White House: We ‘Hear’ Criticisms of Israel Policy, ‘That’s Why the President Has Called for a Six-Week Ceasefire’

On Friday’s edition of NBC’s “MTP Now,” Biden Senior Advisor and Assistant and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Tom Perez responded to critics who say the Biden administration’s policies are too pro-Israel by saying that the White House hears “the concerns of our friends in Michigan, in Illinois, and across the country. And that’s why the President has called for a six-week ceasefire.”

Host Kristen Welker asked, “What do you say, though, to these leaders and to these communities who say not enough is being done, that they want to see a permanent ceasefire — and I know that there are negotiations ongoing as we speak about trying to broker a potential temporary ceasefire — but they also say that the United States shouldn’t be supplying more arms or more aid to Israel unless it’s conditioned on a guarantee that Israel will do more to protect civilian lives?”

Perez answered, “Well, again, the President and the entire team has been working 24/7, Secretary Blinken and Jake Sullivan and others, day in and day out, we absolutely hear the concerns of our friends in Michigan, in Illinois, and across the country. And that’s why the President has called for a six-week ceasefire. That’s why he has spoken with [Prime Minister] Netanyahu, and that’s why we’ll continue to do this, because we recognize the fierce urgency of now.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett