NBC: Biden belittles Netanyahu in private but will still support him
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According to sources, Biden has been referring to Netanyahu as an “a******”, but a spokesperson for the National Security Council claims in a statement that the two still have a respectful relationship.
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US President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on October 18, 2023. (AFP)
According to five close sources cited by NBC News, US President Joe Biden has been displaying quite the amount of anger behind closed doors regarding "Israel's" military tactics in Gaza, naming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the reason and saying that he's been “giving him hell” for being a handful to deal with.
“He just feels like this is enough,” one of the sources said, adding, “It has to stop.”
According to the sources, Biden's been referring to Netanyahu as “this guy,” and has called him an “a****le” but a spokesperson for the National Security Council claims in a statement that the two still have a respectful relationship.
Previously, Biden allegedly referred to Netanyahu as a "bad f*****g guy" during private conversations, as per Politico. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates promptly denied the claim, asserting that Biden did not make such a statement.
“The President has been clear where he disagrees with Prime Minister Netanyahu, but this is a decades-long relationship that is respectful in public and in private,” the NSC Spokesperson relayed.
Read more: Netanyahu no longer considered 'productive' partner by White House: WP
Blinken bothered after meeting Netanyahu
The White House claimed on Sunday that during a phone call, Biden told Netanyahu that he believed “a military operation in Rafah should not proceed without a credible and executable plan” to allegedly protect the Palestinians there.
The White House said Biden assured Netanyahu that defeating Hamas and ensuring long-term security for "Israel" is a common goal. This comes a day after the US administration requested that "Israel" pause the invasion of Rafah till post-Ramadan.
Allegedly, Biden called "Israel’s" military tactics in Gaza as “over the top.”
Per NBC, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was reportedly bothered after a meeting with Netanyahu last week, telling Netanyahu that the number of Palestinians being killed daily because of his operations “remains too high.”
However, sources familiar with Biden’s private comments argue that he relayed to them his belief that it would be counterproductive to publicly show frustration with Netanyahu.
A 'no-appreciation' post
Officials told NBC News two weeks ago that the Biden administration was contemplating the delay of US weapons sales to "Israel" as a way to persuade Netanyahu to tone down military operations in Gaza and allegedly protect civilians.
NBC also reported that Biden's officials were drafting options to formally recognize an independent Palestinian state, but Biden wasn't ready to make drastic changes as he continues to see that unwavering support to "Israel" must remain unchanged.
Some Democrats have even called to conditionalize the aid going to "Israel", including military veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, who questioned "Israel’s" tactics, and said that the gross number of civilian deaths is counterproductive.
Read next: Biden, Netanyahu heading for a collision on postwar vision
