US president’s remarks to Time magazine about PM’s role in conflict draw heavily critical response from Israeli government

Joe Biden has said that there is “every reason” to draw the conclusion that Benjamin Netanyahu is prolonging the war in Gaza for his own political self-preservation.

Biden made the remarks about the Israeli prime minister in an interview with Time magazine published on Tuesday morning, drawing a sharp response from the Israeli government, which accused the US president of straying from diplomatic norms.

Netanyahu’s popularity plummeted after the 7 October attack by Hamas, which exposed serious flaws in Israeli security. Most political observers say Netanyahu would lose elections if they were held now, and would be forced into opposition, facing court hearings on corruption charges. But elections have been put off until the war is over, or at least until major military operations are deemed to have been completed.

Time asked Biden whether he believed Netanyahu was “prolonging the war for his own political self-preservation”.

“I’m not going to comment on that,” the president said in response, but added: “There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion.”

  • @Maggoty
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    16 months ago

    Oh? Is there a law saying we can’t use ICC evidence? Or is that just inconvenient to your narrative?

    • @disguy_ovahea
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      6 months ago

      For one, the US did not sign the Rome Statute, therefore the US government does not recognize the ICC as an authority.

      Secondly, the ICC, the ICJ, the UN, news sources, etc. report findings based on evidence. It’s considered hearsay in US court unless the evidence is submitted directly in trial or substantiated by the State Department.

      POTUS must rely on domestic intelligence or recorded first-hand experiences to make decisions. That’s why Biden needs to mandate a reassessment by the State Department.

      • @Maggoty
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        26 months ago

        Good thing the Congress isn’t a court. That was made obvious the last ten million times they tried to impeach a president in the last 15 years. And it doesn’t matter whether the US recognizes the ICC’s jurisdiction or not. That’s a credible accusation. That’s all the Leahy Law requires. Unless you care to make an argument that the ICC isn’t a credible organization?