The conversation included a lengthy discussion about Israel’s plans for Rafah, a city in Gaza that shares a border with Egypt and that is housing millions of people who sought refuge there after the start of the war.
During the call, Netanyahu agreed to send senior officials to Washington, D.C., in the coming days to discuss potential military plans in Rafah as U.S. officials warn a major operation there would be a mistake.
“The president explained why he is so deeply concerned about the prospect of Israel conducting major military operations in Rafah,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters.
“Our position is that Hamas should not be allowed a safe haven in Rafah or anywhere else. But a major ground operation there would be a mistake,” he added.
Biden has sought to balance his frustrations with Netanyahu with his administration’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas. The president has repeatedly asserted Israel has a right to defend itself after Hamas’s attacks last October, while simultaneously urging Israel to do more to protect civilians and allow aid into Gaza.
In an interview last weekend with MSNBC, Biden said he thought Netanyahu was “hurting Israel more than helping.”
Biden also was caught on a hot mic after his State of the Union address on March 7 telling Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) that he planned to have a “come-to-Jesus meeting” with Netanyahu.
Democrats, and progressives in particular, have been increasingly outspoken about their concerns with Netanyahu’s government as thousands of Palestinians have been killed in fighting in Gaza and limited humanitarian aid has gotten into the area.
But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) further increased the pressure on Netanyahu, saying in remarks from the chamber floor that the prime minister had “lost his way,” pointing to the political and legal battles he has faced recently while also allowing that the off-and-on prime minister’s “highest priority is the security of Israel.”
“As a lifelong supporter of Israel, it has become clear to me: The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after Oct. 7,” Schumer said, referring to Hamas’s attack. “The world has changed — radically — since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past.”
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
