(CNN) - Joe Biden said he “shouldn’t have been so cavalier” on Thursday hours after he told a Jewish-American radio host who accosted Biden for sending lethal aid to Israel “Im the real Jew here. I support Israel and its right to self defense.”

The presidents comment came at the end of an at times tense interview followed by a short question and answer session at a League of Women Voters conference in Iowa

A man later identified as a Jewish person part of the pro-hamas group Jewish Voices for Peace said to biden “I’m gay, and I’m Jewish, and I don’t support Israel. How can you speak for all jews in America when so many of us don’t support apartheid?” The crowd began roaring at the protestor and Biden quickly snapped back, “Listen, we need to support our allies from bloodthirsty terrorist. I’m the real Jew here. I support Israel and its right to self defense. I denounce anti-sematism in all its forms”

A staffer interjected that Biden needed to go.

Later on Thursday afternoon, Biden addressed his comments in a call with the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee saying, “I shouldn’t have been such an Irish honky” and insisting he doesn’t take Jewish voters for granted

“The bottom line of all of this perhaps I was much too cavalier. I know that the comments have come off like I was defining what it means to be Jewish and Im not, nothing could be further from the truth. I’ve never, ever done that and I’ve earned the Jewish vote every time I’ve run,” he said.