As of: February 13, 2024, 9:39 a.m
By: Christoph Gschoßmann
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Insiders report that Joe Biden insulted Benjamin Netanyahu several times in private.
The two have many differences of opinion.
Frankfurt – There is a lot of rumbling between Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu.
The US President has repeatedly expressed that he supports Israel, but that the number of Palestinian victims goes too far for him.
Biden also doesn't believe in Israel's plan to attack Rafah.
According to a report from NBC, Biden has repeatedly expressed extreme frustration with Israel's prime minister to private contacts.
He is said to have even become abusive.
Insiders report: US President Biden privately chooses harsh words towards Netanyahu
As a result, three of the five people close to Biden report that the US president called the Israeli an “asshole” at least three times.
There are also said to have been contemptuous references to “this guy”.
This surprised even the anonymous people around him, reports the medium.
The crisis in the Middle East is testing the relationship between Biden and Netanyahu - despite clear statements of solidarity from the USA.
© IMAGO/Miriam Alster
Public officials are downplaying Biden's statements.
“The president has made clear where he disagrees with Prime Minister Netanyahu, but it is a decades-long relationship that is respectful in public and in private,” a National Security Council spokesman said in a statement.
Biden against military operation in Rafah – he is worried about civilians
Biden's private words don't exactly sound respectful.
Biden should see Netanyahu as the main obstacle in Israel.
Biden believes Netanyahu wants to stay in power longer through the war.
The president wanted to bring him to a ceasefire, but this was giving Biden “hell.”
The insiders also report that Biden has the feeling that "it's enough." It has to "stop." What is meant is Israel's approach in Gaza.
Given plans for a military offensive on the border town of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip, Biden called on Netanyahu to protect civilians.
A military operation in Rafah “should not be carried out without a credible and actionable plan to ensure the security and support of the more than one million people seeking protection there,” Biden told Netanyahu in a phone call, according to a White House statement.
Biden calls Israel's attacks in Gaza 'excessive'
Biden reiterated to Netanyahu the “common goal” of the USA and Israel to defeat the radical Islamic Hamas and to secure the “long-term security of Israel and its people”.
The US President also called for “urgent and concrete steps” to expand and improve “humanitarian assistance to innocent Palestinian civilians.”
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Biden told reporters on Thursday about the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip that it was “excessive.”
Many observers saw this as a toughening of the tone towards Israel.
But at that point, nothing was known about Biden's private statements about Netanyahu.
USA for two-state solution in Israel – Netanyahu against
Biden will probably not repeat this publicly.
The people familiar with Biden's private comments clarified that he had told them that Biden believed it would be counterproductive if he were too tough on Netanyahu publicly.
A public break between the heads of government is considered unlikely.
Biden's frustration with Netanyahu has not yet led to major policy change either, but his administration has begun to consider such options.
Two weeks ago, officials told
NBC
that the government was discussing delaying or slowing arms sales to pressure Netanyahu to limit Israeli military operations in Gaza and do more to protect civilians.
The US is also committed to a two-state solution after the war.
Netanyahu is strictly against it.
(cgsc with dpa and afp)