Joe Biden said Monday that, unlike Washington, the Israeli government “does not want a two-state solution” with the Palestinians, AFP reported.

Joe Biden and Benjamin NetanyahuPhoto: White House Photo / Alamy / Profimedia Images

“This is the most conservative government in Israel’s history,” the US president said, calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “strengthen and transform” Israel’s executive branch.

In his Hanukkah speech, Joe Biden hinted at the difficult relationship he has with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suggesting that Netanyahu is in a “tough spot” and that the two have had disagreements over the years.

“Indiscriminate bombing”

US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that Israel is losing support because of the “indiscriminate” bombing of Gaza and that Benjamin Netanyahu must change, exposing a new rift in relations with the Israeli prime minister, Reuters writes.

Biden’s comments, made to donors to his 2024 re-election campaign, were his most critical of Netanyahu’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza. They stand in stark contrast to his literal and political embrace of the Israeli leader days after Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on October 7.

“Israel may rely on the United States for its security, but it now has more than the United States. She’s got the European Union, she’s got Europe, she’s got most of the world… But she’s starting to lose that support because of the indiscriminate bombing that’s going on,” Biden said.

Israel’s response to Hamas attacks has killed 18,000 people, according to Gaza officials, and wounded 50,000, and triggered a humanitarian crisis. Biden’s comments opened a new window into his heated private conversations with Netanyahu, with whom he has had deep differences for decades.

Biden recalled his decades-long relationship with Netanyahu, noting that he had written on an old photo of the two: “Bibi, I love you, but I don’t agree with anything you say.”

“It’s about the same today,” Biden said to applause from the mostly Jewish audience, according to Reuters. Biden added: “I had disagreements with the leadership of Israel.”

He did not explain what those differences were, but in recent weeks there have been issues related to the treatment of Palestinians.