(NewsNation) — The father of a fallen Israeli soldier read an open letter to President Joe Biden at his son’s funeral Sunday.
Dr. Yechiel Leiter, a former aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu whose son Maj. Moshe Yedidya died fighting Hamas, said American pressure on Israel “to not persist in the destruction of Hamas” is “an absence of moral clarity.”
While at his son’s grave, Leiter recited his letter to Biden, “There are rumors that you are putting pressure on Israel to hold off, to cease the offensive. If those rumors are true, I hope they’re not, but if they are true, Mr. President, I respectfully ask of you, here on my son’s grave, to cease and desist.”
Leiter’s son, 39-year-old Yedidya, died in a tunnel in Gaza. He was reportedly the company commander of the Israeli Brigade 551’s Battalion 697. Yedidya spent 15 years in the military before leaving to study medicine. He was scheduled to start his rounds on Oct. 8, but returned to his reserved duty position for Israel after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
“He actually led the division that began the Israeli offensive against Hamas,” Leiter told “On Balance” host Leland Vittert.
Like his son felt a need to fight, Leiter felt compelled to share his message with Biden.
“After they (Hamas) finish with Israel, they’re coming for you. They’re coming for Europe, and they’re coming for (who they think is) the great Satan — the United States — We’re (Israel) just a little Satan. So really our fight is your fight, and that’s the message that I send to the president,” Leiter told Vittert.
Leiter maintains Hamas cannot be trusted with negotiations.
“Sometimes you just have to destroy evil with military means,” Leiter said.
Leiter’s plea comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has ramped up calls for Israel to comply with international law and protect civilians if it begins major military operations in southern Gaza.