What should be the natural response of a nation if its ally suffers an extreme and devastating surprise invasion? Joe Biden had the opportunity to provide an answer to that question this weekend — and it wasn’t the right one.
On Saturday, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on the 50th anniversary of the 1973 October War. The surprise invasion, preluded by a series of deadly airstrikes and closely followed by droves of terrorists crossing the border to kidnap women and children and execute unarmed men, resulted in a tragedy of devastating proportions. (READ MORE: Israel’s 9-11: What Now?)
The videos that have flooded social media since the attack show Hamas militants forcing women and young girls into truck beds and onto motorcycles while taking them hostage. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his people just hours later, “We are at war and will win.”
The U.S. State Department had to delete tweets posted immediately after the initial incursion urging “all sides to refrain from violence and retaliatory attacks.” Since then, Biden’s administration has sought to assure Israel that the United States will provide an “ironclad” defense of the country, and the president has since been on two phone calls with Netanyahu and already promised military aid and support.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Sunday that the United States would respond to the horrific attack on its ally by directing the USS Gerald R. Ford strike group to the eastern Mediterranean. The U.S. has also promised to provide the Israel Defense Forces with munitions and equipment. “The first security assistance will begin moving today and arriving in the coming days,” Austin said.
Meanwhile, Biden apparently decided it was a good time to have a party. On Sunday, Sen. Josh Hawley posted a screenshot of a White House press pool report with the caption: “While Hamas holds Americans hostage, Joe Biden is enjoying a picnic with a live band.”
While Hamas holds Americans hostage, Joe Biden is enjoying a picnic with a live band pic.twitter.com/0xqRDwyuoR
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) October 8, 2023
The included report reads: “In the late afternoon and early evening, a live band could be heard coming from the area around the Rose Garden…. The President and First Lady are hosting a BBQ for White House Executive Residence staff and their families. (READ MORE: Is Ally Support for Israel Firm?)
Former Republican congressman from Virginia, Scott Taylor, also criticized the president’s decision: “Given recent events, and certainly with the news of many Americans being held hostage in Gaza, I think I would have canceled the White House BBQ with the live band.” (RELATED: There Is No ‘Moral Equivalence’ Now)
The president has since called a “lid” for the day, meaning that he will not appear publicly after 12 p.m. on Monday and will not release any official statements — despite the ongoing crisis in Israel, which has included Hamas terrorists threatening to publicly execute Israeli citizens every time Israel bombs the Gaza strip. “We announce that every targeting of our people who are safe in their homes without warning, we will regretfully meet with the execution of our enemy’s civilian hostages,” Abu Obeida, spokesman of the Qassam Brigades, said in an audio statement on Monday.
Partying in the midst of tragedy hardly sends the right message.