President Joe Biden on Monday convened a call with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom — which with the U.S. compose the so-called Quint — and afterward Biden, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Georgia Meloni and Rishi Sunak were signatories to a joint statement, made available to the media late Monday on White House letterhead, expressing “steadfast and united support to the State of Israel.”
The joint letter unequivocally condemned terrorism in general and the extremist organization Hamas in specific, saying that Hamas fails to represent the aspirations of the Palestinian people.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in vowing a siege of Hamas-ruled Gaza, has suggested that Israel’s retaliation for the stunning weekend attack would “reverberate with them for generations” and that Hamas, and its capacity for governance, would be destroyed.
Biden over the weekend decried the Hamas attack as “unconscionable” and said that Israel “has the right to defend itself and its people, full stop.”
Following is the text of that joint statement:
Today, we — President Macron of France, Chancellor Scholz of Germany, Prime Minister Meloni of Italy, Prime Minister Sunak of the United Kingdom, and President Biden of the United States — express our steadfast and united support to the State of Israel, and our unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and its appalling acts of terrorism.
We make clear that the terrorist actions of Hamas have no justification, no legitimacy, and must be universally condemned. There is never any justification for terrorism. In recent days, the world has watched in horror as Hamas terrorists massacred families in their homes, slaughtered over 200 young people enjoying a music festival, and kidnapped elderly women, children, and entire families, who are now being held as hostages.
Our countries will support Israel in its efforts to defend itself and its people against such atrocities. We further emphasize that this is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage.
All of us recognize the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, and support equal measures of justice and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike. But make no mistake: Hamas does not represent those aspirations, and it offers nothing for the Palestinian people other than more terror and bloodshed.
Over the coming days, we will remain united and coordinated, together as allies, and as common friends of Israel, to ensure Israel is able to defend itself, and to ultimately set the conditions for a peaceful and integrated Middle East region.
Read on: China issues stronger condemnation of Hamas strike vs. Israel after Schumer expression of disappointment
Read the full article here
