US President Biden expresses his mounting annoyance with Benjamin Netanyahu on the humanitarian situation in Gaza
President Joe Biden, who is becoming more irritated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was heard on a hot mic declaring that the two of them would need to have a “come to Jesus meeting.” Sen.
Michael Bennet, a Democrat from Colorado, and Vice President Joe Biden had a conversation on the House floor after the State of the Union speech on Thursday night. Bennet compliments Biden on his statement during the conversation and asks the president to continue pressuring Netanyahu on the mounting humanitarian issues in Gaza.
The short discussion included Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. Next, Biden replies, referring to Netanyahu by his alias, “I told him, Bibi, and don’t repeat this, but you and I are going to have a come to Jesus’ meeting.” The president is then approached by a close-by staffer who seems to warn Biden that microphones were still on while he was going around the room. Biden responds, “I’m on a hot mic here,” after being made aware. “All right. That’s positive.
The president responded to the remarks on Friday, jokingly telling reporters that they were “eavesdropping” on his chat. In response to a question about whether he believed Netanyahu needed to be doing more to lessen the suffering of humanitarians, Biden said, “Yes, he does.” Nearly the whole population of Gaza is in severe food shortage due to a growing humanitarian catastrophe and strict Israeli control over relief shipments, according to the UN. For months, officials had been alerting the public to the danger that Israel’s invasion and blockade were causing starvation in the Palestinian territories.
Biden has expressed his dissatisfaction with the Netanyahu administration’s reluctance to provide more land crossings so that desperately needed supplies may enter Gaza in public forums. He urged the Israelis to take greater steps to lessen suffering as they work to destroy Hamas in his speech on Thursday. “To Israel, I say this humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip,” Biden said.
In an address on Thursday, the president said that the United States military will assist in building a makeshift dock with the goal of increasing the volume of supplies into the region. The US military started airdropping supplies into Gaza last week.
The makeshift dock, according to Biden, “will enable a massive increase in humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza.” As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan approaches, Biden told reporters later on Friday at a campaign visit in a suburban Philadelphia that the chances of Israel and Hamas reaching a long-term cease-fire deal are “looking tough.” Sunday is predicted to mark the start of Ramadan. Additionally, Biden expressed concern about the unrest escalating into east Jerusalem. The Old City of Jerusalem, which is home to important holy sites revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims and serves as the emotional heart of the Middle East conflict, has seen clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces during Ramadan in previous years.
