It does not appear that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be following President Joe Biden's "red line."
The Washington Examiner reports, "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brushed off President Joe Biden’s concerns and criticisms, vowing to move forward with Israel’s military occupation in Gaza."
To get you, the reader, up to speed, we'll start with Biden's "red line."
Biden made the remark in an interview that he did on Saturday with MSNBC.
During his MSNBC appearance, Biden, according to Politico, was "asked whether an invasion of Rafah, in the south of Gaza on the border with Egypt, was a red line." The president responded in the affirmative, saying "It is a red line."
By this, it is clear that Biden meant that, if Netanyahu proceeds with an invasion of Rafah, the United States would view Netanyahu as crossing a line that ought not to be crossed in its war against Hamas terrorists.
According to Politico, Biden, during the interview, went on to claim that "Netanyahu is 'hurting Israel more than helping Israel' in his approach to the war against Hamas in Gaza,'" and Biden told Netanyahu that “he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken."
Biden said that the number of people killed in Gaza "is contrary to what Israel stands for," adding, "I think it’s a big mistake."
This marks a slight contrast from the pro-Israel messaging that we have been seeing from Biden since Hamas first carried out its terrorist attack against Israel in October 2023.
On Sunday, in an interview, Netanyahu responded to Biden's MSNBC remarks.
"I don't know exactly what the president meant, but if he meant by that that I'm pursuing private policies against the majority, the wish of the majority of Israelis, and that this is hurting the interests of Israel, then he's wrong on both counts," Netanyahu said.
He continued by explaining why Biden is wrong on both counts. Then, Netanyahu concluded:
So, the attempt to say that my policies are my private policies that are not supported by most Israelis, is false. The vast majority are united as never before. And they understand what's good for Israel. They understand what's important for Israel. And I think they're right.
You can find Netanuahu's complete response here:
Prime Minister Netanyahu:
"I don't know exactly what the president meant, but if he meant by that that I'm pursuing private policies against the majority, the wish of the majority of Israelis, and that this is hurting the interests of Israel, then he's wrong on both counts.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) March 10, 2024
