MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell pressed White House national security spokesperson John Kirby to answer whether President Joe Biden believes the Israel prime minister is an “obstacle to peace.”
Biden praised Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s speech in which he labeled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “an obstacle to peace” and called for a new leader to replace him.
“Does he agree with those views that Prime Minister Netanyahu is an obstacle to peace?” Mitchell asked.
“The president knows that the Israeli people get to determine who their elected government representatives are,” Kirby answered.
“Well of course,” Mitchell answered.
“That’s what democracy’s all about and he respects that,” Kirby said. “And he has been nothing but candid and forthright with the prime minister about ways in which we think things can be done differently, things can be done better, things can be done a little more stridently to get more assistance in to the people of Gaza, and to reduce the number of civilian casualties. I mean, my goodness, these are two guys that have no problem being honest with one another and I can assure you the president has done that.”
“That is in private, and of course those differences have been expressed by others and by Secretary Antony Blinken. But does the President of the United States think that the prime minister of Israel is an obstacle to peace?” Mitchell pressed. (RELATED: Many Democrats Disapprove Of Biden’s Response To Israel-Hamas War)
“The president will continue to work with Prime Minister Netanyahu and his war cabinet to, again, do everything that we can to alleviate that humanitarian suffering in Gaza,” Kirby reiterated.
Kirby said the administration has been “honest” with Netanyahu and his government officials their handling of the Israel-Hamas, particular when it comes to humanitarian aid.
“Let me just say that that question was not answered three times, that’s alright. That was your answer,” she concluded.
Schumer said Netanyahu has “lost his way” and has allowed his political power to “to take precedence over the best interests of Israel,” The New York Times reported.
“He has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows. Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah,” Schumer said in his speech.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called it “grotesque and hypocritical” for leaders such as Schumer to condemn “foreign interference” in democratic elections and then call for the replacement of a foreign country’s leader, according to the Times.
Biden, who referred to Schumer’s remarks as a “good speech,” has come under intense scrutiny by members of his own party for supporting Israel. Many young Democratic voters have threatened to withhold their support for the president in the upcoming 2024 election, and some in his re-election campaign have opposed his views on the war.