United States President Joe Biden has said he does not know if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been dragging his feet on a ceasefire deal in Gaza in order to influence the US election in November.
Biden was asked the question directly during a news conference at the White House on Friday, just days ahead of the one-year anniversary of the war, in which at least 41,802 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed.
“No administration has helped Israel more than I have. None. None. None. And I think Bibi should remember that,” Biden said, referring to the Israeli leader by his nickname.
“And whether he’s trying to influence the election, I don’t know, but I’m not counting on that.”
The Biden administration has for months downplayed the prospect that Israel could be intentionally holding up such a deal, instead regularly laying the blame for breakdowns in talks on Hamas. It has done so despite repeated reports indicating that Netanyahu’s position had shifted throughout the talks, precluding any breakthroughs.
Still, some top Democrats have increasingly questioned whether Netanyahu could have an eye on the US election – and the possible victory of former President Donald Trump – in his military calculation.
Trump has long been Netanyahu’s preferred occupant of the White House. On the campaign trail, the Republican has attacked the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, over the Biden administration’s inability to reach a deal.
“I don’t think you have to be a hopeless cynic to read some of Israel’s actions, some of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s actions, as connected to the American election,” Senator Chris Murphy, a close ally of Biden, told CNN earlier this week.
US officials also told The Wall Street Journal in September they did not believe a deal would be reached during Biden’s presidency, which ends in January of 2025.
Continued military aid
Biden had initially said that Israel supported a ceasefire plan he introduced in May, despite Netanyahu appearing to swiftly contradict the claim.
In September, the Israeli prime minister pushed back on a claim from a Biden administration official that 90 percent of the deal had been completed. Later that month, Israel surged its attacks on Lebanon shortly after meeting with US officials pushing for de-escalation.
Since then, Netanyahu’s government has ignored appeals from US officials for a pause in fighting as it has upped its operations – including limited ground incursions – in Lebanon.
Biden has also opposed Israel striking Iran’s nuclear facilities following an Iranian attack earlier this week.
On Friday, he indicated he also opposed any strikes on Iran’s oil facilities, saying: “If I were in their shoes, I would be thinking about other alternatives than striking Iranian oil fields.”
Despite Israel continuing to flaunt Washington’s public appeals, the Biden administration has for months avoided leveraging the military aid it provides to its “ironclad” ally.
Transfer of power may not be ‘peaceful’
Speaking during the news conference on Friday, Biden also warned that Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, could refuse to accept the outcome of the election on November 5.
Trump had spread false claims the 2020 vote was marred by election malfeasance. The statements culminated in his supporters storming the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn Biden’s victory.
Trump has continued to cast unfounded doubt that the upcoming election would be fair.
Biden said it was notable that Trump’s running mate, Vance, would not confirm during this week’s vice presidential debate that he would accept the outcome of the vote next month.
“I’m confident it will be free and fair. I don’t know whether it will be peaceful. The things that Trump has said, and the things that he said last time out when he didn’t like the outcome of the election, were very dangerous,” Biden said.