US President Joe Biden reportedly called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “bad ***king guy” amid tensions between the two leaders over the ongoing war in Gaza, slowly threatening to spread to the wider Middle East region.
The US President has reportedly grown suspicious of Netanyahu as the war enters its fifth month and has privately called him a “bad fucking guy,” a Politico report said, citing unnamed sources. Andrew Bates, Biden’s spokesperson, told the publication that “the president did not say that, nor would he,” noting the two leaders’ “decades-long relationship that is respectful in public and in private.”
This comes as a far-right minister in Israel’s government has criticised Biden and said that having Donald Trump in power would allow more freedom to fight Hamas. The comments sparked outrage among other Israeli officials on Sunday and highlighted the sensitivity of relations as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits the region again this week. More humanitarian aid to Gaza will be a “top priority” as Blinken visits the region, Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told CBS. Blinken is set to begin Monday in Saudi Arabia and will stop in Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the West Bank.
The Biden administration has skirted US Congress to rush weapons to Israel and shielded it from international calls for a cease-fire in the four months since Hamas’ October 7 attack. However, the White House has urged Israel to take greater measures to avoid harming civilians and allow more aid to besieged Gaza. Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that Biden was hindering Israel’s war effort. “Instead of giving us his full backing, Biden is busy with giving humanitarian aid and fuel (to Gaza), which goes to Hamas,” Ben-Gvir said. “If Trump was in power, the US conduct would be completely different.”
His remarks drew fire from Benny Gantz, a member of Netanyahu’s three-man War Cabinet, who said Ben-Gvir was “causing tremendous damage” to US-Israeli ties. Opposition leader Yair Lapid, also said Ben-Gvir’s remarks prove that he “does not understand foreign relations.” The war in Gaza has leveled vast swaths of the tiny enclave, displaced 85 percent of its population and pushed a quarter of residents to starvation. The Health Ministry in Gaza said 127 bodies had been brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours, bringing the overall death toll to 27,365.
(With agency inputs)
Comments
0 comment