President has said that people have “every reason” to believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is prolonging the Israeli onslaught in Gaza for his own political survival.
The president made the comments in an interview with Time Magazine, where he was asked, “Some in Israel have suggested that Netanyahu is prolonging the war for his own political self-preservation. Do you believe that?”
Biden replied, “I’m not going to comment on that. There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion.”
Polling has shown the majority of Israelis want Netanyahu to resign once the war on Gaza is over, so any pause in Israeli military operations would increase the domestic pressure on him.
Biden’s comments reflect a February report from NBC News that said the president privately expressed that “Netanyahu wants the war to drag on so he can remain in power.”
Despite holding that view of the Israeli leader, Biden has continued to provide military and diplomatic support for Netanyahu’s genocidal campaign in Gaza. Other reports have said US officials believe Netanyahu might view a wider regional war as key to his political survival, but the US still backed Israel after it bombed the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
Biden unveiled a ceasefire proposal on Friday that he said would lead to an end to Israeli military operations in Gaza, but Netanyahu quickly rebuked him by saying a permanent ceasefire was a “non-starter.” Israeli officials believe Netanyahu’s comments might sabotage the chances of reaching a deal with Hamas.
