Benjamin Netanyahu hurting Israel by not preventing Gaza deaths: Joe Biden

Wilmington, March 10

United States’ President Joe Biden said on Saturday that he believed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “hurting Israel more than helping it” in how he was approaching its war against Hamas in Gaza.

Israel Prez opens amsterdam Holocaust museum amid protest

• Israeli President Isaac Herzog opened the National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam on Sunday amid pro-Palestinian protests demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
• Protesters chanted “never again is now” and “ceasefire now” near the museum, while holding Palestinian flags and signs that mentioned “Jews against genocide”.

The US leader expressed support for Israel’s right to pursue Hamas after the October 7 attack, but said of Netanyahu that “he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken”. Biden has for months warned that Israel risks losing international support over mounting civilian casualties in Gaza, and the latest remarks in an interview pointed to the increasingly strained relationship between the two leaders.

Biden said of the death toll in Gaza, “It’s contrary to what Israel stands for. And I think it’s a big mistake.” The US President said a potential Israeli invasion of the Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1.3 million Palestinians were sheltering, was “a red line” for him, but said he would not cut off weapons like the Iron Dome missile interceptors which protect the Israeli civilian populace from rocket attacks in the region.

“It is a red line,” he said, when asked about Rafah, “but I’m never going to leave Israel. The defence of Israel is still critical, so there’s no red line I’m going to cut off all weapons so they don’t have the Iron Dome to protect them”.

Biden said he was willing to make his case directly to the Israeli Knesset, its parliament, including by making another trip to the country. He travelled to Israel weeks after the October 7 attack. He declined to elaborate on how or whether such a trip might materialize. — AP