Biden, Harris mark Oct 7 with call for Mideast peace
Biden condemned the Oct 7 attacks but also criticised the civilian death toll in Gaza, underscoring the tightrope that he and Democratic presidential hopeful Harris are treading on a conflict that could impact next month's US election.
In a short ceremony at the White House, the 81-year-old president and First Lady Jill Biden stood in silence as a rabbi chanted a prayer for the dead, before Biden lit a single candle in memory of those killed.
Biden lashed out at the "unspeakable brutality" of the Oct 7 attacks and said he and Harris were "fully committed" to Israel's security against Iran and its regional allies - Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
But he also described Oct 7 as a "dark day for the Palestinian people" and said he and Harris "will not stop working to achieve a ceasefire deal in Gaza".
Both Biden and Harris said in their separate statements that a "diplomatic solution" as Israel pounds Lebanon to tackle the Hezbollah militia was the "only path" to a wider peace.
Republican Donald Trump, Harris's rival in a tooth-and-nail election, was due to mark the anniversary at an event in New York.
His campaign blasted Biden and Harris over their handling of the Middle East, saying in a statement: "It's imperative that President Trump is re-elected so he can end the bloodshed."
GAZA PROTESTS
Trump was also to speak later in Miami to mark the anniversary of the surprise attacks by Hamas, in which 1,206 people were killed, most of them civilians, and 251 taken hostage.
More than 41,909 Palestinians, a majority of them civilians, have been killed in Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip since the war began, according to data provided by the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The United Nations has acknowledged these figures as reliable.
Protests against Israel's war in Gaza were expected in New York and several US cities. A man set his arm on fire Saturday at a protest outside the White House.
The anniversary also underlines Biden and Harris's apparent powerlessness to influence Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conduct as the Middle East threatens to slide into full-scale war.
Biden has urged Israel not to attack Iran's oil facilities, fearing it could push up oil prices, in turn hitting the US economy and harming Harris's election chances.
Over the last year, however, Netanyahu has repeatedly ignored Biden's calls for restraint.
Biden said last week that "whether he's (Netanyahu's) trying to influence the election, I don't know" but chided Netanyahu, saying he "should remember" Washington's strong support for Israel.
Last week Trump said he believes Israel should strike Iran's nuclear facilities after Biden advised against such an attack.