid months of Israeli bombings in Gaza, where American-made munitions were used and tens of thousands have been killed.

In this context, Biden praised his efforts to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip, “I’m the guy that opened up all the assets. I’m the guy that made sure that – I got the Egyptians to open the border to let goods through, medicine and food,” emphasizing, “I have been very supportive of the Palestinians, but Hamas, they’re a bunch of thugs.”

Notably, Israel has killed over 38,000 Palestinians in Gaza, predominantly women and children, and injured 87,000 more, per Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. Much of the enclave is destroyed, displacing most of its 2.3 million residents. The conflict has sparked hunger and allegations of genocide, which Israel denies.

Before the attempt on Trump’s life, the 2024 race primarily focused on whether Biden could withstand serious questions from his party about his “mental fitness.”

Asked again if he was committed to staying on the ballot, Biden responded: “Unless I get hit by a train, yeah.”