MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell reports that White House National Security and Communications Adviser John Kirby has repeatedly dodged questions about whether President Biden believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is an “obstacle to peace.” harshly criticized.
Biden expressed support for a speech by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ouster in Israel’s snap election, calling him an “obstacle to peace.”
“He gave a good speech. I think he expressed serious concerns that not only he shares, but many Americans share,” Biden said Friday.
Schumer calls for new Israeli leader to replace Netanyahu in Senate floor speech
President Biden praised a speech by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (New York) calling for the ouster of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (GPO/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
In an interview on MSNBC, Mitchell told Kirby that Biden “seems to support” Schumer’s speech. Kirby responded by saying that Biden has “a lot of respect” for Schumer and his “passion,” but insisted the president would continue to work with Netanyahu. Providing humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“The president had a choice whether to call it a ‘good speech’ or not, and what words to use,” Mitchell said. “Does he agree with the opinion that Prime Minister Netanyahu is an “obstruction to peace”?”
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“The president knows that the people of Israel can decide who their elected representatives are in government. That’s the essence of democracy, and he respects that,” Kirby responded. “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. He has been frank and frank with the Prime Minister about how to think about reducing the number of civilian casualties. So these two people have no problem being honest with each other, and I can assure you that the president has done just that. ”
MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell criticized White House National Security Press Secretary John Kirby for refusing to say whether President Biden considers Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an “obstacle to peace.” .
The MSNBC anchor tried to press Kirby again about Schumer’s “obstacle to peace” comment, but Schumer continued to dodge.
“The president will continue to work with Prime Minister Netanyahu and his war cabinet to do everything possible to alleviate humanitarian suffering in Gaza,” Kirby said. “Look, we’ve been honest, Andrea, there have been times in the last few days, in the not-so-distant past, where we don’t think the Israelis have done the best they could and should have done. “Going into Gaza. The number of trucks means there are some obstacles to moving forward in terms of getting them the food, water, medicine and fuel they need, and we’ve been very upfront about that. ”
“Let me just tell you the answer. I couldn’t answer that question three times. That’s okay. That’s your answer,” Mitchell answered before moving on.
Biden belittles Prime Minister Netanyahu behind the scenes, calling him ‘A—–E’ and ‘my A– pain’: Report
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.Y.) shocked the nation with a speech calling on Israel to hold new elections to remove Prime Minister Netanyahu from office. (Senate TV, via AP)
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Schumer delivered a stunning speech on the Senate floor Thursday calling on Israel to hold elections to remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from office.
“I have known Prime Minister Netanyahu for a long time. Although we have had many bitter disagreements, I have always admired his extraordinary courage for Israel on the battlefield when I was young. I respect him, and I believe his top priority is his mental security.”But I also believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way, putting his own political survival above Israel’s best interests.” “There is,” Schumer said.
His comments sparked a fierce backlash within the Republican Party, with the majority leader being reprimanded by Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Herzog, who said, “Israel is a sovereign democracy. ” he protested. Commenting on the domestic political situation of Hamas and Democratic Allies is counterproductive to our common goals. ”
