U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clashed over Israel’s approach to the war against Hamas as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts Monday with no sign of a ceasefire or hostage release.
During an interview with MSNBC on Sunday, President Biden said that Mr. Netanyahu’s approach to the conflict in Gaza is “hurting Israel more than helping Israel,” given the loss of innocent lives in the war.
“He [Mr. Netanyahu] has the right to defend Israel, the right to continue to pursue Hamas, but he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken,” the president said.
President Biden reiterated his call for a ceasefire in Gaza and proposed “a major exchange of prisoners” for a six-week period.
“We are going into Ramadan. It should be nothing happening, and we are going to build off that ceasefire,” he said. The president added that he would not give up on achieving a ceasefire in Gaza.
When asked about his “red lines” for the Israeli leader, President Biden said, “They cannot have 30,000 more Palestinians dead as a consequence of going after” Hamas terrorists. He also vowed never to abandon Israel.
“I’m never going to leave Israel,” he remarked. “The defense of Israel is still critical. So there is no red line [in which] I am going to cut off all weapons so they do not have the Iron Dome to protect them.”
The Biden administration has urged Israel to refrain from launching a major offensive in Rafah until a plan for the mass evacuation of civilians from the last area of Gaza is created. More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are sheltering in the Rafah area.
Netanyahu Refutes Biden’s Comments
Mr. Netanyahu hit back in an interview with Politico on Sunday, saying that he did not act based on his “private policies” but rather in the interest of “the majority of Israelis.”“I don’t know exactly what the president meant, but if he meant by that that I’m pursuing private policies against the majority, the wish of the majority of Israelis, and that this is hurting the interests of Israel, then he’s wrong on both counts,” he said.
“They’re policies supported by the overwhelming majority of the Israelis. They support the action that we’re taking to destroy the remaining terrorist battalions of Hamas.
“And they also support my position that says that we should resoundingly reject the attempt to ram down our throats a Palestinian state,” the Israeli leader added.
Mr. Netanyahu also said that his armed forces would advance into Rafah despite opposition from the United States.
“We'll go there. We’re not going to leave them. You know, I have a red line. You know what the red line is? That October 7 doesn’t happen again. Never happens again,” he remarked.
“I say this very clearly: Hamas has a choice. They can surrender, release the hostages, and this way, the citizens of Gaza can celebrate the holy holiday of Ramadan,” he said on Feb. 18.
Hamas fighters killed about 1,200 people and captured more than 250 hostages during their Oct. 7, 2023, attack, triggering Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry has stated that over 30,000 people have died in Gaza, of which Israel says more than 10,000 were Hamas soldiers.
