President Biden and other senior U.S. officials are becoming increasingly frustrated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rejection of most of the administration’s recent requests related to the war in Gaza, four U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the issue told Axios.
Why it matters: Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack 100 days ago, Biden has given Israel his full backing, with unprecedented military and diplomatic support, even while taking a political hit from part of his base in an election year. That support has largely continued publicly, but behind the scenes, there are growing signs that Biden is losing his patience, the U.S. officials said.
- “The situation sucks and we are stuck. The president’s patience is running out,” one U.S. official told Axios.
- “At every juncture, Netanyahu has given Biden the finger,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who has been in close contact with U.S. officials about the war, told Axios. “They are pleading with the Netanyahu coalition, but getting slapped in the face over and over again.”
Behind the scenes: Biden hasn’t spoken to Netanyahu in the 20 days since a tense Dec. 23 call, which a frustrated Biden ended with the words: “This conversation is over.” They had spoken almost every other day in the first two months of the war.
- Before Biden hung up, Netanyahu had rejected his request that Israel release the Palestinian tax revenues it’s withholding.
- National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby tried to downplay the decrease in communication, telling reporters on Wednesday that “it doesn’t say anything” about the state of the relationship.
- But more and more signs of irritation are emerging. “There is immense frustration,” a U.S. official said.
Im really going to have to look this up again and knock off the rust. Wasn’t the newly created state of Israel supposed to be ethnically Jewish? Was this not originally the intent? Could anyone live there? When did that change? I do remember the countries previously bordering the british territory almost immediately attacked once it declared itself a state, (like only days/weeks later) maybe im thinking of all the people fleeing the battle. There was a war at its inception then israel got a little pieces of egypt, syria and (i think) lebanon that they’ve still got.
I know there was immigration of jews to Israel from the Arab states pretty soon after its creation. Did the Arab states kick Jews out like the us did with Japanese during ww2? Which nation did it first? Man there’s too much shit to look at
The goal of Israel was a Jewish homeland but it’s never been only for Jews. Arabs have always lived there and always will. The Arab population of Israel has grown faster than the Jewish one too.
Look up Jewish exodus of the Arab world, the wiki is pretty informative. The war of independence would be key words to lead to information about the attacks when they were first granted nationhood.
Get multiple sources and double check those sources. lots of newly invented stories are flying around these days.
Israel isn’t a perfect democracy but it’s far and away the best option for the citizens in the region and they’re not genocidal monsters although I’m sure some of them are horrid people, it seems you can’t form a government without some of those making a part of it.