Biden hints Netanyahu is dragging out Gaza war for political survival

President Biden suggested in an interview published Tuesday that his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, may be dragging out the war in Gaza in an attempt to cling to power, and said it was “uncertain” whether Israel had committed war crimes.

President Joe Biden suggested in an interview published Tuesday that his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, may be dragging out the war in Gaza in an attempt to cling to power and said it was “uncertain” whether Israel had committed war crimes. “There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion,” he said when questioned whether he believed Netanyahu sought to prolong the conflict for political purposes, giving voice to a widespread belief in Washington and other capitals that the Israeli leader is using the war as a buffer against blowback. “Before the war began, the blowback he was getting from the Israeli military for wanting to change the constitu – change the court. And so it’s an internal domestic debate that seems to have no consequence,” Biden said, referring to Netanyahu’s proposed judicial overhaul that had drawn angry protests before the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas that sparked the current conflict. “Whether he would change his position or not, it’s hard to say, but it has not been helpful,” Biden said. The president made the comments last week as he was preparing to deliver a speech laying out what he said was an Israeli proposal to end the war and secure the release of hostages. The speech was intended to apply pressure on Hamas and Israel to end the war, but the effect of his remarks was to put Netanyahu on the spot as the war in Gaza grinds ahead. So far, Netanyahu has yet to publicly endorse the plan, despite it being an Israeli proposal, and members of his far-right government have threatened to quit should the plan be adopted.