US President Joe Biden expressed his belief on Saturday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's approach to the war against Hamas in Gaza is "hurting Israel more than helping Israel".
Even though Biden has supported Israel ever since the October 7 attack, he emphasized that Prime Minister Netanyahu “he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken".
President Biden has been reportedly cautioning Israel for months about the potential loss of international support due to the increasing number of civilian casualties in Gaza.
His recent comments during an interview with MSNBC's Jonathan Capehart indicate a growing strain in the relationship between the two leaders.
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Biden said of the death toll in Gaza, “it's contrary to what Israel stands for. And I think it's a big mistake.”
Biden stated that he considers a possible Israeli incursion into the city of Rafah in Gaza as a significant boundary that should not be crossed.
However, he clarified that he would not cease providing weapons such as the Iron Dome missile interceptors, which safeguard Israeli civilians from rocket assaults in the area.
“It is a red line,” he said, when asked about Rafah, “but I'm never going to leave Israel. The defense of Israel is still critical, so there's no red line I'm going to cut off all weapons so they don't have the Iron Dome to protect them.”
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As per AP report, Biden said he was willing to make his case directly to the Israeli Knesset, its parliament, including by making another trip to the country. He travelled to Israel weeks after the October 7 attack. He declined to elaborate on how or whether such a trip might materialize.
The U.S. leader had hoped to secure a temporary ceasefire before Ramadan begins this week, though that appears increasingly unlikely as Hamas has balked at a deal pushed by the US and its allies that would have seen fighting pause for about six weeks, the release of additional hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and a surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Biden noted CIA Director Bill Burns is in the region currently trying to resurrect the deal.
