Search

‘I won’t stop until every hostage is returned,’ Biden vows at WH Hanukkah party

‘I am a Zionist,’ declares President Joe Biden at his last White House Hanukkah party, as he pledges to continue working to secure the release of the remaining Israeli captives.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

President Joe Biden hosted the final White House Hanukkah party of his presidency Monday night alongside Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.

During his address to the hundreds of attendees, Biden called himself a Zionist, echoing similar comments he has made in the past.

“And I am a Zionist,” the president said.

Turning to the ongoing hostage situation in the Gaza Strip, where roughly 100 Israeli captives have been held by terrorists for over 14 months since the October 7, 2023, invasion, Biden took credit for the release of 105 captives in the November 2023 hostage deal between Israel and Hamas,and pledged to continue to push for the release of the remaining captives for as long as he remains in office.

“I’ve gotten over 100 hostages out. I will not stop until I get every single one of them home,” he said.

“I’ve said many times before, my commitment to the safety of the Jewish people and security of Israel and its right to exist as an independent nation state remains ironclad.”

Read  'Refreshing' - Israeli minister hails Trump's ultimatum to Hamas

A total of 100 Israelis remain held in the Gaza Strip, of whom 96 were taken captive on October 7, 2023, while four others were already held by Hamas prior to 2023, including the remains of two fallen IDF soldiers seized by Gaza terrorists in 2014.

Emhoff, who was tapped by the administration to oversee efforts to curb antisemitism in the United States, said he was “rededicating” himself to the role during the last month of the Biden White House.

“Tonight, I am rededicating myself to fighting antisemitism and hatred of all kinds,” Emhoff said.

“Even as we saw antisemitism continue to grow and rise in our country and around the world, I walked around with my head held high, my shoulders and chest back, so proud to be a Jew.

“And everywhere I went, I encouraged our community to do the same, not to cower and not to live in fear ever. And in spite of this scourge of antisemitism, we came together.”