The president of the United States claims that Netanyahu is doing more harm to Israel than good in managing the conflict.
While reiterating that he would never desert the US ally, US President Joe Biden has issued a warning to Israel that there are “red lines” that it should not cross in its conflict in Gaza.
In a contradicting and perplexing interview that aired on Saturday, Biden stated that he would never “leave Israel” but that an Israeli attack of the city of Rafah would be his “red line” for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Referring to Israel’s missile defense system, Biden stated, “The defense of Israel is still critical, so there’s no red line [where] I’m going to cut off all weapons so they don’t have the Iron Dome to protect them.”
Without completing his thinking process, Biden stated, “But there are red lines that if he crosses them…,” adding that his administration “cannot have 30,000 more Palestinians killed.”
Biden also stated that Netanyahu was “hurting Israel more than helping Israel” and that people should “pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost” in Gaza, in some of his sharpest jabs at the Israeli leader thus far.
Although Biden has unwaveringly supported Israel in its fight to vanquish Hamas, his administration and Netanyahu have grown more divergent on the number of civilian deaths in Gaza and the limitations placed on the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave.
Netanyahu has been advised by the Biden administration time and again not to begin an anticipated onslaught in Rafah until Israel can guarantee the safe evacuation of the approximately 1.3 million Palestinians who are taking refuge in the city.
On Thursday, in the face of heavy Israeli restrictions on the movement of supplies by land, Biden revealed plans to construct a temporary port in Gaza to facilitate the delivery of relief by sea.
Biden voiced optimism last month that Israel and Hamas could come to an agreement on a short-term ceasefire before Ramadan, but hopes of a resolution before then faded as mediators left Cairo last week without reaching a consensus.
In his interview on Saturday, Biden stated that a deal is “always possible” and that, following a meeting with David Barnea, his counterpart from Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad, the day before, CIA Director Bill Burns was still in the area assisting negotiations.
In spite of dwindling expectations for a settlement, Mossad stated on Saturday that talks on a ceasefire were ongoing.
Health officials in the enclave report that over 30,800 Palestinians have died as a result of Israel’s conflict in Gaza, the majority of them were women and children.
1,139 individuals were murdered in Hamas’ October 7 strikes on Israel, according to Israeli officials.