Joe Biden’s advisers believe the United States president does not want to bow out of the November election before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to Washington this week, as Biden is unwilling to give Netanyahu “the satisfaction” given the two leaders’ tensions over the war in Gaza, The New York Times reported on Friday.
The report, citing several unnamed people close to Biden, came after the Axios news site on Friday cited top Democrats as saying Biden had resigned himself to the pressure on him to quit, and could bow out as soon as this weekend.
But advisors say that Netanyahu’s impending visit could draw out the process of Biden pulling out of the race, with the president unwilling to give Netanyahu the satisfaction, given their strained relations lately over the Gaza war.
US-Israel tensions have simmered in recent months over the civilian toll in Gaza and the shortage of humanitarian aid there; the lack of a tangible plan by Netanyahu for Gaza’s post-war governance; Biden’s withholding arms from Israel over its offensive in Rafah; and Netanyahu’s perceived derailing of talks, mediated in part by the US, to secure a ceasefire and release of hostages held in Gaza. At least one member of Netanyahu’s government has also explicitly endorsed Biden’s rival, former US president Donald Trump, in the upcoming election. READ MORE
