Biden Starts Israel Trip With Major Gaffe

President Joe Biden kicked off his trip to Israel with a major gaffe Wednesday morning as he prepared to meet with Israeli leaders about the ongoing conflict with Hamas.

Biden arrived at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport to begin his trip to Israel following Hamas' attack. Biden, a longtime supporter of Israel, is meeting with Israeli leaders to discuss the attack that began October 7, when the militant group fired attacking by land, air and sea.

Israel subsequently launched its heaviest airstrikes against Gaza with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying his country was "at war" and cutting off supplies of food, fuel, electricity and medicine to Gaza. He has vowed to "demolish Hamas." Biden has voiced support for Israel amid the conflict, arguing they have the right to defend themselves and is considering aid for Israel, Reuters reported.

At least 1,400 people in Israel and 2,800 people in Gaza have been killed in the conflict, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday.

Biden delivered remarks upon arriving in Israel Wednesday morning, recounting his first visit to the country in 1973 when he met with former Prime Minister Golda Meir. However, during his speech, Biden made a crucial mistake, saying that he met Meir before the Six-Day War.

Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email.

"I remember the first time I was in Israel with Golda Meir. It was right before the Six-Day War," Biden said.

His 1973 visit to Israel came just before the Yom Kippur War—not the Six-Day War, which was fought between Israel and several other countries in the region in June of 1967. That was five years before Biden became a United States senator in 1972.

The gaffe was quickly noticed on social media. Biden's critics have sought to make his age an issue in the 2024 presidential election, arguing that he no longer has the mental capacity to serve as president, pointing to numerous gaffes he has made as president. His defenders, however, say he remains mentally fit to serve, arguing that his active role in matters such as the U.S. response to the Israel-Hamas war proves his competency.

"Joe Biden just said he was in Israel as a U.S. Senator right before the Six Day War. Another PROVABLE lie by our president. Joe, you became a Senator in 1973, and the Six Day War was in 1967. Why lie?" posted Representative Byron Donalds, a Florida Republican, wrote in a post to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

"I'm a Biden fan, but in Israel just now he said he met Golda Meir in 1967 during/after the Six Day War and Golda referred to him as 'Senator'...Biden wasn't elected senator till 1972," wrote @TedWilcox7. "He may be confusing it with the Yom Kippur War in 1973."

Biden has told the story of his meeting with Meir several times throughout his decades-long political career, including during a press conference following the Hamas attack. He has described the meeting as "one of the most consequential meetings" he ever had.

"She could tell, I guess, that I was concerned. She leaned over and whispered to me, 'Don't worry Senator Biden. We have a secret weapon here in Israel. My word is what she said, 'We have no place else to go,'" Biden said on October 10.

However, this was not the first time Biden has mistaken some of the details in the story. When telling it in 2021, Biden also incorrectly stated the visit came before the Six-Day War, according to a report from CNN.

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