The president offered strong support to Israel after Oct. 7 but has grown increasingly frustrated over the conduct of the war. “He has just gotten to a point where enough is enough,” a friend says.

President Biden laid it out for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel long before letting the public know. In a conversation bristling with tension on Feb. 11, the president warned the prime minister against a major assault on the Gaza city of Rafah — and suggested that continued U.S. support would depend on how Israel proceeded.

It was an extraordinary moment. For the first time, the president who had so strongly backed Israel’s war against Hamas was essentially threatening to change course. The White House, however, kept the threat secret, making no mention of it in the official statement it released about the call. And indeed, the private warning, perhaps too subtle, fell on deaf ears.

Six days later, on Feb. 17, Mr. Biden heard from Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. The president’s chief diplomat was calling from his blue-and-white government plane as he was flying home from a security conference in Munich. Despite the president’s warning, Mr. Blinken reported that momentum for an invasion of Rafah was building. It could result in a humanitarian catastrophe, he feared. They had to draw a line.

At that point, the president headed down a road that would lead to the most serious collision between the United States and Israel in a generation.

MBFC
Archive

  • @ZehzinEnglish
    18•7 months ago

    Listen here Jack, we agreed the genocide was going to be low-key. If you keep this up I might have to give a speech saying I’m disappointed

        • FenrirIIIEnglish
          1•6 months ago

          If Biden comes out against Bibi, the Republicans smear him as antisemitic and he loses the Jewish vote and their money). The man is trying to walk the tightrope and it’s not easy

          • @[email protected]English
            0•6 months ago

            Yes he should totally care what the antisemitic republican party says. The party that love to blame jews for every issue in the world.

            Yes he’s terrified of upsetting the Isreali lobbying fund aipac not jews.

            Then again he’s also a self proclaimed zionist so it’s not either of those but him trying to support the country no matter what they do

      • @Ensign_CrabEnglish
        1•6 months ago

        Not 100% on board with what Biden is doing? Here’s an insinuation that you support Trump! Everyone to my left is all the way to my right!