Conclusions can confirm Netanyahu prolongs war for own interest: Biden

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Time
5 Jun 2024 00:08
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US President Joe Biden was asked about Netanyahu's prolonging of the war for political reasons, to which he acknowledged that there are grounds for such conclusions.

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President Joe Biden speaks about an executive order in the East Room at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 4, 2024. (AP)

At an interview with Time Magazine on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden was asked whether he thought Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was "prolonging the war for his own political self-preservation," to which he answered: "I’m not going to comment on that. There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion."

He further acknowledged the immense pressure faced by Netanyahu regarding Israeli captives held by resistance groups in Gaza.

Elsewhere in the interview, Biden was questioned on "Israel's" war crimes in Gaza, which are currently under investigation at the ICC and ICJ, to which he responded: "The answer is it's uncertain and has been investigated by the Israelis themselves".

"The ICC is something that we don’t recognize. But one thing is certain: the people in Gaza, the Palestinians, have suffered greatly, for lack of food, water, medicine, etc. And a lot of innocent people have been killed," he added.

Over the course of the past 8 months, the US-Israeli rift has widened dramatically, especially due to "Israel's" management of the war on Gaza. But these disagreements have not affected the nature of US support for "Israel."

On May 31, US President Joe Biden laid out a new proposal that involves releasing Israeli captives in exchange for a ceasefire in Gaza.

While continuing to provide arms for the Israelis, he claimed that this was the most effective step toward de-escalating the ongoing war, adding, "With a ceasefire, that aid could be safely and effectively distributed to all who need it."

On June 2, Netanyahu's office announced that any suggestion of "Israel" agreeing to a permanent ceasefire before "the destruction of Hamas' military and governing capabilities" was "a non-starter."

Earlier in the day, a senior Hamas official told Al Mayadeen that the movement refuses to start from scratch as the Resistance group had already approved of the previous document.

The source expressed Hamas' surprise at the US administration's ongoing request, through mediators, for the movement's approval of the recent ceasefire proposal, without prior Israeli approval.

It is important to note that several extremists in Netanyahu's cabinet are threatening to dissolve the government if decides to agree to the terms mentioned in Biden's proposal.