Report: Biden won’t give Netanyahu ‘satisfaction’ of quitting before PM’s trip to DC
US president, isolating with COVID-19, is said to be furious with top Democrats for pressure on him to quit following debate flop, but resigned to prospect of pulling out of race
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 advisers 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.
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 advisers 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.
Netanyahu is set to address a joint session of the US Congress on Wednesday at the initiative of the Republicans. Several Democrats have said they will boycott the speech over Netanyahu’s conduct of the war in Gaza. The premier was also scheduled to meet Biden, but the fate of the meeting is unclear as the US president isolates at his Delaware home following a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Biden, who is reportedly coughing and hoarse, has begun to accept the possibility he will have to step down, the Times said. He is reportedly resentful of high-ranking Democrats — including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former US president Barack Obama — whom he suspects of orchestrating a media campaign designed to pressure him to quit, as a growing list of Democrats have publicly called on him to do so.
At least two dozen congressional Democrats have publicly called on Biden to quit since his disastrous June 27 debate against the Republican nominee, former US president Donald Trump. Biden’s halting performance intensified concern about his age, already a major issue for voters.
timesofisrael.com
That seems minor consolation and ignores the participation of US forces in the war on Gaza and in running the torture detention centers. |
