He is reported to have said in private conversations that Netanyahu was giving him hell, was impossible to work with, and was “a pain in my ass”, according to NBC News.
The situation poses a problem for Biden for the coming presidential election. His party the Democrats have always had strong support from the millions of American Jews, but polling has shown he is losing support among young people, blacks and progressives.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a post on X that New Zealand was extremely concerned and was “part of an overwhelming international consensus urging Israel to stop”.
Peters said New Zealand took careful note of the International Court of Justice’s decision on the case brought by South Africa, requiring Israel to comply with its obligations under the Genocide Convention. New Zealand’s position was that all of the court’s decisions, including on provisional measures, were binding.
Peters’ comments have failed to satisfy the large number wanting him to condemn Israel outright.
In a bleak statement, the UN’s humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said over a million people were crammed into Rafah staring death in the face. An assault on the city could lead to a “slaughter”, he said.
Before the war Rafah, which is on Gaza’s border with Egypt, had a population of 250,000. But after Israel ordered civilians to evacuate to the south, its population has swelled to an estimated 1.5 million, many of them living in tents.
The city has already suffered from Israeli air strikes which have killed hundreds, including 67 on one day earlier this week.
However, Netanyahu is nothing if not intransigent. The people of Rafah are in grave danger.
