- After weeks of growing international pressure on Israel — over both the humanitarian situation and the growing death toll in Gaza — US Pres. Joe Biden issued some of his harshest criticism yet of Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. Guardian (LR: 2 CP: 5)
- "I think what he’s doing is a mistake," Biden told Univision, a US Spanish-language TV network, in an interview released on Tuesday. "I don’t agree with his approach," Biden added. Guardian (LR: 2 CP: 5)
- The US leader further said that he had spoken with representatives of several countries including Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, stating that they were all prepared to assist with the delivery of aid into Gaza. Al Jazeera (LR: 2 CP: 1)
- "There’s no excuse to not provide for the medical and food needs of those people," Biden said. "It should be done now." Al Jazeera (LR: 2 CP: 1)
- After weeks of talks, Biden also pushed Israel to agree a cease-fire. "What I’m calling for is for the Israelis to just call for a ceasefire, allow for the next six, eight weeks, total access to all food and medicine going into the country." The Times of Israel
- However, shortly after the remarks aired, a US official said there was no change in the White House's position. "The president was reiterating our longstanding position: we are calling for an immediate ceasefire that would last for at least six weeks as part of a hostage deal," the official said. The Times of Israel
Pro-establishment narrative:
- Pres. Biden's recent comments underscore the growing rift between himself and Netanyahu. The US leader has sent a clear signal that unless Israel changes course in Gaza, America will have to re-evaluate its policies with the country.
GUARDIAN (LR: 2 CP: 5)
Pro-Israel narrative:
- Israel has been working hard to increase the amount of aid going into Gaza, resulting in the largest numbers of trucks entering the enclave since the start of the war. A US official has confirmed there has been no change policy with respect to Israel, so speculation of a diplomatic breakdown will just create unnecessary instability.
THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
Nerd narrative:
- There's a 1% chance that the US will intervene within the Israel-Gaza War before July 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
METACULUS (LR: 3 CP: 3)