U.S. President Joe Biden was asked in an interview with Time magazine published on Tuesday whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is intentionally prolonging the war in Gaza for his personal political purposes. Although Biden responded he didn’t intend to comment on that, he added: "There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion.”
Despite criticisms of Netanyahu that Biden voiced multiple times in recent months, the U.S. president clarified in the interview that Hamas is to blame for the fact that a hostage deal and cease-fire in Gaza have not yet been agreed on. "Hamas could end this tomorrow," he said.
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Joe Biden, Rafah, Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: Amir Cohen/Reuters/Pool, Morry Gash/AP, AFP)
"The last offer Israel made was very generous in terms of who they'd be willing to release, what they'd give in return, et cetera. Bibi [Netanyahu’s nickname] is under enormous pressure on the hostages, and so he's prepared to do about anything to get the hostages back,” he added.
The interview was held on May 28, three days before Biden gave his speech at the White House, where he revealed Israel's offer to Hamas, which includes a cease-fire in Gaza. Netanyahu, for his part, claimed on Monday that the war would not be paused after his coalition partners – ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir - threatened to dismantle the government if the deal as was disclosed by Biden were to proceed.
Netanyahu said that the proposal the American president presented was partial, while the White House said in a statement: "This is an Israeli offer and Biden presented it accurately."
Meanwhile, Qatar said on Tuesday that the Israeli proposal presented by Biden had been passed on to Hamas. "The paper is now closer to the positions of the two sides," said Doha's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari.
This isn’t the first time Netanyahu has been accused by some in the U.S. of making political calculations, but this criticism hadn't previously come from the U.S. president himself. On the 100th day of the war, Biden's associates said that the U.S. administration increasingly felt that Netanyahu was prolonging the war in Gaza for personal political reasons.
They also alleged at the time that Netanyahu wasn’t prioritizing the release of the hostages. In February, American officials said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was appalled that Netanyahu was mixing political considerations with the issue of hostages held by Hamas.
In the Time interview, Biden was also asked if Israel had crossed the red line he had set before in launching an operation in Rafah, but Biden refused to comment, saying his team is in talks with Israel about it.
When asked if Israel had committed war crimes in Gaza, the president replied: " The answer is it's uncertain and has been investigated by the Israelis themselves. The ICC is something that we don’t, we don't recognize. But one thing is certain, the people in Gaza, the Palestinians have suffered greatly, for lack of food, water, medicine, etc.”
“And a lot of innocent people have been killed. But it is – and a lot of it has to do not just with Israelis, but what Hamas is doing in Israel as we speak. Hamas is intimidating that population. I went over right after that attack on the Israelis. What they did was – exceeded anything I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot,” he added.
Biden added that, currently, the fate of eight American hostages held by Hamas is unclear but the U.S. believes they’re alive.
"I met with all the families. But we don't have final proof on exactly who's alive and who's not alive. And by the way, I’ve been calling for – we should have a cease-fire, period. And to get those hostages. That’s the main reason why we push. The Israelis desperately want a cease-fire in order to get the hostages home.”
In addition, U.S.-based news outlet NBC reported U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan would meet with the families of the American hostages on Tuesday. According to the report, Sullivan is expected to give them a "regular update" following Biden's speech last week. It will be Sullivan’s ninth meeting with the families since Oct. 7, according to NBC.