As President Joe Biden continues his campaign to get Israel to give the terrorists of Hamas a break, Secretary of State Antony Blinken now seems to be trying to bully Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Blinken warned Netanyahu on Friday that Israel is in trouble, and “you might not realize it until it’s too late,” Axios reported, citing an unnamed source.
Biden’s secretary of state reportedly made his comments during a meeting of Netanyahu’s war cabinet.
Blinken also told the Israelis that they need a “coherent plan, or … you’re going to be stuck in Gaza,” according to the report.
He insisted that as things stand now, either Hamas will remain in control of Gaza or the region will descend into anarchy, opening the door to more terrorism.
After the meeting, Netanyahu said in a statement that he appreciates American support.
“I told Blinken we recognize the need to evacuate the civilian population from war zones in Gaza and to take care of humanitarian needs and that we are taking action in this direction,” he said.
Israel, of course, has pledged to scour every acre of Gaza to wipe out Hamas. But even as Biden has continued U.S. financial aid for Israel, he has seemingly been backing away from its goal to end the terrorist group.
Biden recently warned that his support for Israel would be damaged if it entered Rafah, a city in southern Gaza.
But Netanyahu pledged to ignore Biden’s “red line,” and he did so again on Friday.
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“I also told Blinken that we can’t defeat Hamas without going into Rafah and dismantling the remaining battalions there. I told him that I hope we can do it with U.S. support but if we need to we will do it on our own,” Netanyahu said.
According to a State Department readout of the meeting, Blinken “reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to Israel’s security and the lasting defeat of Hamas, including in Rafah.”
Biden is suddenly pulling back on his support for Israel as the U.S. heads into the 2024 election. With Muslim-heavy areas in Michigan turning against him, Biden is desperate to appear tougher on the Jewish state.
The president also recently supported a broadside attack on Netanyahu from Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer.
After Schumer said from the floor of the Senate that Israel needs to hold a new election, Biden proclaimed it a “good speech.”
But the Israelis are not paying Biden much mind. It seems that he and his administration are running into a brick wall as far as their attempts to influence Israel are concerned.
