US president’s remarks to Time magazine about PM’s role in conflict draw heavily critical response from Israeli government

Joe Biden has said that there is “every reason” to draw the conclusion that Benjamin Netanyahu is prolonging the war in Gaza for his own political self-preservation.

Biden made the remarks about the Israeli prime minister in an interview with Time magazine published on Tuesday morning, drawing a sharp response from the Israeli government, which accused the US president of straying from diplomatic norms.

Netanyahu’s popularity plummeted after the 7 October attack by Hamas, which exposed serious flaws in Israeli security. Most political observers say Netanyahu would lose elections if they were held now, and would be forced into opposition, facing court hearings on corruption charges. But elections have been put off until the war is over, or at least until major military operations are deemed to have been completed.

Time asked Biden whether he believed Netanyahu was “prolonging the war for his own political self-preservation”.

“I’m not going to comment on that,” the president said in response, but added: “There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion.”

  • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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    25 days ago

    Later on Tuesday, Biden appeared to tone down his criticism of Netanyahu. Asked whether Netanyahu was “playing politics with the war”, Biden said: “I don’t think so. He’s trying to work out a serious problem he has.”

    Every time he starts to give something halfway close to a good response to something insane happening in Gaza, he walks it back within days.

    • katy ✨@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      24 days ago

      almost as if he’s a world leader and doesn’t want to get into an international crisis with a nuclear power who is bombing palestine. who’d have thought that he was actually smarter at geopolitics than some random person on social media.

      • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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        24 days ago

        Oh hi again. Look up “Render Safe” in Military usage. It’s also a general EOD term but buried in there, (the military doesn’t like to advertise it but it’s existence isn’t classified), is a mission to track, and destroy or capture the entire nuclear arsenal of a target country. If Israel decides to play fuck fuck games the US military is ready and willing to give them the Find Out portion.