Officials in Biden admin worked to undermine Netanyahu after ceasefire talks collapsed, former aide says
A new bombshell report on an Israeli TV news show revealed Biden officials discussed the idea of working to trigger an election with the hope of defeating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu so they could push the president's ceasefire deal.
The plan was ultimately blocked by the president.
One of the president's advisors on the region said that after the first ceasefire deal in the Israel-Hamas war collapsed, the idea of working against Netanyahu started to circulate in President Joe Biden's administration, according to former White House officials interviewed on Israel's Channel 13 show "HaMakor."
The idea floated was that Biden would give a speech directly to the Israeli public, presenting two options, according to his Middle East advisor Ilan Goldenberg. "A lot of people were talking about, including in the Oval Office at times, the idea of, like, the President going out and giving a speech. Benny Gantz (the opposition leader) was at 37 [seats] and Bibi was like at 15, right? Like, he was very weak. Joe Biden was still incredibly popular in Israel," he claimed.
Biden Criticizes Netanyahu Over Israel-hamas War, Says Israeli Leader Making A 'Mistake'
Goldenberg said, "The idea was that Biden would say you can end the war, get all the hostages out, get a deal that includes even, you know, maybe trying to have elements of Hamas leave — or you can keep doing what you're doing, and Israel will be in a Forever War. Your sons and daughters are going to keep fighting. Most of the hostages are going to come home dead. The idea would be either to force Netanyahu to come on board with that or scramble Israeli politics and see if you could trigger elections. That's what people were saying, like, 'let's just break this up because it's not going anywhere good.'"
Read On The Fox News App
However, Goldenberg said Biden blocked the move. "I think at the end of the day, he [Biden] was uncomfortable with the idea of going out that directly against Netanyahu."
At a moment when U.S.-Israeli cooperation was vital, the deep mistrust and personal tensions between former President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu threatened to derail key diplomatic opportunities. The recent report featured insights from nine senior Biden administration officials and sheds light on the complexities that defined their interactions.
Tom Nides, former U.S. ambassador to Israel, recalled how the president frequently clashed with Netanyahu's leadership.
"Biden didn't really trust Netanyahu," Nides said. "Netanyahu, I mean, come on everybody, he's a survivor, a manipulator, you know, a magician when it comes to relationships. Biden saw all of that."
Kamala Harris' Pick For Jewish Liaison Draws Criticism Over Israel, Iran Views: 'Red Flag'
Before Oct. 7, tensions focused on Netanyahu's push for judicial reform, which sparked massive demonstrations and clashes among the Israeli public. "I was in the middle of all this… I had many a screaming match with Ron Dermer (Israel's Minister of Strategic Affairs) about this," Nides said. Biden repeatedly urged Netanyahu to slow down and seek consensus, while anxieties rose over figures like far-right nationalist Minister Ben Gvir.
"There were lots of anxieties over the issues around judicial reform, which I thought was insane," Nides said.
The personal tension sometimes erupted publicly. When asked if Biden ever used harsh language for Netanyahu, Nides said, "President Biden likes to use colorful language, and on occasion, the prime minister was able to extract that colorful language from the president." He said Netanyahu questioning Biden's commitment to Israel particularly infuriated him.
After Oct. 7, when Biden became the first sitting president to visit Israel during wartime, tensions deepened as Netanyahu rejected U.S. plans for Gaza's future. According to Michael Herzog, Israel's then-ambassador to Washington, Biden believed Netanyahu was aiding Trump politically, while Netanyahu suspected Biden of deliberately "walking on his head."
The tension extended to hostage negotiations. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Hamas was reluctant to talk seriously for months. When asked if Netanyahu added conditions, he said, "I'm not saying that."
Unlike their public statements, Arab leaders were quietly supporting Israel's efforts to defeat Hamas, Dan Shapiro, former deputy assistant secretary of Defense, revealed in the interview. "They said very clearly, please tell the Israelis they have our support to wipe out Hamas," he said.
At the same time, while tensions with Netanyahu were growing, a major opportunity was slipping away. Amos Hochstein, former U.S. special envoy for International Energy Affairs, called Saudi Arabia "the most important Muslim country in the world," describing Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a historic figure capable of reshaping the region.
Herzog, Israel's former ambassador to Washington, confirmed that serious discussions had taken place about advancing normalization during the transition period before Trump could return to office. "Biden would bring Democrats, and Trump would bring Republicans," Herzog explained, but said that Trump preferred to wait, not wanting to share the achievement. "I believe it will happen, I just don't know when," Herzog said.
Fox News Digital sent questions to former President Biden's spokesperson for comment.Original article source: Officials in Biden admin worked to undermine Netanyahu after ceasefire talks collapsed, former aide says
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
First Thing: Donald Trump sends Marines to LA as mayor says city being used as ‘experiment'
Good morning. About 700 US marines were en route to Los Angeles on Tuesday after Donald Trump mobilized them the day before in response to protests over immigration raids. The president also doubled the number of national guard members to 4,000, in an extraordinary mobilization of troops against US residents that California leaders have called 'authoritarian'. The Pentagon mobilized the 700 active-duty marines after tensions between the federal government and the nation's second-largest city dramatically escalated over the weekend, with residents taking to the streets to demonstrate against a series of brutal crackdowns on immigrant communities. The raids have affected garment district works, day laborers and restaurants. Federal agents also arrested the president of a major California union who was serving as a community observer during the raids. Despite facing teargas and other munitions over the weekend, protesters continued to rally yesterday, and families of detained immigrants pleaded for their loved ones to be released. How is California responding? The state has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing the US president of 'unlawfully' federalizing the state's national guard to quell a domestic protest. Days before Pete Hegseth fired three top aides last month over a Pentagon leak investigation into the disclosure of classified materials, according to four people familiar with the episode, a recently hired senior adviser said he could help with the inquiry. The adviser, Justin Fulcher, suggested to Hegseth's then chief of staff, and Hegseth's personal lawyer, Tim Parlatore, that he knew of warrantless surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA) that had identified the leakers. Fulcher offered to share the supposed evidence as long as he could help run the investigation, three of the people said. But when he eventually sat down with officials, it became clear he had no evidence of a wiretap, and the Pentagon had been duped. The extraordinary episode adds to the growing portrait of dysfunction inside Hegseth's front office. What happened next? The development was not communicated to the White House – so several Trump advisers who were told of the NSA wiretap claim believed that was part of the 'smoking gun' evidence against the three aides fired by Hegseth, until they developed their own doubts. The Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg was leaving Tel Aviv on a flight to France after having been detained earlier with other activists on a Gaza-bound aid boat, Israel said today. 'Greta Thunberg is departing Israel on a flight to France,' Israel's foreign ministry said on its official X account, along with two photos of the activist on board a plane. The group of activists departed Italy on 1 June aboard the Madleen carrying a symbolic amount of food and supplies for Gaza, whose population is at risk of famine. Israeli forces intercepted the boat in international waters yesterday and towed it to the port of Ashdod. What about the other activists? 'The passengers of the 'Selfie Yacht' arrived at Ben Gurion airport to depart from Israel and return to their home countries,' the Israeli foreign ministry said. 'Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority.' The health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, is getting rid of all 17 members on a key panel of vaccine experts and will replace them, he said yesterday. A former girlfriend of Sean 'Diddy' Combs told jurors in his sex-trafficking and racketeering trial that she repeatedly told the music mogul she didn't want to have sex with other men. Authorities said a Chinese scientist was arrested while arriving at a Detroit airport for the alleged smuggling of biological material, the second such case in two days. Donald Trump unveiled a federal program yesterday providing $1,000 government-funded investment accounts for American babies, getting backing from top business leaders who said they plan to contribute billions more to an initiative tied to 'the big beautiful bill'. Graphic sexual content, bullying, abuse and threats of violence are rife on Meta-owned products. Now Meta is pumping billions of dollars a year into building its metaverse, a virtual world for education, business, shopping and live events. But if Meta has utterly failed to keep women and girls safe in its existing online spaces, why should we trust it with the future? The unexplained deaths of hundreds of elephants near watering holes across the Okavango delta in May 2020 alarmed conservationists. Nearly five years later, scientists finally published a paper indicating what they believe to be the reason behind the deaths: toxic water caused by an algal bloom. Millions of people are prevented from having the number of children they want by a toxic mix of economic barriers and sexism, a new UN report has warned. While right-wing governments, including the US and Hungary, are increasingly blaming falling fertility rates on a rejection of parenthood, the report found most people wanted children. Gen Z are making headlines for their hesitancy to use bar tabs – instead preferring to close out and pay after every single drink, no matter how many rounds they order. But do younger people have a monopoly on poor bar etiquette? Alaina Demopoulos spoke to bartenders across the US about which generation behaves best. First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you're not already signed up, subscribe now. If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Israeli Foreign Ministry denies sending Patriot systems to Ukraine amid conflicting claims
Israel has not transferred any Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, the Israeli Foreign Ministry told Israeli news outlet Ynet on June 10, refuting earlier claims made by its own ambassador in Kyiv. "Israel has not transferred such systems to Ukraine," the Israeli Foreign Ministry told Ynet in a statement. The denial contrasts with statements made by Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky, who said in a recent interview that Israel had agreed to transfer retired Patriot missile systems — originally supplied by the U.S. in the 1990s — to Ukraine. "The Patriot systems that we once received from the United States are now in Ukraine," Brodsky said in an interview with Ukrainian blogger Marichka Dovbenko. "When people say that Israel did not help militarily, that is not true." Kyiv has consistently pressed Western partners to bolster Ukraine's air defenses, warning that its current capabilities are insufficient to counter the scale of Russian missile and drone assaults. The Patriot system, a U.S.-made surface-to-air missile platform, is widely recognized for its high-precision detection, tracking, and interception of aircraft, cruise, and ballistic missiles. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi has neither confirmed nor denied the delivery of Israeli Patriots to Ukraine. "We welcome signals from Israel about its readiness to provide military assistance," Tykhyi said at a press briefing. Join our community Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight. Support Us The Kyiv Independent contacted the Israeli Embassy in Ukraine, the Israeli Foreign Ministry, and Ukraine's Presidential Office for comments but has yet to receive a response. According to a May 4 reporting by the New York Times, which cited four current and former U.S. officials, at least one Patriot system that was previously deployed in Israel will be refurbished and sent to Ukraine. It remains unclear what U.S. President Donald Trump's stance is on the decision or whether the move was initiated before he took office, during former President Joe Biden's administration. President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly underscored Kyiv's urgent need for more air defenses. Speaking to CBS News in April, he said Ukraine is prepared to buy 10 Patriot batteries for $15 billion to protect densely populated areas. "We will find the money and pay for everything," Zelensky said, emphasizing Ukraine's intention to buy additional systems, rather than requesting them for free. Despite Kyiv's appeals, Trump dismissed the request on April 14, accusing Zelensky of "always looking to purchase missiles." Russia has carried out near-nightly aerial assaults in recent weeks. On June 9, Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched 499 aerial weapons in a record overnight attack. Ukraine has expressed solidarity with Israel following the deadly Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, condemning the violence and affirming its support for Israel's right to defend itself. Read also: In one of largest attacks on Ukraine's capital, Russian barrage hits Kyiv, Odesa, kills 3, injures 12 We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Axios
33 minutes ago
- Axios
Trail Mix: Running, jogging and debating
Welcome back to our weekly roundup of local election news. In the streets: City Council president and mayoral candidate Mary Sheffield debuted a new campaign video last week, " The Run." In it, she jogs around the city showing off its momentum and featuring running group Run 313, the Sherwood Forest block club and the owner of Good Cakes and Bakes, April Anderson. Expect more ads and mailers from the candidates flooding your mailboxes, TVs and phones within the next couple of weeks. What we're watching: The fine print disclosing who pays for the ads. "Vision": The UAW, including President Shawn Fain, held a rally Saturday for Pastor Solomon Kinloch's mayoral campaign at the union's Solidarity House. "When I met Pastor Kinloch, I saw that he had the courage, the vision and the moral leadership to fight for working-class people and build a city that works for everyone," Fain told rally attendees, the Detroit News reported. Next big showdown: WDIV is hosting a debate at 7pm on June 16 at Wayne State's Valade Center. You can watch the debate on Channel 4 or stream it on Local 4+. Stay tuned for more details. In a virtual roundtable with media on Friday, representatives from former nonprofit CEO and mayoral candidate Saunteel Jenkins ' campaign emphasized they see the race as winnable, with Jenkins making it out of the primary alongside frontrunner Sheffield. The roundtable included former state representative Maureen Stapleton, who is now Jenkins' campaign manager. The previous manager, Ellie Edgell, formerly with now-U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin, is traveling this summer but still an active part of the Jenkins campaign.
