President Joe Biden said Tuesday Israel’s prime minister needs to change his hardline government and warned support for the country’s military campaign is waning amid heavy bombardment of Gaza.
Speaking to Democratic donors in Washington, Biden said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a “tough decision to make.”
“This is the most conservative government in Israel’s history,” Biden said, adding that the Israeli government “doesn’t want a two-state solution.”
Biden said Israel was beginning to lose support around the world, and argued Netanyahu “has to strengthen and change” the Israeli government to find an eventual long-term solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The remarks – delivered at an off-camera fundraiser, a venue in which the president has been more freewheeling than his usual White House appearances – amounted to some of Biden’s most candid to date when it comes to his view of the ongoing war. Before the war broke out, Biden had been open in his criticism of Netanyahu’s governing coalition, which includes far-right parties. But he has mostly stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Netanyahu in public since the conflict began, despite mounting criticism of the Israeli campaign.
Now, however, some daylight has been emerging between the United States and Israel as the civilian death toll in Gaza climbs.
In phone calls, Biden has encouraged Netanyahu to do more to avoid civilian casualties, but top administration officials have said there is a “gap” between Israel’s intentions and the realities on the ground.
Speaking Monday evening at a White House Hanukkah reception, Biden acknowledged Israel was in “a tough spot” following the Hamas attack on October 7 and the subsequent war in Gaza. And he alluded to differences with Netanyahu amid the current fighting.
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