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| Reuters |
The US president expressed support for Israel's right to pursue Hamas following the October 7 attack, but said that Netanyahu "needs to pay more attention to the innocent lives that are lost as a result of the actions."
For months, Biden has warned that Israel risks losing international support due to the increasing number of civilian deaths in Gaza, and his latest comments, made during an interview with Jonathan Capehart of MSNBC, signal the increasingly tense relationship between the two leaders.
Biden indicated that the number of deaths in Gaza "goes against what Israel stands for. And I think it's a big mistake."
He added that a possible Israeli invasion of Rafah, a city in Gaza where more than 1.3 million Palestinians take refuge, is a red line for him, but he would not withdraw weapons like the Iron Dome missile interceptors that protect the Israeli civilian population from rocket attacks in the region.
"It's a red line," he replied when asked about Rafah, "but I will never leave Israel. The defense of Israel remains crucial, so there is no red line by which I withdraw all weapons so they don't have the Iron Dome to protect them."
Biden said he was willing to present his case directly to the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, even going back to the country. He visited Israel weeks after the October 7 attack. He declined to give details about whether the trip will take place and in what form.
The US president was hoping to secure a ceasefire before Ramadan begins this week, although that seems increasingly unlikely, as Hamas opposed a deal pushed by the United States and its allies that included a six-week suspension of combat, the release of more people kidnapped by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners captured by Israel, and increased humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Biden noted that the director of the CIA, Bill Burns, is currently in the region trying to revive the deal.