President Biden made a significant blunder in a recent interview, confusing the Israeli port city of Haifa with Rafah, the last refuge for civilians in the Gaza Strip.
The 81-year-old president’s error occurred during a discussion about his strategy to regain support from pro-Palestinian voters following Israel’s conflict with Hamas.
During the interview with Nexstar, Biden said: “I’ve been meeting with them, number one. Number two, I made it clear that we have to vastly increase the amount of food, water, healthcare going into Gaza.
“And I made it clear to Israelis – don’t move on Haifa,” he added, intending to reference Rafah.
Rafah has been a focal point for Israeli efforts to free hostages held by Hamas and reduce the presence of the terror group in Gaza. It is currently home to more than one million Palestinian refugees and believed to house four of Hamas’s remaining six battalions, making it a critical area of interest for Israel.
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However, Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city and a renowned tourist destination, is located over 100 miles north of Rafah, making it a geographically distinct location.
Biden’s confusion between these two locations drew attention on social media, with some interpreting it as a sign of cognitive decline.
“I think Israel should accommodate Biden’s demand not to attack Haifa,” former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman tweeted on X.
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“Think there’s strong likelihood Israel refrains from hitting Haifa,” former New York state Assemblyman Dov Hikind also wrote on X, before adding that the error was “seriously embarrassing”.
This is not the first time Biden’s cognitive abilities have been brought into question, most recently appearing “dazed and confused” as he welcomed the Japanese Prime Minister to the White House this April.
However, the White House has repeatedly refuted claims of the president’s cognitive decline, emphasizing that Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history, does not require a cognitive test.
