In an interview with MSNBC, US President Joseph Biden assessed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “does more harm than good to Israel” in his approach to the war against Hamas in Gaza.
Last night, the American leader supported Israel in pursuing Hamas after the attack on October 7, but said that Netanyahu must pay more attention to the suffering of the innocent and the consequences of the actions taken.
Biden has been warning for months that Israel risks losing international support due to the growing number of civilian casualties in Gaza, and in the latest interview he pointed out that relations between him and the Israeli leader are increasingly strained.
The American president assessed that the balance of victims in Gaza is the opposite of what Israel stands for and that he thinks it is a big mistake.
Referring to a potential Israeli invasion of the Gaza city of Rafah, where 1.3 million Palestinians have fled the war, Biden said it was a “red line” for him, but added that he would continue to deliver weapons such as the Iron Dome interceptor. ” that protect Israeli civilians from rockets in the region.
Biden announced that he is willing to present his position in the Israeli parliament during another visit to Israel.
He visited Israel once after the October 7 attacks, but now he has not said when he would come.
The US president hopes a temporary ceasefire will be in place before the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan next Sunday, although it looks increasingly unlikely that will happen.
Hamas does not accept the deal being pushed for by the US and its allies – a six-week pause in the war, the release of more hostages the organization is holding in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Israel is not giving up on the continuation of the invasion and destruction of Hamas, which on October 7, together with allied Palestinian extremist organizations, killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the southern Israeli territory and kidnapped more than 250 hostages.
About 100 hostages were freed during a seven-day ceasefire in late November, but Hamas refuses to release any more unless there is a guarantee of a complete cessation of hostilities.
Almost 31,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed in the Gaza Strip, according to the Ministry of Health there.
Biden told an American TV channel that CIA Director Bill Burns is currently in the region in an attempt to contribute to a ceasefire agreement.
