On Wednesday, President Joe Biden recounted a story in which he claimed to have met with Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir just before the Six-Day War in 1967.
While addressing the media in Tel Aviv, shortly after his arrival in Israel, Biden said, “You know, I’ve often said, I remember the first time that I was in Israel with Golda Meir, just before the Six-Day War.”
During that visit, as they were taking a photo, he said he remembered the late prime minister commenting, “You look worried, senator.”
Biden said he responded that he was worried, considering their recent discussion about the potential outbreak of war.
Then he said he remembered Golda Meir saying in response, “Don’t worry, we Jews have a secret weapon in our fight. We have no place else to go.”
In December 2021, both CNN and Fox News highlighted the same story the president had shared, noting that the Six-Day War occurred in 1967, well before Biden became a senator and before Meir was the prime minister of Israel.
Biden was elected as a senator from Delaware in 1972, officially assuming office in January 1973. Meir assumed the role of prime minister in 1969.
In 1967, Biden was a student pursuing a law degree at Syracuse University.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) posted a response to Biden’s comments on social media, saying, “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?”
CNN reported that Biden visited Israel approximately five weeks before the Yom Kippur War erupted in October 1973.
In recounting the story in December 2021, Biden exaggerated the significance of his trip, claiming he served as a “liaison” between Israel and Egypt, as reported by the news outlet.
CNN stated, “There is no evidence that Meir had any intention of using him as any sort of ‘liaison.’”
Biden just revisited a story which he used to tell frequently about Golda Meir that was filled with inaccuracies. He seems to have cleaned up some of the most glaring falsehoods, but he should have let this sleeping dog lie. pic.twitter.com/LxtdC5J7aS
— David Asman (@DavidAsmanfox) October 10, 2023
In fact, records from the meeting taken by an Israeli official, Gideon Yarden, portrayed the 30-year-old Biden as deeply respectful of Meir but speaking in a manner that showed his “his age and diplomatic ‘experience.’”
Yarden enclosed the term “experience” in quotation marks, which implied a touch of sarcasm, as reported by CNN.
