Biden says Netanyahu's approach to the war is a mistake, deepening a rift between the two allies
CTV
U.S. President Joe Biden called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza a mistake and called for his government to flood the beleaguered territory with aid, ramping up pressure on Israel to reach a cease-fire and widening a rift between the two staunch allies.
U.S. President Joe Biden called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza a mistake and called for his government to flood the beleaguered territory with aid, ramping up pressure on Israel to reach a cease-fire and widening a rift between the two staunch allies.
Palestinians in Gaza marked a muted start to the Eid al-Fitr holiday, with parents visiting the graves of sons and daughters killed in the war. After morning prayers, Muslims often visit the resting places of loved ones during the three-day festival marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
At a cemetery in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah, Samahir Za'neen crouched over the tombstone of her 20-year-old son, who was killed in an airstrike in January while walking in the city. "His Eid (is) in paradise, God willing," she said.
Biden has been an outspoken supporter of Israel's war against Hamas since the militant group launched a deadly assault on Oct. 7. But in recent weeks his patience with Netanyahu has appeared to be waning and his administration has taken a more stern line with Israel, rattling the countries' decades-old alliance and deepening Israel's international isolation over the war.
The most serious disagreement has been over Israel's plans for an offensive in the southernmost Gaza city of Rafah and the rift has spiraled since, worsened by an Israeli airstrike last week on an aid convoy, which killed seven workers with the food charity World Central Kitchen, most of them foreigners. Israel said the deaths were unintentional but Biden was outraged.
Biden's comments, made in an interview that aired late Tuesday after being recorded two days after the WCK strike, highlight the differences between Israel and the U.S. over humanitarian aid to people in Gaza, where a monthslong war has led to warnings of imminent famine.
"What he's doing is a mistake. I don't agree with his approach," Biden told Spanish-language broadcaster Univision.
