US president’s remarks to Time magazine about PM’s role in conflict draw heavily critical response from Israeli government

US president’s remarks to Time magazine about PM’s role in conflict draw heavily critical response from Israeli government

Joe Biden has said that there is “every reason” to draw the conclusion that Benjamin Netanyahu is prolonging the war in Gaza for his own political self-preservation.

Biden made the remarks about the Israeli prime minister in an interview with Time magazine published on Tuesday morning, drawing a sharp response from the Israeli government, which accused the US president of straying from diplomatic norms.

Netanyahu’s popularity plummeted after the 7 October attack by Hamas, which exposed serious flaws in Israeli security. Most political observers say Netanyahu would lose elections if they were held now, and would be forced into opposition, facing court hearings on corruption charges. But elections have been put off until the war is over, or at least until major military operations are deemed to have been completed.

Time asked Biden whether he believed Netanyahu was “prolonging the war for his own political self-preservation”.

“I’m not going to comment on that,” the president said in response, but added: “There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion.”

  • tsonfeir@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3734·
    5 months ago

    The US president doesn’t control the world, contrary to popular American opinion.

    • electric_nan@lemmy.mlEnglish
      507·
      5 months ago

      You don’t think the military support, and the diplomatic cover for Israel that the US provides at the UN (100% within Biden’s prerogative) has any influence on the situation?

    • JacksonLamb@lemmy.worldEnglish
      314·
      5 months ago

      The US president is literally going around his own Congress to ensure the Israelis are always well stocked with weapons during their genocide.

    • SuperIce@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2811·
      5 months ago

      If he stopped supplying weapons, the war would stop as Israel wouldn’t have the resources to continue the war on its own.

      • tsonfeir@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2422·
        5 months ago

        The US is not the only country who sells weapons to Israel. And, Israel manufactures weapons too. Having fewer super-cool missiles isn’t going to stop them from using the huge stockpile they already have.

        What a ridiculous American concept that everything revolves around you.

          • tsonfeir@lemmy.worldEnglish
            149·
            5 months ago

            Because the military industrial complex is the ruler of the world and our elected leaders are just for show?

            • electric_nan@lemmy.mlEnglish
              193·
              5 months ago

              Oh I see now… Biden is “striking a difficult balance” between his support for genocide, and his public image of not enjoying it.

              • theprogressivist @lemmy.worldEnglish
                13·
                5 months ago

                You completely diregarded the article. Not that I expected you to read it. You asked why and here’s the answer.

                Legally, the U.S. can’t cut Israel off completely. Since 2008, the U.S. has had to weigh all arms sales to Israel and other countries in the region against the requirement that Israel maintains a “qualitative military edge” against all enemies, both state and non-state actors.

                The Biden administration in late April decided to pause a shipment of 3,500 “dumb” — aka, unguided — munitions that officials expected Israel to use in Rafah: 1,800 of those were 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 of those were 500-pound bombs. U.S. officials were particularly concerned about the 2,000-pound bombs and the impact the massive weapon would have in a dense urban setting.

                In announcing the pause, Biden for the first time acknowledged that civilians had been killed by these weapons in Gaza.

                “Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers,” Biden said on CNN, referring to 2,000-pound bomb. “I’ve made it clear to Bibi and the war cabinet: They’re not going to get our support, if in fact they go on these population centers.”

                The bombs were approved by Congress in 2021. They had been licensed by the administration, manufactured, and ready to be shipped when the order came down to pause the movement.

                • electric_nan@lemmy.mlEnglish
                  22·
                  5 months ago

                  Ah yes, the law. It can be ignored when necessary and used as an excuse when convenient. How else could Biden be “striking a balance”? If he is bound by this law, why not condemn Israel’s genocide in strongest terms? That would be a balance, eh? And what about the law that says we can’t supply arms for an ongoing genocide? Ah right, he won’t call it a genocide-- conveniently sidestepping that law.

        • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
          11·
          5 months ago

          It’s mostly them, though, with a bit of contribution from Germany.

          I’m not actually sure if being cut off hard would stop them, what with Netanyahu’s personal freedom in the mix, but it would hurt a lot.

          • barsoap@lemm.eeEnglish
            5·
            5 months ago

            Nope. The German government stopped issuing weapon export licenses within days. Some stuff arrived that needed licenses but is completely useless in a genocide (training ammunition, artillery charges (not rounds but the propellant part) going to industry for testing), the rest is almost certainly useless in a genocide: 5000 Panzerfaust 2. Kind of hard to deny them that export as they happen to own the producer and Hamas, last I checked, doesn’t even have tanks and as they’re shaped charges they really only are sensible to use against hard targets.

            We still do export plenty of dual-use and non-weapon military equipment, though, those have lower export requirements. Helmets, replacement parts for radars, suchlike.

            • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
              1·
              5 months ago

              So just the US then, haha.

              Italy also gave them a few helicopters, which amounted to a percent of the total value or so, but everyone else gave pretty much purely symbolic aid before this kicked off. Germany and the US were the whole pie chart.

              • tsonfeir@lemmy.worldEnglish
                13·
                5 months ago

                I don’t know what you know. But since you lead with “bold take,” I’m going to pass. You’re not interested. You just want a fight.

                • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
                  1·
                  5 months ago

                  I didn’t mean it in a taunting way, it legitimately is just a strong and unexpected statement, from where I sit.

                  Allow me to rephrase. The story I’ve heard from pretty much everyone, pro, anti and neutral, is that Israel is a small, vulnerable nation that has been propped up by the US. Do you have hard facts that contradict that?

                  If so, I want to know, because I don’t enjoy being wrong.

    • Maggoty@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      5 months ago

      But Biden, The American President, could at the very least abide by American Laws in regards to aid. Isreal has been in violation of the FSA for decades and this genocide breached the Leahy Law months ago.

          • tsonfeir@lemmy.worldEnglish
            21·
            5 months ago

            Biden cannot unilaterally stop providing aid to Israel without Congress. The allocation of foreign aid, including military assistance to Israel, is governed by laws and appropriations passed by Congress.

            Please don’t misinterpret my lack of finger pointing to be support for Israel. Biden certainly could take a more outspoken position.

            • Maggoty@lemmy.worldEnglish
              1·
              5 months ago

              Both of those laws are in fact laws. Things that can only be passed by Congress and the President working together. If Congress does not repeal them then the President is still bound by them. The current Congress can appropriate as much money as it wants for a genocidal regime. According to the FSA and Leahy Law it should sit right in that bank account and never get sent to the genocidal regime.

              Biden has all the legal cover he needs.

              • tsonfeir@lemmy.worldEnglish
                1·
                5 months ago

                I’m not sure it’s that easy… but I do agree a lot more could be done. If even just a “temporary suspension” until further investigation.