Biden Calls Netanyahu 'As***le' in Private, Expresses Frustration Over Israel's Operation: Report

Washington DC – Amid the brewing animosities between Israel and the United States over Tel Aviv's approach towards the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, reports are emerging that former US President Joe Biden called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an “as***le”, expressing his exasperation in private conversation. Citing five people who were allegedly present during the conversation, NBC News reported that Biden expressed frustration to people over his “inability to persuade Israel to change its military tactics in Gaza.” As per the reports, Biden was expressing his discontent at a gathering which also included campaign donors. 

The US President told his campaign donors that he is trying to get Israel to agree to a cease-fire but the Israeli premier is “giving him hell” and has become “impossible to deal with”. The sources present during the meeting told NBC News that Biden called Netanyahu an “as***le”  in three recent instances. “He just feels like this is enough,” one of the sources recalled. “It has to stop.” In recent weeks, the United States has raised concerns over Israel's ground operation in Rafah. The city houses the only crossing through which the world can send aid to the Gazans. 

Biden administration dismisses the reports

When asked about Biden's provocative comments about Netanyahu, a spokesperson for the National Security Council said in a statement that the two leaders have a respectful relationship. “The president has been clear where he disagrees with Prime Minister Netanyahu, but this is a decades-long relationship that is respectful in public and in private,” the spokesperson averred. On Monday, Joe Biden added his voice to the growing international call for to drop plans to conduct an all-out military assault in the city of Rafah.   “A major military operation in Rafah should not proceed without a credible plan for ensuring the safety and support of more than 1 million people sheltering there," the US President averred while speaking to Jordan's King Abdullah at the White House, The Guardian reported. “Many people there have been displaced multiple times fleeing the violence to the north and now they are packed into Rafah, exposed and vulnerable. They need to be protected,” he added. 

While addressing the media. Biden insisted that the United States has been working “day and night” on the efforts to agree a six-week pause in the fighting between Israel and Hamas. King Abdullah also echoed the sentiments expressed by the American Commander in Chief.  “We cannot stand by and let this continue,” he said. “We need a lasting ceasefire now. This war must end," the Jordan monarch furthered.