Biden Shakes Hands, Hugs Woman After White House Said He’d ‘Minimize Contact’ in Israel

President Joe Biden shook hands with multiple officials and hugged a woman in Israel on July 13, hours after the White House said he’d seek to “minimize contact” with others because of COVID-19 concerns.

Biden shook hands with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz while touring the Iron Dome defense system near Tel Aviv.

He also shook hands with former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Later in the day, Biden hugged Holocaust survivor Giselle Cycowicz and kissed Rena Quint, another survivor, while visiting the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem.

He also spoke to the women while crouching in front of them.

Biden did not wear a mask on Wednesday, nor did Israeli officials or others.

“Did you see the president hug me?” Quint asked. “He asked permission to kiss me and he kept on holding my hand and we were told not to touch him.”

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters en route to Israel that the White House was “looking to increase masking, reduce contact, to minimize spread.”

“How exactly that plays out in any given interaction is something that we will see unfold,” he added, responding to a query about Biden reportedly planning not to shake hands on his Middle East trip.

U.S. President Joe Biden embraces Holocaust survivor Giselle Cycowicz during a ceremony at the Hall of Remembrance of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem, on July 13, 2022. (Debbie Hill/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli media reported this week that the White House had told Lapid’s office that Biden would refrain from shaking hands during the visit due to the surge in COVID-19 infections in the United States and Israel.

Before Biden travels abroad, White House officials work with host nations to coordinate COVID-19 protocols, including testing for anyone expected to come in close contact with Biden.

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