Biden unsure if Netanyahu holding up Gaza deal to influence US election
Al Jazeera
White House has for months said Israel is not the main stumbling block in elusive ceasefire talks.
United States President Joe Biden has said he does not know if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been dragging his feet on a ceasefire deal in Gaza in order to influence the US election in November.
Biden was asked the question directly during a news conference at the White House on Friday, just days ahead of the one-year anniversary of the war, in which at least 41,802 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed.
“No administration has helped Israel more than I have. None. None. None. And I think Bibi should remember that,” Biden said, referring to the Israeli leader by his nickname.
“And whether he’s trying to influence the election, I don’t know, but I’m not counting on that.”
The Biden administration has for months downplayed the prospect that Israel could be intentionally holding up such a deal, instead regularly laying the blame for breakdowns in talks on Hamas. It has done so despite repeated reports indicating that Netanyahu’s position had shifted throughout the talks, precluding any breakthroughs.
