Watch: Joe Biden heckled during speech on Israel
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Joe Biden defended his stance on Israel on Monday as a major campaign speech by the US president was disrupted by hecklers calling for a ceasefire.
Mr Biden, 81, said he had been “quietly” working with the Israeli government to reduce their military action and “get out of Gaza”.
His speech at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, had been billed by the president’s aides as his second major event to kick off his 2024 re-election bid.
But it was disrupted by protesters chanting “ceasefire now”. They were escorted from the venue as Mr Biden’s supporters tried to drown out the chants with shouts of “four more years”.
Mr Biden said: “I understand their passion and I’ve been quietly working with the Israeli government to get them to reduce and significantly get out of Gaza”.
The Democratic president is facing mounting pressure from his party’s Left flank over his position on the conflict as the Israeli bombardment of Gaza continues and the Palestinian death toll grows.
Mr Biden vowed to staunchly support Israel during its military operation against Hamas following the terror attacks of October 7 last year.
However, he has since repeatedly called on Jerusalem to avoid civilian casualties, warning recently that the Jewish state risked losing global support by “indiscriminate” bombing.
The Middle East conflict has exposed a fissure in the Democratic Party over its stance on Israel.
The divide largely runs along generational lines, with younger, more progressive Democratic officials and voters questioning US military support for Israel and criticising the plight of civilians in Gaza.
Mr Biden was addressing the congregation at the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Church, where nine black parishioners were shot to death by a white supremacist in 2015.
The president’s appearance in South Carolina came after he encouraged the Democratic National Committee to change the party’s presidential primary calendar to put it first.
The southern state’s large black voting base revived Mr Biden’s struggling campaign in 2020, and African American voters will be critical to his hopes of retaining the White House this November.
