Even after their long-overdue discussion, Benjamin Netanyahu and Joe Biden still have different opinions about how to resolve the Israel-Hamas issue. Even though the world has condemned the Israeli military operations in Gaza following the October 7 attack on Israel, which have resulted in an increasing number of civilian deaths and humanitarian suffering, Mr. Biden and his top aides have essentially smothered Mr. Netanyahu with strong support.
However, there have been growing indications of strain in the relationship between the two leaders as Mr. Netanyahu has consistently rejected Mr. Biden's calls for Palestinian sovereignty, sabotaging what the U.S. President believes to be the key to achieving a long-term peace in the Middle East — the much-discussed but elusive two-state solution. Both sides don't appear to be giving up.
The phone discussion on Friday happened a day after Mr. Netanyahu claimed to have assured American diplomats unequivocally that he would not back a Palestinian state as part of any post-war strategy. In the call on Friday, Mr. Biden, for his part, reiterated his resolve to support the Palestinians in their quest for independence. In the early weeks of the conflict, the leaders communicated often. The frequent phone conversations between Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu, who have been at odds for more than thirty years, have decreased significantly. Their first conversation since December 23 took place during their 30- to 40-minute phone talk on Friday. Domestic political factors bind both parties.
The distance between Mr. Netanyahu, the head of the most conservative government in Israel's history, and Mr. Biden, a center-left Democrat, has widened as pressure builds for the US to use its considerable influence to put pressure on Israel to end a war that has already claimed nearly 25,000 lives for Palestinians. Israel is also becoming more and more irritated with Mr. Netanyahu due to the lack of progress in rescuing the scores of captives who are still being held captive in Gaza by Islamic terrorists.
According to U.S. sources who asked to remain anonymous to discuss the leaders' private conversations, Mr. Biden's anger with Mr. Netanyahu has been more apparent in their most recent discussions, despite the fact that the American president has been cautious to reiterate his support for Israel at every turn.
