US President Joe Biden has publicly criticized the Israeli prime minister’s approach Benjamin Netanyahu to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, labeling it a “mistake.”
What happened: Biden expressed his disagreement with Netanyahu’s handling of the Gaza war during an interview with Univision, a Spanish-language U.S. television network. Reuters initially reported the news on Tuesday.
The US president has previously criticized Israel’s military actions in Gaza as “indiscriminate” and “exaggerated”. Last week, Biden, during a phone call with Netanyahu, threatened to condition US support for the Israeli offensive on taking concrete measures to protect aid workers and civilians.
“What I ask is that the Israelis simply call for a ceasefire, allow for the next six, eight weeks, full access to all the food and medicine coming into the country,” Biden said in the interview.
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Israel’s military assault on Gaza has faced international criticism and led to domestic protests in the United States by anti-war activists, Muslims and Arab Americans. They call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and restrictions on US military assistance to Israel.
The conflict, which began with a Hamas attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, has left more than 33,000 dead in Hamas-ruled Gaza, according to the local health ministry. The conflict has also displaced nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million people and led to accusations of genocide, which Israel denies.
Because matter: Biden’s criticism of Netanyahu’s approach to the Gaza conflict comes amid a significant shift in U.S. policy toward Israel. Earlier this month, Biden made a stern appeal to Netanyahu for an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing war in Gaza, marking a significant shift in the US stance towards its ally amid the growing humanitarian crisis.
This change in position was noted by former US ambassador to Israel, David M. Friedman, who highlighted Biden’s change in position on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have reportedly reduced their ground presence in the southern Gaza Strip, a move that suggests a possible change in their military strategy.
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