“I think he expressed not just his own concerns, but the serious concerns of many Americans,” Biden said.
Washington:
President Joe Biden praised U.S. Senate leaders for a speech on Friday urging Israel to hold new elections and said many Americans had concerns about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza.
The call by Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the most senior elected Jewish American in history, was the strongest condemnation of Israel by a senior U.S. official since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.
Asked about the speech after meeting Irish Prime Minister Varadkar at the White House, Biden said: “He gave a good speech and I think he expressed serious concerns not just for himself but for a lot of Americans. “
Biden told reporters in the Oval Office that Schumer had contacted his staff to say he would make the comments, adding that he “won’t go into detail about the speech.”
The US president also prayed for good luck but did not comment when reporters asked him what he thought of Hamas’s new proposal for a six-week truce in Gaza.
Schumer’s remarks came as Biden mounted pressure on Netanyahu to reduce the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza and provide more aid as the region looms on famine .
Biden is also facing growing political pressure at home, concerned that voters may punish the Democratic Party in November’s U.S. presidential election for his support for Israel.
Schumer said: “As a democracy, Israel has the right to choose its own leaders, and we should let nature take its course. But it is important that Israelis have the right to choose.”
“There needs to be a new debate on Israel’s future after October 7.”
Schumer also said Netanyahu was one of four “major obstacles” to peace, along with Hamas, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and radical right-wing Israelis.
“cautiously optimistic”
Biden has been a strong supporter of Israel’s right to defend itself since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, but there are signs of growing differences with Netanyahu.
The president’s praise of Schumer’s speech fueled speculation about tensions between Schumer and the Israeli leader, but the White House said he was not calling for new elections.
“That will be decided by the Israeli people,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
Tensions are particularly high over Israel’s planned offensive on the southern city of Rafah, which Netanyahu said he had approved on Friday.
“We haven’t seen it yet. We’re certainly excited to have the opportunity to see it,” Kirby said.
He added that the president could not support any plan without a “credible, achievable and enforceable plan” to provide asylum to the more than one million Gazans who have taken refuge there.
Regarding Hamas’s new ceasefire plan, Kirby said the White House is “cautiously optimistic that things are moving in the right direction.”
Kirby added: “I would say the proposals that have been made are certainly within the scope of the agreement that we have been working towards for many months.”
Meanwhile, the war in Gaza has cast a shadow over the Irish Prime Minister’s traditional visit to the White House to celebrate the St. Patrick’s Day holiday.
Varadkar has been one of the strongest critics of the West’s offensive against Israel.
Varadkar said: “You know, my view is that we need a ceasefire as soon as possible so that food and medicine can be delivered and hostages can be rescued.” Biden nodded “I agree.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
