Blinken pledges US support for Israel will never falter as he likens Hamas’ crimes to ISIS

(CNN) --- The United States will never falter from its support for Israel, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday, adding Hamas' "litany of brutality and inhumanity" evoked "the worst of ISIS."

"The message that I bring to Israel is this: you may be strong enough on your own to defend yourself, but as long as America exists, you will never, ever have to," Blinken said while speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv. "We will always be there by your side."

Although the top US diplomat did not explicitly speak of restraint, Blinken said he discussed with Netanyahu the importance of taking "every possible precaution to avoid harming civilians."

"No country can or would tolerate the slaughter of its citizens or simply return to the conditions that allowed it to take place. Israel has the right, indeed the obligation, to defend itself and to ensure that this never happens again," Blinken said. 

But he also reiterated that respect for civilian life is what distinguishes democracies from the likes of Hamas, saying, "As the Prime Minister and I discussed, how Israel does this matters."

Blinken also stressed that Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people. 

US assistance: The US is "supplying ammunition, interceptors to replenish Israel's Iron Dome, alongside other defense material," Blinken said, noting that the "first shipments of US military support have already arrived in Israel and more is on the way."

"As Israel's defense needs evolve, we will work with Congress to make sure that they're met. And I can tell you, there is overwhelming, overwhelming bipartisan support in our Congress for Israel's security," Blinken said.

Blinken echoed "the crystal clear warning" from President Joe Biden "to any adversary — state or non-state — thinking of taking advantage of the current crisis to attack Israel: Don't."

"We continue working closely with Israel to secure the release of the men, women, children, elderly people, taken hostage by Hamas. We're pursuing intensive diplomacy throughout the region to prevent the conflict from spreading, and I'll be doing that over the course of my trip in the coming days," said Blinken.

Blinken's trip is expected to continue beyond its original stops of Israel and Jordan, a State Department official said.

"No justification:" The US has been "adamant" with other nations about the need to unequivocally condemn Hamas' attacks, the top US diplomat said, cataloging the horrors committed by the terrorist group: "Babies slaughtered, bodies desecrated, young people burned alive, women raped, parents executed in front of their children, children in front of their parents."

"I understand on a personal level, the harrowing echoes that Hamas' massacres carry for Israeli Jews, indeed, for Jews everywhere," Blinken noted, describing his own identity as both a father and Jew.
"There is no excuse. There is no justification for these atrocities," he said. "This is — this must be — a moment for moral clarity."