Biden unsure if Netanyahu holding up Gaza deal to influence US election
United States President Joe Biden has said he does not know if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been dragging his feet on a ceasefire deal in Gaza in order to influence the US election in November.
Biden was asked the question directly during a news conference at the White House on Friday, just days ahead of the one-year anniversary of the war, in which at least 41,802 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed.Still, some top Democrats have increasingly questioned whether Netanyahu could have an eye on the US election – and the possible victory of former President Donald Trump – in his military calculation.Trump has long been Netanyahu’s preferred occupant of the White House. On the campaign trail, the Republican has attacked the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, over the Biden administration’s inability to reach a deal.
“I don’t think you have to be a hopeless cynic to read some of Israel’s actions, some of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s actions, as connected to the American election,” Senator Chris Murphy, a close ally of Biden, told CNN earlier this week.
US officials also told The Wall Street Journal in September they did not believe a deal would be reached during Biden’s presidency, which ends in January of 2025.
Continued military aid
Biden had initially said that Israel supported a ceasefire plan he introduced in May, despite Netanyahu appearing to swiftly contradict the claim.
Transfer of power may not be ‘peaceful’
Speaking during the news conference on Friday, Biden also warned that Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, could refuse to accept the outcome of the election on November 5.
Trump had spread false claims the 2020 vote was marred by election malfeasance. The statements culminated in his supporters storming the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn Biden’s victory.
