President Biden criticized Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the war in Gaza, calling it a 'mistake' one week after the White House threatened to change its support.
Biden expressed disagreement with Netanyahu's approach, saying 'I think what he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his approach' in an interview with Univision.
Biden denounced an Israeli drone strike that killed several aid workers from World Central Kitchen distributing food in Gaza, labelling it 'outrageous.' Following a phone call between the two leaders, Biden warned that the U.S. would reconsider its policy towards the war in Gaza if Israel did not increase civilian protection. the U.S. would reconsider its policy toward the war in Gaza if Israel did not do more to protect civilians.
Biden called for a cease-fire and urged Israel to allow six to eight weeks of total access for food and medicine delivery to Gaza. He emphasized the immediate provision of medical and food support to the people in need.
Tensions between Biden and Netanyahu have been building for months as the president faces mounting criticism over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza from activists and some Democratic lawmakers. In Democratic primaries, thousands of voters have expressed their discontent with Biden’s handling of the war.
Biden has maintained that Israel has the right to defend itself from Hamas while pressing Netanyahu to take more actions to safeguard civilians. In a previous interview with MSNBC, Biden stated that Netanyahu was 'hurting Israel more than helping' with his handling of the conflict.
Following the strike that killed the World Central Kitchen aid workers, the situation became critical. Israel took responsibility for the incident and termed it a mistake.
After the call between Biden and Netanyahu, the White House stressed the need for Israel to implement specific and measurable steps to address civilian harm and the safety of aid workers. The U.S. policy towards Gaza will be based on their evaluation of Israel’s immediate action on these steps.
Israel has subsequently opened more crossings in order to allow aid into Gaza, where thousands of Palestinians have lacked sufficient access to food, water, and medicine.
