Middle East conflict
Joe Biden’s frustration with Netanyahu’s actions
US President Joe Biden: “I want to see a ceasefire”
© Joe Lamberti / DPA
Ramadan begins and a ceasefire in the Middle East conflict is not in sight. Joe Biden is trying to mediate – and is increasingly tired of the course of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In recent days there has been increasing evidence that Joe Biden has increasingly lost patience with Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the Middle East conflict. There were tender expressions on the sidelines of his State of the Union speech and several media reports. On Saturday, Biden took a position on a larger stage for the first time. In a TV interview with the US broadcaster MSNBC he formulated unusually clear criticism. Biden said that Netanyahu’s actions are “doing more harm than good” to Israel. The Israeli prime minister has “a right to defend Israel, a right to continue to persecute Hamas,” Biden said. But he must “pay more attention to the innocent people who die as a result of the measures taken.”
At the same time, Joe Biden pushed for a temporary ceasefire. “I want to see a ceasefire, starting with a major prisoner exchange. For a period of over six weeks,” he said. A ceasefire can be built on, said Biden. He has spoken to the majority of Arab heads of state and government, “from Saudi Arabia to Egypt to Jordan, everyone is ready to fully recognize Israel and begin rebuilding the region.”
Joe Biden on Rafah: “It’s a red line”
Biden emphasized that negotiations for a ceasefire would continue and was optimistic: “I think it’s always possible. I’ll stick to that.” The Wall Street Journal had previously reported that talks between mediators Egypt, Qatar and the USA would continue on Sunday in Cairo. According to the report, the Islamist Hamas is sticking to its demand for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza, but is ready for further negotiations. The Arab negotiators planned to push for an initial, shorter ceasefire of two days at the start of Ramadan, it was said.
Biden did not comment clearly on a possible Israeli military operation in the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip, where around 1.5 million people have fled. “It’s a red line,” said the 81-year-old, immediately adding that he would never abandon Israel. The defense of Israel remains very important.
Hamas figures: Over 30,000 dead Palestinians
There is no red line where he wants to completely stop arms deliveries so that the Israelis do not have the Iron Dome missile defense system to protect them, Biden continued. However, he continued: “There are red lines” and there should not be another 30,000 dead Palestinians.
Israel has been taking massive military action in the Gaza Strip since the unprecedented attack on Israel by the radical Islamic group Hamas on October 7th. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, more than 30,900 people have been killed in the coastal strip so far.
According to Israeli information, fighters from the Palestinian group, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the USA and the EU, killed around 1,160 people and kidnapped around 250 as hostages in the Hamas attack.
Biden no longer makes any secret of his frustration with Netanyahu. In his State of the Union speech on Thursday, he sharply criticized his intransigent stance. “I say this to the leadership in Israel: Humanitarian aid must not be a secondary consideration or a means of pressure. Protecting and saving innocent lives must be a priority.”
The US president wants to be re-elected this year and is coming under increasing pressure because of his support for Israel. A pro-Palestinian demonstration took place before his speech to Congress, with participants accusing Biden of genocide.