President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Monday, their first interaction in more than a month as the divide has grown between allies over food crisis in Gaza, conduct of war, according to the White House.
Quick Read
- President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had their first conversation in over a month, addressing the growing rift between the two allies concerning the food crisis in Gaza and the conduct of the war.
- The interaction follows criticism from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer regarding Netanyahu’s management of the Gaza conflict and his suggestion for Israel to conduct new elections.
- Republicans and Israeli officials criticized Schumer for meddling in the internal politics of a key ally.
- While Biden did not explicitly support Schumer’s call for an election, he acknowledged that Schumer’s speech voiced the concerns of many Americans.
- The White House has expressed skepticism about Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s proposed operation in Rafah, where over a million displaced Palestinians have sought refuge, aiming to target Hamas for the deadly attack on Oct. 7.
- Biden administration officials have emphasized that they would not back such an operation unless Israel presents a viable plan to protect innocent Palestinian civilians.
- To date, Israel has not provided a plan that meets the White House’s criteria for ensuring the safety of civilians in the proposed operation.
- The Biden-Netanyahu call took place amid alarming warnings from the UN’s World Food Program about the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
- The World Food Program indicated that famine is on the horizon for northern Gaza, where 70% of the population is facing extreme hunger, and that further conflict escalation could endanger half of Gaza’s population with starvation.
- Netanyahu strongly criticized the American feedback, particularly the suggestions for a new Israeli election, labeling such calls as “wholly inappropriate.”
- In a Fox News interview, Netanyahu defended Israel’s sovereignty, asserting that the decision on elections lies solely with the Israeli people and rejected external pressures for electoral changes.
The Associated Press has the story:
Biden & Netanyahu hold 1st call in more than a month as tension grows over food crisis, war
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Monday, their first interaction in more than a month as the divide has grown between allies over food crisis in Gaza, conduct of war, according to the White House.
The call comes after Republicans in Washington and Israeli officials were quick to express outrage after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sharply criticizedNetanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza and called for Israel to hold new elections. They accused the Democratic leader of breaking the unwritten rule against interfering in a close ally’s electoral politics.
Biden hasn’t endorsed Schumer’s call for election but said he thought he gave a “good speech” that reflected the concerns of many Americans.
The White House has been skeptical of Netanyahu’s plan of carrying out an operation in the southern city of Rafah, to which more than a 1 million displaced Palestinians have fled, as Israel looks to eliminate Hamas following Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack. Biden administration officials have warned that they would not support such an operation without the Israelis presenting a credible plan to ensure the safety of innocent Palestinian civilians.
Israel has yet to present such a plan, according to White House officials.
The Biden-Netanyahu call also comes as the United Nations food agency on Monday issued more dire warnings about the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
The World Food Program warned that “famine is imminent” in northern Gaza, where 70% of the remaining population is experiencing catastrophic hunger, and that a further escalation of the war could push around half of Gaza’s population to the brink of starvation.
Netanyahu lashed out against the American criticism on Sunday, describing calls for a new election as “wholly inappropriate.”
Netanyahu told Fox News Channel that Israel never would have called for a new U.S. election after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and he denounced Schumer’s comments as inappropriate.
“We’re not a banana republic,” he said. “The people of Israel will choose when they will have elections, and who they’ll elect, and it’s not something that will be foisted on us.”
