US President Biden hints Netanyahu ‘prolonging’ Gaza war to save himself politically

AFP | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

US President Joe Biden swiped at Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview with Time magazine published yesterday, saying there was “every reason” to conclude the Israeli prime minister was dragging out the Gaza war to save himself politically.

Biden added that he had a “major disagreement” with Netanyahu over the post-conflict future of Gaza, and said Israel had engaged in “inappropriate” conduct during the war sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack.

More broadly, the 81-year-old pitched his case in the interview as better placed than election rival Donald Trump to secure the US as “the world power” on issues ranging from Ukraine to Taiwan and Gaza.

Speaking to Time days before his announcement of an Israeli proposal for a Gaza ceasefire deal that Netanyahu greeted coolly, Biden was asked if he believed the Israeli was dragging out the war for political self-preservation.

“There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion,” Biden replied.

Biden admitted that he and Netanyahu, who have had tense relations as the death toll in Gaza has soared, were particularly at odds over the need to create a Palestinian state.

“My major disagreement with Netanyahu is, what happens after... Gaza’s over? What, what does it go back to? Do Israeli forces go back in?” said the Democrat.

“The answer is, if that’s the case, it can’t work.” Heavy fighting Meanwhile, heavy fighting rocked Gaza yesterday after G7 and Arab powers urged both Israel and Hamas to agree to a truce and hostage release deal outlined by Biden.

Mediator Qatar said it had yet to see statements from either side “that give us a lot of confidence”, but the foreign ministry said Doha was “working with both sides on proposals on the table”.

Washington said it would seek a UN Security Council resolution to back the three-phase roadmap which Biden presented last Friday as Israel’s plan, even as the war has ground on.

Under the proposal, fighting would stop for an initial six weeks and hostages would be swapped for Palestinian prisoners, ahead of the start of a phase to rebuild Gaza, Biden said.