President Joe Biden said he doesn't know if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding up a Gaza ceasefire agreement to influence next month's U.S. presidential election.
In a surprise appearance at a White House press conference on Friday, Biden responded to the question by saying, "I don't know if he's trying to influence the election, but I don't expect him to do that." Biden then had some terse words for his longtime ally. "No government has ever supported Israel more than I have. Nothing, nothing, nothing," he said. "And I think (Netanyahu) should remember that." Some Democrats have expressed concern that Netanyahu will ignore the U.S. president's requests to negotiate a ceasefire and hostage rescue, hurting the party's chances in November.
Earlier this week, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy told CNN, "I don't think you have to be a desperate cynic to think that some of Israel's actions and some of Prime Minister Netanyahu's actions are tied to the American election." Polls show that the escalating violence in the Middle East and the failure to reach a diplomatic agreement are blows to Biden and his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris. The president's approval rating among Arab Americans has fallen sharply over the past year, driven mainly by anger over U.S. support for Israel's military operations, which could hurt the party's prospects in November. Biden has been pushing for a diplomatic deal between Israel and Hamas in recent months and has repeatedly suggested that one is imminent. A deal before the election would be a big boost for the president and the Democrats, but that seems increasingly unlikely.
While the Biden administration has primarily criticized Hamas for not reaching an agreement, the president has also expressed growing public frustration with Netanyahu for not doing enough to reach one. Netanyahu, meanwhile, has rejected U.S. government suggestions that a deal is imminent. "Hamas has not reached an agreement," the Israeli prime minister said earlier this month, hours after U.S. officials said the deal was 90 percent complete. The increasingly strained relationship between Biden and Netanyahu, who have known each other for decades, contrasts with the Israeli leader's cordial relationship with former President Donald Trump, the current Republican candidate. Meanwhile, Israel continues its attacks on Gaza and is advancing ground attacks in southern Lebanon. It also said this week that it would respond to Iranian ballistic missile attacks. Biden attended a press conference on Friday, shocking reporters in attendance as it was his first appearance since taking office four years ago. He responded to concerns that Israel might attack Iranian oil fields in retaliation. "The Israeli side has not yet decided what they're going to do about the attack," he said. "If I were them, I would consider options other than attacking the oil fields." Biden said Thursday that the U.S. was in talks with Israel about a possible attack on Iran's oil infrastructure, sending oil prices soaring.
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