Biden’s aides are reportedly concerned about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, fearing that he will criticize the president for not doing more to support Israel in dealing with Hamas.
“No one knows what he’ll say,” a senior Biden administration official said. He told Politico Netanyahu’s.
Several progressive lawmakers have spoken out against the remarks, and Netanyahu is due to address a joint session of parliament in late July.
“[Netanyahu’s] “The video speech this week was completely unhelpful,” another official told the outlet, referring to an English-language video speech in which Netanyahu criticized the U.S. for cutting military aid. “And now he could make things even worse in front of Congress.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes his weekly cabinet meeting at the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, Israel, January 7, 2024. (REUTERS/Ronen Zvurn/Pool/File)
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The Biden administration has previously denied claims that aid was reduced after Netanyahu raised the issue publicly. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the US was “troubled” by Netanyahu’s claims. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said: “We generally don’t know what he’s talking about.”
He reportedly further emphasized this point at a Cabinet meeting on Sunday.
Netanyahu cited a “dramatic decline” in aid over the past four months and said he had made unsuccessful private pleas to U.S. authorities for weeks, which led to the video he posted last week.
“I am deeply grateful to President Biden and the US government for their support to Israel. Since the start of the war, the US has supported us morally, materially, defensive and offensive means,” Netanyahu said.
President Joe Biden is at the White House in Washington, DC, on December 13, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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“But four months ago, there was a dramatic drop in military equipment arriving in Israel from the United States. For weeks we turned to our American friends, asking them to speed up shipments. We did this again and again, at the highest levels, at every level, but I want to emphasize that we did it behind closed doors. We received every explanation, but one thing we did not receive: the basic situation has not changed. Certain items have arrived sporadically, but the majority of the military equipment has remained behind,” he said.
Progressives such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) have indicated they will not attend the speech, but other Democrats have hesitated to say whether they will attend the joint session.
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“I haven’t made up my mind yet,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, previously told Fox News Digital.
“I haven’t decided yet,” Minnesota Democratic Sen. Tina Smith told Fox News Digital.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fox News’ Julia Johnson and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
