Benjamin Netanyahu Defying Biden’s ‘Red Line’ Would Be a Disaster
Benjamin Netanyahu has brought the U.S.-Israel relationship to the breaking point.
The tensions between the Biden administration and Netanyahu’s government have grown steadily worse since Israel’s invasion of Gaza. But until recently, the U.S. side was inclined to keep disagreements in the background, hoping to avoid a direct clash with the Israeli prime minister that could undercut U.S. leverage with its ally. In the past few days, however, the relationship has gone from bad to worse. Now neither side is making an effort to hide the divergence in their goals and views.
We have gone from leaks about President Joe Biden thinking Netanyahu was an “asshole,” to Biden publicly making his unhappiness over Israel’s Gaza war policy a centerpiece of his recent remarks. Then, over the weekend, Biden declared that if Israel went ahead with its planned operation in Rafah, it would be crossing a “red line.”