'Don't move on Haifa': Biden confuses Israeli city with Rafah
United States President Joe Biden on Tuesday confused the Israeli port city of Haifa with Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, in a startling gaffe. This mistake occurred while discussing his strategy to regain support from pro-Palestinian voters following Israel's actions against Hamas in Gaza. "And I made it clear to Israelis - don't move on Haifa," he said, apparently meaning to say Rafah.
Why does this story matter?
In the past few weeks, Rafah has become the center of Israel's efforts to free hostages held by Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that "no force in the world" will stop the Israeli Defense Forces from advancing into Rafah. The city has become the most populated in the Gaza Strip since the war started last October, housing more than a million Palestinian refugees. Four of the remaining six Hamas battalions are believed to operate out of Rafah.
Israel's plans to strike Rafah have caused concern
Israel's plans to strike Rafah have caused concern among its allies, including the US. Egypt, a strategic partner of Israel's, has also said that any attempt to drive Palestinians into Egypt would jeopardize its four-decade-old peace deal with Israel. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi previously warned that any attack on Rafah would result in an unprecedented flow of refugees to Egypt's Sinai region, which shares a border with Rafah.
Haifa located almost 100 miles north of Rafah
Coming back to the gaffe, Haifa, Israel's third-largest city and a major tourist destination, is located almost 100 miles north of Rafah. Numerous social media users criticized Biden for the error. "I think Israel should accommodate Biden's demand not to attack Haifa," former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman wrote on X. "Think there's a strong likelihood Israel refrains from hitting Haifa," former New York state Representative Dov Hikind also tweeted.
Check out the video of Biden here
Biden's stream of recent gaffes
Since taking office in 2021, Biden has delivered a stream of gaffes that his opponents call "senior moments." In February, during a press conference Biden appeared to forget the word Hamas. Earlier, he has mixed up French President Emmanuel Macron with former President Francois Mitterrand, called Donald Trump the "sitting president," and confused Representative Deborah Ross' whereabouts. Biden is already the oldest president in office, and if re-elected, he would leave office at 86.
