Joe Biden trolled after cautioning Netanyahu Rafah ground operation 'would be a mistake'

WASHINGTON, DC: In a diplomatic exchange fraught with tensions, President Joe Biden advised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against sending troops into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, citing concerns over civilian safety.

The conversation, which occurred on Monday, March 18, comes just days after Biden's endorsement of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's call for a new election in Israel, adding to the tensions in US-Israel relations amid the ongoing conflict with Hamas.

Tensions in diplomatic discourse

“A major ground operation would be a mistake,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told the press that Biden, 81, emphasized to Netanyahu, underscoring the need for a strategy that prioritizes civilian safety in the densely populated city near the Egyptian border.

Sullivan clarified during a White House press briefing that Biden's tone was "very businesslike" and did not involve "threats," but rather a pragmatic approach aimed at urging Israel to adopt a comprehensive plan that integrates military, humanitarian, and political elements.

“A military plan cannot succeed without an integrated humanitarian plan and political plan. And the president has repeatedly made the point that continuing military operations need to be continued to a clear strategic end game,” Sullivan added.

Netanyahu, in a brief Hebrew-language video released by his office, conveyed his commitment to achieving Israel's military objectives while also providing necessary humanitarian assistance to the region.

“This evening I spoke to US President Joe Biden,” the 74-year-old said. “We spoke about the latest developments relating to the war, including Israel’s obligation to achieve all of its military aims such as liquidating Hamas, securing the release of all of our hostages, and ensuring that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel — while at the same time providing needed humanitarian assistance that helps us achieve these aims.”

However, Netanyahu gave no indication of any friction between himself and President Biden during their conversation.

The exchange between Biden and Netanyahu follows a series of eyebrow-raising statements and actions by both leaders, the New York Post reported.

Last week, President Biden initially labeled Israeli forces entering Rafah as a "red line," only to backtrack later, clarifying that the US would not cut off weapons support to Israel. Netanyahu, on the other hand, vowed to proceed with a ground operation in Rafah despite Biden's warning. “We’ll go there. We’re not going to leave," he declared.

The diplomatic tension between the two allies intensified further when Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer delivered a speech calling for a change in leadership in Israel, describing Netanyahu and members of his security cabinet as obstacles to peace.

Biden initially praised Schumer's speech as "good."

“Senator Schumer contacted my staff, my senior staffer, that he was going to make that speech,” the President said during an Oval Office meeting with Ireland's Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. “I’m not going to elaborate on the speech,” he added. “He made a good speech, and I think he expressed serious concern shared not only by him, but by many Americans.”

Netanyahu, however, condemned Schumer's words as inappropriate interference in Israeli politics, emphasizing that such decisions should be left to the Israeli public.

“I think what he said is totally inappropriate,” Netanyahu said during an appearance on CNN’s 'State of the Union' Sunday. “It’s inappropriate for a — to go to a sister democracy and try to replace the elected leadership there. That’s something that Israel, the Israeli public does on its own, and we’re not a banana republic."

“I think the only government that we should be working on to bring down now is the terrorist tyranny in Gaza, the Hamas tyranny that murdered over 1,000 Israelis, including some dozens of Americans, and is holding Americans and Israelis hostage. That’s what we should be focused on," the Israeli PM added.

In response to Netanyahu's criticism, Sullivan defended Schumer's remarks. “Kind of an interesting irony, which is you have the prime minister speaking on American television about his concerns about Americans interfering in Israeli politics,” the national security adviser commented, “which we don’t do nearly as much as they speak into ours.”

Social media backlash against Biden

Biden, however, faced quite the backlash on social media after cautioning Netanyahu that a major Rafah ground operation would be a "mistake."

"That should put fear in his heart," one posted on X.

"Lots of words from President Pudding. None of them mean anything," another insisted.

"Rather warn Hamas to return the hostages," someone else offered.

"I can’t imagine why Netanyahu would care. The only value in Biden’t statement is its signaling value. When someone as supremely incompetent as Joe Biden says that a given policy would be a mistake, that’s a pretty good signal that it wouldn’t be," another chimed in.

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