Netanyahu: Biden’s accusation that I am harming Israel is false
US president: Defense of Israel is critical, we won’t stop weapons shipments
US President Joe Biden’s attempts to separate the Israeli leadership from its people are false, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday. He was responding to the US administration’s heightened criticism of the IDF’s war effort.
“These are not my private policies only; they are policies supported by the overwhelming majority of the Israelis,” Netanyahu told Politico, a Washington-based news organization.
On Saturday, Biden said Netanyahu was undermining the values on which Israel was founded and is harming the country with his handling of the Gaza war.
“He [Netanyahu] has a right to defend Israel, a right to continue to pursue Hamas, but he must, he must, he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken,” he told MSNBC.
“He is hurting Israel more than helping Israel... it is contrary to what Israel stands for, and I think it’s a big mistake,” Biden said.
Netanyahu told Politico: If Biden meant “that I am pursuing private policies against the wish of the majority of Israelis, and that this is hurting the interests of Israel, then he is wrong on both counts.”
Israelis support IDF action in Gaza to destroy Hamas, and they do not want to see a Palestinian Authority in Gaza that finances terrorism, nor do they back a Palestinian state “rammed down their throats,” he said.
The majority of Israelis understand that they are under threat of another October 7-style attack unless Hamas is defeated in Gaza, Netanyahu said.
A second such attack would be “bad for Israel, bad for the Palestinians, bad for the future of peace in the Middle East,” he said. “So, the attempt to say that my policies are my private policies that are not supported by most Israelis is false.”
“The vast majority are united as never before, and they understand what’s good for Israel,” Netanyahu said. “They understand what’s important for Israel, and I
Netanyahu and the president of the United States, where Netanyahu proposed, according to the source, ‘I want to suggest setting up a team to explore maritime supply through Cyprus, after a thorough inspection of all goods.’”
This source, close to the prime minister, insinuated that Biden was simply implementing a plan by Netanyahu, not actually initiating anything new.
The source spoke with the Post at a time of heightened diplomatic tensions between Biden and Netanyahu, as the US president has sought to distance himself from the