President Joe Biden (D) is reported to have had a tense conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the conversation, President Biden called for an “immediate ceasefire” in the war between Israel and Hamas. The president notified Prime Minister Netanyahu that the United States’ policy on Gaza would shift unless Israel implements a series of steps to ensure a ceasefire. Responding to the demand, Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R) denounced a potential ceasefire with Hamas, arguing that “you don’t get peace by surrendering.”
According to the White House, President Biden “made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of the aid workers.”
The president’s approach to the war has not been viewed favorably by his base, and as the president attempts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Republicans are denouncing the idea of a ceasefire.
Rep. Crenshaw dismissed the call on social media, attributing it to “know-nothing activists – who think a transgender flag and Hamas flag go well together – have unfortunately infiltrated Biden’s thinking.”
In a statement, he questioned the idea of calling for a ceasefire, asking “you want Israel to stop fighting against an enemy that has no intention of ever stopping. You know when there was a ceasefire? October 6th. You know what happened on October 7th? The biggest massacre of Israelis in recent history. The rape of countless women. The burning of infants. The ruthless killing of civilians.”
The Texas Republican shared that the same line of thinking that calls for a ceasefire is the same line of thinking that led to the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
In contrast, Rep. Crenshaw issued a different demand.
“Hamas must surrender totally and completely and allow a transition of power. Hamas can ever have power again,” he demanded.
“If you care about Palestinian lives, that is what must happen."
