OAN’s James Meyers
1:15 PM – Tuesday, June 4, 2024
President Joe Biden stated that people have “every reason” to believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is dragging out the war in Gaza to help himself keep his position. Biden also stated that Netanyahu is prepared to do almost anything to secure the release of the hostages.
Biden, 81, was asked by Time magazine on May 28th whether “Netanyahu is prolonging the war for his own political self-preservation.”
“I’m not going to comment on that,” Biden began before immediately adding: “There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion.”
Biden stated in the interview that his major disagreement with the Israeli prime minister is over Gaza’s future after the war ends.
“What happens after Gaza’s over? What, what does it go back to? Do Israeli forces go back in?” he asked. “I’ve been talking to the Egyptians and been talking to the Saudis. I’ve been talking to the Jordanians, I’ve been talking to the Emiratis. The answer is, if that’s the case, it can’t work. There needs to be a two-state solution, a transition to a two-state solution. And that’s my biggest disagreement with Bibi Netanyahu.”
Meanwhile, recent polls have revealed that the war between Israel and Hamas has created a divide between certain voting demographics, including young voters and Arab Americans and Muslims voters, ahead of his November 5th rematch against former President Donald Trump.
Biden has been called “Genocide Joe” and Democrats have speculated that Netanyahu’s policies in Gaza may show a preference for Trump.
During his presidential term, Trump moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognized Israeli ownership of the Golan Heights and presided over the agreement of diplomatic relations between Israel and five Muslim countries.
However, since Biden suggested that Netanyahu was to blame for extending the war in the Middle East, the Biden administration warned the Israeli leader not to go after Hamas in Rafah due to fear of civilian deaths.
Additionally, the 81-year-old president stopped a shipment of 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs to Israel as a warning to Netanyahu to not carry out the attacks against the terrorist organization.
On Friday, the president announced a proposed cease-fire, which Netanyahu’s government accepted. However, not everyone in the government was happy about the cease-fire, according to Biden. This would permanently put the war at a stoppage without a final battle in Rafah, Biden argued Hamas was so weakened that it could no longer threaten Israel.
No cease-fire has been agreed upon yet by both sides as the war continues on.
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