Biden says Democrats who believe Israel is an ‘apartheid state’ are ‘wrong’: ‘Israel is a democracy’

President Biden called out members of his own party who believe that Israel is an “apartheid state.” 

During an interview with N12 News Israel, Biden was asked to respond to “voices” within the Democratic Party who believe “Israel is an apartheid state” and call for an end of “unconditional aid” to Israel.

Biden said that the “few” voices within the Democratic Party who refer to Israel as an apartheid state are “wrong.”

“There are a few of them. I think they’re wrong. I think they’re making a mistake. Israel is a democracy. Israel is our ally. Israel is a friend,” Biden said. 

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Biden added that his administration has provided over $4 billion in Iron dome funding, which was passed by Congress.

“And I think that I make no apologies. We’ve provided for my administration $4 billion plus of a billion for Iron Dome. And we’re working on a laser project to be able to replace Iron Dome. It’s overwhelming our interests that Israel be stable,” Biden said.

Biden also said there’s “no possibility” of the Republican or Democratic Party walking away from Israel.

“There’s no possibility, I think, of the Democratic Party or even a significant portion of the Republican Party walking away from Israel,” Biden added.

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Members of the left-wing “Squad” have referred to Israel as an “apartheid” state in the past, drawing scrutiny from both sides of the political aisle.

In a May 16 press release, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., said that the “Israeli apartheid” government is engaged in “ethnic cleansing.” 

During an increase of violence in May 2021 in the Israeli-Palestine conflict, Reps. Rashida Talib, Cori Bush, D-Mich, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. tweeted “Apartheid states aren’t democracies.”

Members of the left-wing “Squad” threatened to oppose funding to Israel’s Iron Dome in Sept. 2021, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., while initially voting against the funding, changed her vote to “present” at the last minute. She was later seen crying and wrote a three-page letter to her constituents, which explained the vote.

 

“Yes, I wept,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. “I wept at the complete lack of care for the human beings that are impacted by these decisions, I wept at an institution choosing a path of maximum volatility and minimum consideration for its own political convenience.” 

Fox News’ Brie Stimson contributed to this report.