Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli media: Spanish Parliament has overwhelmingly voted in favor of legislation banning arms sales to "Israel"
Syrian leadership approved the return of spy Eli Cohen's archive to "Israel": Reuters citing sources
Government Media Office in Gaza: The [Israeli] policy of starvation has led to more than 300 cases of miscarriage among pregnant women during the same 80-day period
Government Media Office in Gaza: The [Israeli] policy of starvation has resulted in the deaths of 326 people due to malnutrition and the lack of food and medicine over the past 80 days
UN says no aid distributed yet in Gaza
EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas asks for a review of EU-"Israel" trade deal
Rubio says Syria could be weeks away from 'full-scale civil war'
Sweden seeks EU sanctions targeting "individual Israeli ministers": Minister to AFP
UK pauses trade deal talks with "Israel", summons ambassador over new Gaza offensive
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 67 martyrs in Israeli strikes on Gaza since morning.

Israelis faced no serious pressure from US to stop war: US officials

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 29 Apr 2025 00:02
  • 3 Shares
5 Min Read

Former Biden officials admitted that Netanyahu rejected a ceasefire, prolonged the Gaza war for political reasons, sabotaged a Saudi normalization deal, and faced no serious pressure from Washington to stop the assault.

Listen
  • x
  • AP
    Former US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea, right, speaks with US Envoy for Energy Affairs Amos Hochstein, left, after their meeting with the Lebanese President Michel Aoun, at the presidential palace, in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Senior officials from the former Biden administration have acknowledged in a revealing interview aired Sunday by "Israel's" Channel 13 that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu actively derailed efforts to reach a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia and prolonged the Gaza war for political survival, all while rejecting any serious move toward a ceasefire.

The officials revealed that in 2023, "Israel" was presented with an opportunity to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia. The proposed deal, brokered by Washington and Riyadh, would have required a ceasefire, the release of captives, and a political commitment toward the establishment of a Palestinian state. Netanyahu rejected these conditions outright. Following the October 7 events, he entrenched his refusal, dismissing any discussion of Palestinian rights as "a prize for terrorism."

Biden aides noted that advancing Palestinian self-determination was not framed as an Israeli concession but as a necessary step to weaken Hamas and empower a reformed Palestinian Authority; "Israel" still refused.

"I don't understand the decision not to grab that opportunity as the most important strategic move Israel can make," former senior US envoy Amos Hochstein said. "I think it was missed before. I hope Israel doesn't miss that opportunity moving forward, even if it means doing things that politically are uncomfortable."

Throughout the course of the war, "Israel" consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire, not once requesting one itself, even as the Palestinian death toll rose into the tens of thousands. Despite widespread destruction in Gaza, Netanyahu's government pursued a military strategy without any political plan for what would follow, a choice Biden officials now admit was deliberate.

Former US national security advisor Jake Sullivan expressed frustration at Netanyahu's attacks on the US, saying, "Having the prime minister of Israel question the support of the United States after all that we did, do I think that was a right and proper thing for a friend to do? I do not. [However], I will always stand firm behind the idea that Israel has a right to defend itself and that the United States has a responsibility to help Israel."

Read more: Captive families say Netanyahu 'criminal against his own people'

In internal discussions, Washington briefly considered more forceful measures, including a speech from Biden to pressure Netanyahu or even encourage Israeli elections. But the US ultimately chose not to directly confront Netanyahu's extremist coalition, enabling continued escalation in Gaza without a coherent exit strategy.

Related News

EU to review cooperation deal with 'Israel' over Gaza violations

Frustrated Trump wants Netanyahu to 'wrap up' war on Gaza: Axios

Officials further revealed that Netanyahu sabotaged diplomatic efforts by falsely accusing the US of a broad weapons freeze, leading to the collapse of negotiations to release a shipment of 2,000-lb bombs, despite the fact that Washington had already pushed through $19 billion in new security assistance to "Israel."

Behind the scenes, Biden aides said they struggled to secure basic humanitarian aid entry into Gaza, facing Israeli obstruction and attacks on aid convoys by far-right settlers, actions enabled by ministers inside Netanyahu's own government. Although the US signed memoranda requiring the State Department to monitor whether Israeli behavior violated US arms laws, whistleblowers like Stacy Gilbert resigned after accusing the Biden administration of manipulating findings to continue arms shipments to "Israel."

Despite recognizing these realities, Biden officials continued unconditional political and military support for "Israel" throughout the war. While they claim to have privately voiced concerns, there was no serious pressure on "Israel" to halt its attack or pursue a ceasefire.

Read more: Burned, amputated: Gaza children bear brunt of brutal Israeli war

Discussions with Saudi Arabia over normalization continued during the war, but ultimately faltered because "Israel's" leadership refused to accept any framework that would guarantee Palestinian rights. "The fact that there wasn't a way in the Israeli political system for anyone to navigate a space to allow for that is kind of shocking," former US ambassador Jack Lew said.

Even in ceasefire talks, Biden officials acknowledged that Netanyahu's internal political considerations often obstructed possible deals. US negotiators admitted that Netanyahu added new conditions at critical moments, disrupting progress aimed at securing the release of captives.

While some former Biden officials sought to portray President Biden's loyalty to "Israel" as an act of courage, the interviews paint a different reality: Biden's refusal to apply meaningful pressure allowed Netanyahu's government to escalate the devastation in Gaza without restraint.

Former Israeli ambassador Michael Herzog summed up this perspective when he said, “God did the State of Israel a favor that Biden was the president during this period, because it could have been much worse. We fought [in Gaza] for over a year, and the administration never came to us and said, ‘ceasefire now.' It never did. And that's not to be taken for granted.”

The reality, confirmed even by officials closest to Washington and Tel Aviv, is that "Israel's" attack on Gaza was never accompanied by any serious plan for peace, only the relentless continuation of genocide, enabled and shielded by unconditional US support.

Read more: 'Israel' will reject a 5-year ceasefire with Gaza: Israeli media

  • war on Gaza
  • Israel
  • Amos Hochstein
  • Ceasefire in Gaza
  • Jake Sullivan
  • Gaza

Most Read

Gaza and the logic of necropolitics: Sovereignty measured by killing

Gaza and the logic of necropolitics: Sovereignty measured by killing

  • Politics
  • 15 May 2025
Two F-35 jets arrive at it's new operational base Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, at Hill Air Force Base, in northern Utah. (AP)

F-35 near-misses over Yemen signal new risks for 'Israel': Forbes

  • Politics
  • 14 May 2025
Abu Obaida

Abu Obeida posts shortly after Israeli reports about his assassination

  • Palestine
  • 15 May 2025
YAF say struck 'Israel's' Ben-Gurion Airport with missiles, drones

YAF say struck 'Israel's' Ben Gurion Airport with missiles, drones

  • MENA
  • 18 May 2025

Coverage

All
Gaza prevails against genocide

Read Next

All
Gulf investments quietly boosted Elon Musk and family fortunes
US & Canada

Gulf investments quietly boosted Elon Musk and family fortunes

A 3D render of China's planned 'drone mothership' Credit: X/@XH_Lee23
US & Canada

China unveils drone mothership capable of swarm attacks

Relatives of Venezuelan migrants deported by the US to a Salvadoran prison protested outside the UN building in Caracas on April 9, 2025 (AP)
US & Canada

At least 50 migrants deported to El Salvador prison entered US legally

A city bus goes by the historic city of Santiago, Spain during a major power outage across Spain and Portugal on April, 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
Europe

Spain hit by major phone network outage weeks after nation blackout

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS