Biden says Netanyahu ‘hurting Israel more than helping’

President Biden on Saturday stressed that he had no intention of abandoning his support for Israel, but said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “hurting Israel more than helping it” in his response to the war with Hamas. .

“What’s happening now is that he has a right to defend Israel and a right to continue pursuing Hamas,” Biden told MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart. “But he must be more mindful of the innocent lives lost as a result of the actions taken.

“In my view, he’s hurting Israel more than helping it.” […] It goes against what Israel stands for. I think that’s a big mistake,” Biden added.

The comments highlighted tensions between the United States and Israel, which are conducting a military operation against Hamas following the Oct. 7 terrorist attack that killed more than 1,000 Israelis. The ensuing shelling and fighting in Gaza left thousands of Palestinians dead, prompting calls from progressives for the United States to cut off aid to Israel or attach conditions to it.

In an interview on Saturday, Biden stressed that he had no intention of cutting aid to Israel and acknowledged the frustration of Americans who have protested his handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“The defense of Israel remains critical, and there is no red line that must be crossed. We will cut off all weapons so that there will be no iron dome to protect Israel,” Biden said, adding that more than 30,000 people He added that he had concerns about weapons. The Palestinians who died, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

For months, the president has simultaneously called on Israel to do more to protect civilians and allow aid to cross the border into Gaza. The United States has begun airdrops into Gaza in recent days to deliver meals and other supplies to the Gaza Strip, and more drops are planned in the coming days.

In his State of the Union address on Thursday, Biden announced plans for the U.S. military to lead construction of a port along the Gaza coast in the Mediterranean Sea to increase aid to Palestinian civilians.

Progressives have called on the White House to support a permanent ceasefire in the conflict, which Biden and others argue would allow Hamas to reunite. Instead, the administration supported a pause in fighting lasting at least six weeks, allowing hostages to escape and more aid flowing into Gaza.

On Super Tuesday, more than 250,000 voters voted “non-commit” or “no preference” in the Democratic primary, largely seen as a protest against Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Although he won 11 delegates in Minnesota due to protest voting, Biden still won easily in the primary, winning 64 delegates.

“I don’t blame them for being upset. There are families out there. There are people dying. They want something done about it. And they, Joe, I’m saying do something, do something,” Biden said on MSNBC on Saturday.

“But the idea that they all consider this a genocide is not. That’s a different situation,” he added.