President Joe Biden told lawmakers on the House floor Thursday night that he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “You and I are going to have a Come to Jesus rally.”
The phrase “come to Jesus” refers to a conflict in which one person demands the other to change his or her behavior.
This is not a particularly religious term, but the idea of telling the elected leader of the world’s only Jewish state to “come to Jesus” suggests a level of gross insensitivity. and may be considered anti-Semitic in some circumstances.
The conversation took place as Biden greeted Democrats and supporters after his State of the Union address.
Mr. Biden was meeting with Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg were also nearby. Apparently he was unaware that he was being recorded by a “hot mic”.
Biden despised Prime Minister Netanyahu after the November 2022 election and until Israel and Saudi Arabia moved closer to a peace deal in early fall 2023. Biden visited Israel after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas and has supported Israel by approving arms sales during Israel’s war. fighting Hamas in Gaza (and Hezbollah in Lebanon);
But Biden has become increasingly critical of Israel in public, pressuring Israel to make concessions, particularly on the idea of a Palestinian state. Israel argues that granting such a state now would reward Hamas’s terrorism.
When asked about this remark, Mr. Biden did not deny it, but claimed Reporters were reportedly eavesdropping on him.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. He is the author of the recent book, The Zionist Conspiracy (And How to Participate in It), now available on Audible. He is also the author of an e-book. Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 US Presidential Election. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
