U.S. President Joe Biden held a 45-minute phone conversation on Monday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after the two leaders had not spoken in over a month. The call came soon after Netanyahu pushed back once again, against comment the president had made about his far-right coalition and the prime minister's policies that were described as an obstacle for peace.
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In a statement following the call Netanyahu said the two men had discussed Israel's commitment to achieve all the targets it had set out for the war: eliminating Hamas, releasing all the hostages and ensuring Gaza would no longer pose a threat to Israel. This would be done "while providing the necessary humanitarian aid that helps achieve those goals," he said in the statement.
Speaking to the leadership of AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby in Washington, Netanyahu said Biden referred to political considerations interfering with the interests of the country. "On which side of the pond?" he asked.
He said there was unity among Israelis that victory as he had described it was imperative and within reach. He also said that the picture that is presented in the last days and weeks in the United States is completely different than the reality. "The description is you have an outlier prime minister with some extreme fringe groups and that's what's driving the policy, false," he said. "I would say deliberately false.
But Netanyahu is not only on a collision course with the current administration. Sources who spoke with former U.S. president Donald Trump said he was still angered at Netanyahu not only for congratulating Biden on his win in 2020 but also for "stealing" the credit for the Pfizer COVID vaccines being delivered to Israel. Trump claimed he gave the pharmaceutical giant the green light to deliver vaccines for Israel.
The sources said Trump was shocked at the events of October 7 and saw them as the result of Netanyahu's weakness, a trait the Republican presidential candidate does not like. "Based on his past behavior, it can be said with confidence that Trump does not forgive nor forget. If Netanyahu is still prime minister in January of 2025, and Trump is back in the White House, It is doubtful that Netanyahu will receive an invitation to visit," the source said.
Others believe there are enough people in Trump's orbit who are looking out for Israel's interests including his son-in-law Jared Kushner. Trumps comments that the war in Gaza must end shows his desire to convince Muslim voters in Michigan not to vote for Biden in November.