During a highly contentious moment during the Thursday, April 4, White House Press Conference, Fox News Channel White House correspondent Peter Doocy pressed White House spokesman John Kirby about the Biden Administration’s stance on Israel, asking if its support of the tiny nation is decreasing. Kirby denied that such was the case.
As background, Doocy’s question on the matter came after President Joe Biden had a heated phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, one that came after seven aid workers were killed by Israeli drone strikes. During the phone call, President Biden allegedly demanded Israel change its manner of warfighting so that it decreases the number of civilians killed in the fighting.
Doocy, asking about the situation after the phone call, brought up Biden’s past statements on the matter and questioned whether his previous support for Israel is flagging as the war drags on and casualties ratchet up. He asked, “On October 7, President Biden said, ‘My support for Israel is rock solid and unwavering.’ That is not true anymore, correct?”
Kirby, firing back, said, “No, It is true.” Doocy then questioned how that could be the case if the Biden Administration is considering changing its Israel policies as the war drags on and on, asking, “How is his support unwavering, but you’re also reconsidering policy choices?” Kirby, annoyed, told him, “Both can be true.”
Doocy again questioned how that could be the case, as the two seem mutually exclusive to him. He said, “They cannot be true! They’re completely different things. He is wavering. How is he not wavering?” Kiby, getting annoyed, didn’t answer the question at first and instead just addressed Doocy correctly, saying, “No, no. I’m sorry. Ah, come on Peter. Come on. Come on now.”
Then, building on that and describing what the Biden Administration’s stance on the matter is, told him, “As I said, and as it said in that readout, we made clear, and he made it clear to the prime minister, that our support for Israel’s self-defense remains ironclad. They face a range of threats and the United States isn’t going to walk away from helping Israel defend itself.”
Arguing that President Biden can both call for change while remaining steadfastly in Israel’s corner, Kirby told Doocy, “That said, you can say all that, and you can act on that, and you can believe that — and the president does — and still believe that the manner in which they’re defending themselves against the Hamas threat needs to change. And that is the conversation that we had today. But both things are true. Our support is ironclad and consistent. It’s not gonna stop, it’s not gonna…waiver. Will there perhaps be some policy changes we might have to make if we don’t see policy changes out of Israel? Yes.”
Doocy again questioned that stance, asking, “How is it unwavering? It sounds like you guys are trying to have it both ways here.” Kirby, getting short with Doocy, said, “No.” Doocy, paraphrasing the administration’s stance, said, “’We support Israel, but we’re going to make all these changes cause we don’t support Israel.’” Kirby again rejected that framing, saying, “I didn’t say we were gonna make changes. I said we have to see how Israel responds.”
Watch their contentious back and forth here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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