(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) President Joe Biden held a tense meeting with six Muslim-American leaders to discuss the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, NBC News reported Wednesday.
The Tuesday gathering soured when one attendee abruptly exited the room, following accusations that Biden falsely claimed to have seen images depicting the dire conditions of Palestinian children and women in Gaza.
The doctor who presented the photos to the president suggested they were printed from her iPhone, implying Biden couldn’t have accessed them prior.
“This speaks volumes to the dismissive nature of the administration when it comes to strong-willed action towards a permanent cease-fire or, at a bare minimum, a red line on the invasion of Rafah,” Dr. Nahreen H. Ahmed told NBC News.
Another attendee, Dr. Thaer Ahmad, departed the meeting early to protest what he perceived as inadequate concern for Palestinians in Gaza.
“The decision to leave was a personal one,” Ahmad explained to the outlet. He claimed that he sought to “to let the administration feel the way that we felt this past six months and kind of get up and walk away from them.”
A Palestinian-American doctor, Dr. Thaer Ahmad, walked out of the meeting with President Biden before it was over because “I wanted to let them know what it feels like for somebody to say something and then walk away from them and not hear them out, not hear their response.” pic.twitter.com/apqOTSxA4e
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) April 3, 2024
The gathering seemed to signal a desperate effort by the embattled president to address left-wing criticism over his support for Israel following the Hamas invasion on Oct. 7, which marked the deadliest day for Jewish individuals since World War II.
Despite initially backing Israel’s military campaign to rescue hostages abducted by Hamas that day, Biden and Harris have recently shifted their stance, now advocating for a cease-fire.
However, concerns have been raised that a cease-fire could pose risks for the women held hostage, as former hostage Mia Regev cautioned earlier this week. According to Regev, all the women in Hamas custody are being sexually abused daily.
“Every day, there is an emergency and every minute counts. What will the women do there? What will the rest of the captives do there?” Regev questioned, according to the Jerusalem Post.
