Advertisement
Netanyahu rejects Biden criticism, says majority of Israelis back him
- Biden said Netanyahu’s approach to the war in Gaza was ‘hurting Israel more than helping Israel’
- Tensions are mounting between the US and ally Israel over the five-month-old war in Gaza
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
21
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected US President Joe Biden’s rebuke of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza on Sunday and said the vast majority of Israelis support him.
Advertisement
Of the president’s comments, Netanyahu said: “If he meant by that that I’m pursuing private policies against the majority, the wish of the majority of Israelis, and that this is hurting the interests of Israel, then he’s wrong on both counts”.
Netanyahu spoke to Bild, Welt TV and Politico, all of whom are owned by the Berlin-based Axel Springer company, at his official residence in Jerusalem. The interview took place as tensions mount between the United States and Israel, two historically close allies.
Netanyahu was making a “big mistake” by not doing enough to protect civilians, Biden told US broadcaster MSNBC on Saturday, and this failure “is hurting Israel more than helping Israel”.
“He has a right to defend Israel, a right to continue to pursue Hamas,” Biden said of Netanyahu.
Advertisement
Advertisement