© Provided by Washington Examiner President Joe Biden told reporters Wednesday that he has spoken directly to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the escalating violence in his country and Gaza.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted earlier in the day that he spoke with Netanyahu about the airstrikes and rocket attacks carried out by both Israeli forces and Hamas in recent days, but the president had yet to speak publicly on the situation.
"My national security staff and defense staff have been in constant contact with their counterparts in the Middle East - not just with the Israelis, but also everyone from the Egyptians to the Saudis to the Emiratis," the president said following a speech at the White House.
"I had a conversation with Bibi Netanyahu not too long ago," Biden said. "I'll be putting out a statement very shortly on that, but my expectation and hope is that this will be closing down sooner than later, and Israel has the right to protect itself when they have thousands of rockets flying into your territory."
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Biden reiterated that he hopes "we'll see this coming to a conclusion sooner than later."
This is a developing story and will be updated with more information as it becomes available.
Tags: News, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Palestine
Original Author: Christian Datoc
Original Location: Biden spoke to Netanyahu about violence, hopes for a conclusion 'sooner than later'