White House: Biden did not call Netanyahu “a bad f*****g guy”
The White House denied a report in Politico claiming that US President Joe Biden is suspicious of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has even referred to him as a “bad f*****g guy” (expletive deleted). The report cited “people who’ve talked to the president”.
The article claimed that Biden’s alleged ire is due to his suspicion that Netanyahu intends to drag the US into a wider war in the Middle East to ensure a steady supply of US weapons. A larger conflict will eliminate pressure on Israel to stop its attack on Hamas, ending the war and leaving the terrorist organization intact and in power on Israel’s southern border.
The Politico report stated that this contempt of the Israeli PM is becoming widespread even among pro-Israel Democrats who want the president to pressure Israel into a ceasefire. As further proof, Politico cited a recent YouGov poll that found 50 percent of self-described Biden voters called Israel’s attacks on Gaza “a genocide.”
Biden spokesperson Andrew Bates denied the claim, saying “The president did not say that, nor would he,” adding that the two leaders have “a decades-long relationship that is respectful in public and in private.”
Despite the White House denials, relations with the Israeli government have deteriorated. President Joe Biden issued an executive order on Thursday that aims to punish Israeli settlers who have been attacking Palestinians in Judea and Samaria. The Biden administration announced it is imposing sanctions on four individuals who have engaged in such violence. Critics point out that settler violence is rare and usually punished by the Israeli judicial system. Palestinian violence, on the other hand, is common, extreme, and rewarded by the Palestinian Authority with cash stipends.
The announcement came as the President was preparing to visit Michigan, a state with a prominent Muslim population.
The office of the Israeli prime minister criticized the move.
“The absolute majority of the settlers in Judea and Samaria are law-abiding citizens, many of whom are currently fighting regularly and in the reserves for the defense of Israel. Israel acts against all lawbreakers everywhere,” the official statement read. “There is no room for exceptional measures in this regard.”
A report in November prepared by IDF Central Command, which is responsible for Judea and Samaria, showed that in the week preceding the October 7 Hamas attack, the military recorded 32 incidents of nationalist crime. In the week following the attack, the IDF registered 24 violent incidents, three of which were defined as serious and the number of attacks continued to drop in the following weeks.
According to Israel Police figures made public last month, compared to the same period last year there has been a decrease of 50% in incidents in which Jews engaged in violent offenses out of nationalistic motives.
On Sunday, Netanyahu responded to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir who claimed that Israel would have been better off had Trump remained president.
“We deeply appreciate the support we have received from the Biden administration since the outbreak of war,” Netanyahu said during a cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv, according to the Times of Israel.
“That doesn’t mean we don’t have disagreements, but so far we have managed to overcome them with determined and considered decisions,” he added.
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