Biden Implies Netanyahu Is Prolonging Israel-Hamas War For His Own Political Gain

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

President Joe Biden conducted a foreign policy-focused interview with TIME Magazine that was published on Tuesday, and among the subjects was where he stands on his ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The subject of the Israel-Hamas War was a large focus of the interview with TIME‘s Massimo Calabresi, who covered Biden’s policies on China, the Middle East, the Russia-Ukraine War, and more in the lengthy piece (which included a link to the full transcript and a fact-check).

But given the heavily-covered student protests over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Biden’s support of Israel and its leader was not a question that would go unasked.

Biden did not explicitly denounce Netanyahu for the way he is handling the war with Hamas, but he did acknowledge that Netanyahu’s motives could be political:

Asked if Israeli forces have committed war crimes in Gaza, Biden says, “It’s uncertain.” From the start, the Administration knew Israel was pushing the limits of legal warfare, the Washington Post and others have reported. The conflict is driving a wedge between the U.S. and its allies. On May 31, Biden laid out a phased cease-fire plan that would end the war and secure the release of hostages. He has continued to pursue the complicated regional deal with Saudi Arabia. Some close to Biden say the only holdout to the broader pact is Netanyahu. The President declines to say as much, but when asked by TIME if Netanyahu is prolonging the war for his own political reasons, Biden admits, “There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion.”

Netanyahu has expressed that he and Biden have had “disagreements” on how he is handling Israel’s response to the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas, but he hopes to “overcome” them.