White House national security communications adviser John Kirby on Sunday brushed off a question about whether President Biden believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is an “obstruction to peace,” saying that both world leaders He said they have “known each other for many years” and have an open exchange of ideas. communication.
“Does the president think Benjamin Netanyahu is a bigot? Does he think he’s an obstacle to peace? Does he think he should be lumped in with Hamas?” Fox News’ Shannon Bream said. asked Kirby on “Fox News Sunday.”
Kirby did not give a definitive answer, instead emphasizing that the two world leaders have known each other for years and that the United States respects Israel’s sovereignty.
“The two have been mentors for a long time, Shannon, but they haven’t seen each other for more than 40 years, so they don’t see eye to eye on everything, and the prosecution of the operation in Gaza… There are certain aspects: “I don’t agree with everything that Israel has done. But the two countries have a relationship where they can talk to each other, and they have and will continue to do so. “We respect the sovereignty of the Israeli people,” he replied.
White House repeatedly sidesteps whether President Biden considers Prime Minister Netanyahu an ‘obstruction to peace’: ‘No response three times’
John Kirby speaks with FOX News’ Shannon Bream. (Fox News)
This question was asked last week by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.Y.), who is Jewish, calling for the ouster of Prime Minister Netanyahu as the war between Israel and Gaza has raged since October. This happened after he gave a speech labeling him as an obstacle to peace.
Schumer added that he and Prime Minister Netanyahu are “Palestinians who support and tolerate Hamas and their evil ways, radical right-wing Israelis in government and society, and Palestinians who support and tolerate their evil ways.” [and] Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is also an obstacle to peace.
Schumer calls for new Israeli leader to replace Netanyahu in Senate floor speech
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer gave a speech last week calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Biden later called Schumer’s remarks “a good speech.”
“He gave a good speech. I think he expressed serious concerns that not only he shares, but many Americans share,” Biden said Friday.
Mr. Bream asked Mr. Kirby whether he agreed with Mr. Schumer that Mr. Biden should hold an election in Israel and that Mr. Netanyahu should no longer serve as prime minister.
President Biden said Senate Minority Leader Schumer “expressed serious concerns that he and many Americans share.” (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
“The president believes it is up to the Israeli people and the Israeli government to decide whether and when new elections will be held. However, he said immediately after Leader Schumer’s very passionate speech that “Many Americans feel the same way about the course of the war. They also have concerns about some of the operations and how they were conducted. “We need to make sure that civilians are protected, that they are safe and that there are fewer civilian casualties. “We need to ensure that more trucks and aid arrive and, of course, that more and more assistance is needed to rescue all the hostages. We’re still working on a temporary ceasefire,” Kirby responded.
Schumer’s speech on Israel criticized by Republicans and experts as “unprecedented” and “ridiculous”
Kirby’s remarks follow a separate interview on MSNBC last week in which host Andrea Mitchell asked the White House whether Biden believed Netanyahu was an “obstacle to peace.” repeated questions to officials. Kirby dodged the question three times, but Mitchell pointed it out on air before continuing the interview.
John Kirby speaks during a press conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on January 29, 2024. (Yuri Gripas/Abaka/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In response to Mitchell’s question about whether Netanyahu was an “obstruction to peace,” Kirby said, “The president knows that the Israeli people can decide who represents their elected government. That’s what democracy is all about. It’s the essence of the world, and he respects that.” “And he said we could do things differently, we could do things better, we could do things a little more firmly, to get more support for the people of Gaza. “I’ve been frank and frank with the prime minister about how we think about reducing the number of civilian casualties and reducing that number. I mean, lo and behold, these two have been honest with each other. There is nothing wrong with that, and I can say with certainty that the president has done it.”
Schumer’s anti-Netanyahu speech strengthens bivi in Israel’s war to oust Hamas
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a press conference in Tel Aviv on October 28. (Abil Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)
“Let me just give you that answer. I couldn’t answer that question three times, and that’s okay. That was your answer,” Mitchell finally said.
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Prime Minister Netanyahu responded to Schumer’s speech this weekend, calling it “inappropriate” and elaborating that the chances of an election depend on Israel and its voters.
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“I think what he said was totally inappropriate. It’s inappropriate to go to a sister democracy and try to replace an elected leader there,” Netanyahu said in an interview with CNN.
