Biden responds to third-grader in letter, pledging support for Israel

US President Joe Biden responded in early July to 9-year-old Ethan Rosenthal’s letter asking the president to support Israel, N12 reported Tuesday. Ethan received the letter on Monday when he arrived back to school.

Third-grader Rosenthal, from Houston, Texas, was given the assignment in class to write a letter to whoever he wanted, so Ethan chose the US president. Ethan felt very connected to Israel, so he wrote to the president to ensure Israel had his support.

“The people of Israel lived through a moment of pure evil on October 7, when more than 1,300 civilians, including Americans, were murdered by the terrorist organization Hamas,” the letter from Biden began. 

“The reports of atrocities are seared on our souls: Parents killed while trying to protect their children. Young people massacred while attending a music festival. Entire families slain. And so many more innocents, wounded or taken hostage,” the letter continued. 

Biden then added that not only was Hamas’s attack “painful,” but it was also “personal” for many in the United States and that it resurfaced “horrible memories left by millennia of antisemitism and genocide.”

“And it was the deadliest day for Jews since the holocaust– One of the worst chapters in human history that reminded us all that silence is complicity. I want you to know: I will not be silent,” Biden continued. 

“The United States stands with Israel. We will continue to ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against terrorism and, in accordance with international humanitarian law,” Biden stated. 

He then said that he would use all his resources to release all the hostages held by Hamas. 

Biden's comments on Palestinian civilians in Gaza

Biden then committed to securing the safety of Palestinian civilians in Gaza while also committing to continuing to provide them with humanitarian aid. He committed to pursuing a two-state solution so that “the Israeli and the Palestinian people can both enjoy equal measures of security and dignity.”

He also stated that he wants to ensure this conflict does not spread to the rest of the Middle East. 

The letter’s concluding paragraph discussed antisemitism and Islamophobia in the United States, which Biden committed to combatting. “Here at home, I have directed my team to identify, prevent, and disrupt any domestic threats that could emerge against Jewish, Muslim, Arab, or any other communities,” he stated. “There is no place for hate in our world. Not against Jews. Not against Muslims. Not against anybody.”

“We will continue to reject terrorism and its incriminate evil, just as we have always done. That is what America stands for,” the letter concluded.

Hagit Pariente told N12 News that when Ethan received the letter, "Ethan was excited and ran to me. He said, 'I got a letter from the White House! The President of the United States promised that he would help Israel and the Jewish people.'" 

Pariente told N12 that when she read the letter and the detailed account of Hamas' actions, it made her feel that the White House supports Israel. "I see this as a declaration of support, showing that they stand with us and acknowledge what happened," said Pariente