(C) Common Dreams
This story was originally published by Common Dreams and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



Biden: 'I don't know' if Netanyahu is trying to sway US election [1]

[]

Date: 2024-11

Biden: 'I don't know' if Netanyahu is trying to sway US election

'I don't know - Biden on whether Netanyahu is attempting to sway election

President Joe Biden has said he is unsure whether Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding off on agreeing a Gaza ceasefire deal in order to influence next month's US election. He was asked the question during a surprise appearance at a White House press briefing on Friday, telling reporters: "Whether he’s trying to influence the election, I don’t know - but I’m not counting on that.” Biden then directed some terse words at his longtime ally: “No administration has helped Israel more than I have. None, none, none," he said. "And I think [Netanyahu] should remember that." Some Democrats have voiced concern that Netanyahu is ignoring the US president's calls to negotiate a ceasefire and hostage release deal in order to harm the party's chances in November.

Earlier this week, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy told CNN: “I don’t think you have to be a hopeless cynic to read some of Israel’s actions, some of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s actions, as connected to the American election." Polls suggest the escalating violence in the Middle East and the failure to secure a diplomatic agreement is hurting Biden and his replacement as the Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris. The president's approval rating among Arab-Americans has plummeted over the past year, largely due to anger at US support for Israel’s military campaign, and this could damage the party's prospects in November. Biden has been pushing for a diplomatic agreement between Israel and Hamas for months, and has indicated several times that one is close. A deal before the election would be a major boost for the president and the Democratic Party but appears increasingly unlikely.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cje3zl0dq2ko

Published and (C) by Common Dreams
Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 3.0..

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/commondreams/

You are viewing proxied material from magical.fish. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.