US President Joe Biden reportedly got upset with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their phone conversation on Thursday which saw him raise his voice at the Israeli Prime Minister.
"Stop bullshitting me," Biden reportedly told Netanyahu, after the latter told him that Israel was moving forward with negotiations on a hostages-for-ceasefire deal with Hamas. The angry US President also told Netanyahu that he wanted a ceasefire deal reached within a week to two weeks.
"Don’t take the president for granted," Biden also reportedly told the Prime Minister.
The US President also contended that the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran was poorly timed, coming right at what the Americans hoped would be the endgame of the process, New York Times quoted an unnamed U.S. official. Biden did not hide his concerns while talking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Thursday after welcoming home three Americans released by Russia in a prisoner swap. "I’m very concerned about it," Biden said. "I had a very direct meeting with the prime minister today — very direct. We have the basis for a cease-fire. He should move on it and they should move on it now."
He added that Haniyeh killing has "not helped" to reach a deal.
The report also added that Israelis did not inform the Americans of the plan to kill Haniyeh even though Biden had hosted Netanyahu at the White House just days before. An Israeli official quoted by NYT added that Netanyahu did not want to compromise the Americans by giving them a heads-up.
Biden believes that the killing could spark a regional war. The President then told Israel that while the U.S. will help Israel defeat an Iranian attack, he expects no more escalation from the Israeli side but an immediate movement toward a hostage deal.
"We are at an inflection point. We need to do everything to end the war and reach regional stability, even if the deal is not perfect. Hamas wants the deal right now. It might change," Biden told Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s office did not respond to the reports about Biden's outburst. It said the prime minister does not comment on the content of his private discussions with the US president. In a statement given to an Israeli media organisation, the Prime Minister's Office said the premier does not intervene in American politics and will work with whoever is elected president, and expects the Americans to also not intervene in Israeli politics."