President Joe Biden said he doesn’t know if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding back on agreeing to an agreement to stop Gaza in order to influence the American elections that will be held next month.
During his first appearance at a press conference at the White House through his office, Biden told reporters: “Whether he’s trying to influence the election, I don’t know but I don’t count on that.”
Then he spoke short words to his close friend: “No administration has helped Israel more than me. Nothing, nothing, nothing,” he said. “And I think [Netanyahu] you have to remember that.”
Some Democrats have expressed concern that Netanyahu is ignoring the US president’s calls to negotiate a cease-fire agreement and release hostages to hurt the party’s chances in November.
Earlier this week, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy told CNN: “I don’t think you have to be a pessimistic cynic to read some of the actions of Israel, some of the actions of Prime Minister Netanyahu, that are connected to the American election.”
The polls suggest escalating violence in the Middle East and the failure to secure a diplomatic deal hurt Biden and his Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris. The president’s approval rating among Arab-Americans has fallen in the past year amid the devastation in Gaza, something that could be seen as damaging. team opportunities in November.
Biden has been calling for a deal between Israel and Hamas for months, and has repeatedly indicated that it is close. A pre-election deal would have a big impact on the president and the Democratic Party but it looks unlikely.
While the Biden administration criticized Hamas for failing to reach an agreement, the president also expressed public frustration with Netanyahu, recently he said he is not doing enough to make a deal.
Some American officials are reported to have checked that Netanyahu does not believe that the officials’ agreement will help him politically, as members of his coalition may oppose it.
“Hamas does not have a deal. There is no deal, unfortunately,” the Israeli prime minister said earlier this month, hours after a US official said it was 90% complete.
The strained relationship between Biden and Netanyahu, who have known each other for years, contrasts with the friendly relationship the Israeli leader had with former president Donald Trump, who is now the Republican nominee.
Meanwhile, Israel continued its offensive in Gaza and continued its ground offensive in southern Lebanon. It also vowed to respond to an Iranian ballistic missile attack this week.
In his appearance at a press conference on Friday, which startled reporters in the room, Biden responded with concerns that Israel might attack Iranian oil fields in retaliation.
“The Israelis have not yet decided what they will do with the strike,” he said. “If I were in their shoes, I would think of other ways than hitting the oil fields.”
Biden caused oil prices to rise on Thursday there he said the US is negotiating with Israel that there could be strikes on Iran’s oil infrastructure.
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