The rhetorically controlled leader of the free world doesn’t always make news. But fresh off Thursday’s State of the Union address, President Joe Biden was anything but taciturn, unleashing a torrent of headline-grabbing comments. Here are the top three “R’s” from my exclusive Biden sit-down over the weekend.
A ‘red line’
I asked the president whether an invasion of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip would be a red line in the context of his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His “yes” led to a rebuke from Netanyahu, who told Politico Europe on Sunday that Biden’s comments would not stop him from pushing ahead with an offensive.
This back-and-forth highlights how the barely concealed tension between these two leaders has been pushed into the sunlight. The world now watches to see whether Netanyahu will follow through and attack Rafah as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan is underway. And the world will watch for Biden’s response if Netanyahu does. The humanitarian crisis gripping Gaza could get much worse. Because of Israeli bombardment of northern Gaza, more than 1.5 million people have fled to Rafah, which had a pre-war population of 275,000. With Egypt building a wall on its border with Gaza, an invasion would give Palestinian refugees nowhere to go.
A return
Biden went to Israel on Oct. 18 in a show of support. Five months later, some have suggested that he return and address the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. When I asked the president whether that was something he would support, he responded in the affirmative. His quick “yes” surprised me — as did his decision not to discuss the matter further.
His quick pivot suggests that my shot-in-the-dark query might be more on the mark than I had anticipated. So keep your eyes and ears open for a Biden return to Israel. What’s unclear is from whom the invitation would come.
A regret
The president expressed “regret” for using the word…
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