'I'm pressuring the Israelis': Biden says he warned Israel to follow US instructions
(L-R): US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
United States President Joe Biden, said at an event for influencers at the White House last week that he sent $26 billion in aid to Israel to bolster security for the Jewish state. The president added that he was also putting pressure on Israel.
"First of all, Israel's security in the region is essential," Biden said. "I am pressuring the Israelis to withdraw and open more humanitarian transits, and I think we are getting closer."
“I have made very clear to the Israelis what they have to do in the near term and if they don’t, what’s going to happen,” Biden told one of the participants at the event.
The video cut off after the videographer questioned whether Biden intended to end aid to Israel if the Israelis did not do as the president asked.
US President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (not pictured) and the Israeli war cabinet, as he visits Israel amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 18, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/EVELYN HOCKSTEIN)
US President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (not pictured) and the Israeli war cabinet, as he visits Israel amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 18, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/EVELYN HOCKSTEIN)
Biden’s growing frustration with Israel
The United States repeatedly made clear that it did not support IDF operations in Rafah, where many Palestinian civilians fled to escape the war.
Israel has continued with the Rafah operations, noting that Hamas has built significant terror infrastructure embedded within civilian communities. Additionally, Israel has highlighted concerns that some of the over 250 hostages may have been held there.
In February, the IDF rescued former hostages Fernando Marman and Louis Norbeto Har from captivity in the Rafah area.
Relations between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have also been in the spotlight for some time, with reports indicating that Biden had referred to Netanyahu as an "as***le" and "bad f*****g guy" in private conversations.