WASHINGTON — In a new interview on Tuesday, President Biden suggested Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be prolonging the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip for political reasons, while Biden himself is trying to stop Israel from eliminating the jihadists in their last major stronghold, Rafah.
The 81-year-old Biden was asked by Time magazine whether Netanyahu was prolonging the war for his own political self-preservation.
“I won’t comment on that.” Biden began. And then he quickly added: “There are good reasons why people draw that conclusion.”
Polls show the Middle East war has created a rift between Biden and key Democratic constituencies, including younger voters, Arab Americans and Muslims, ahead of his Nov. 5 rematch with former President Donald Trump.
The president is frequently referred to as “Genocide Joe,” and Democratic pundits have speculated that Netanyahu’s Gaza policy reflects his fondness for Trump.
During his four-year term, Trump moved the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to disputed Jerusalem, recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and led the effort to broker diplomatic relations between Israel and five Muslim countries.
Biden has continued the diplomatic efforts of the Trump administration, flying directly from Israel to Saudi Arabia on Air Force One to mark the launch of direct flights between the two countries in 2022. Biden has suggested that Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7 was aimed at thwarting the impending normalization of Saudi-Israeli relations.
Biden has suggested Netanyahu is to blame for prolonging the war, but the U.S. administration has repeatedly warned Israeli leaders not to pursue Hamas in Rafah for fear of civilian casualties.
Biden last month warned Netanyahu against further attacks and halted the shipment of 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs.
The president announced a ceasefire proposal on Friday, accepted by Netanyahu’s government, that would permanently halt the fighting without a final battle at Rafah, with Biden arguing that the terror group has been weakened and can no longer threaten the Jewish state.
