President Biden was heavily criticized by conservatives on social media over an interview transcript in which he appeared to agree with the premise that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is prolonging his country's war with Hamas for his own political gain.
"Some in Israel have suggested that Netanyahu is prolonging the war for his own political self-preservation. Do you believe that?" Biden was asked by Time magazine in an interview published Tuesday.
"I'm not going to comment on that," Biden responded. "There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion. And I would cite that as — before the war began, the blowback he was getting from the Israeli military for wanting to change the constitu … change the court. And so it's an internal domestic debate that seems to have no consequence. And whether he would change his position or not, it's hard to say, but it has not been helpful."
Biden's response drew immediate negative reactions from many on social media.
NETANYAHU SAYS BIDEN PRESENTED 'INCOMPLETE' VERSION OF GAZA CEASE-FIRE
"Israel says they are going into Raffah to get their hostages back," The Spectator editor Stephen L. Miller posted on X. "Biden tells Israel to wait, sends Blinken to work with Qatar and Egypt. Builds a broken pier in Gaza Israel agrees. Biden now accuses Israel of prolonging a war it didn't start. Straight up incompetent evil. An actual Political sociopath."
"Biden has been incoherently pressuring Israel not to finish the job for months & ‘there is every reason for people’ to draw the conclusion that it’s been for Biden’s own political self-preservation," Fox News contributor Guy Benson posted on X. "How soon will Biden demand Israel not defend itself against the attacks in the north?"
"A disgusting lie," GOP Sen. Ted Cruz posted on X. "Tragically, the Biden White House is the most anti-Israel WH in history. Is there even a single Dem who will denounce Biden’s slander?"
"I want everyone to read what Biden said this morning," Fox News host and conservative commentator Mark Levin posted on X. "And what a loathsome, disgusting antisemite he is. Undermining Netanyahu because Biden demands that Israel surrender so Biden can declare peace in our time for his lousy, rotten reelection effort."
"This is all straightforwardly sociopathic," Omri Ceren, a national security adviser for Sen. Cruz, posted on X.
"Biden has mobilized unprecedented domestic and international pressure to slow Israel's advance into Gaza. Bonkers campaigns. Politicizing US intel, leaking it, doing global diplomatic pincer moves where the US encourages allies to pressure Israel then tells the Israelis we can't help them (relatedly, supporting binding UNSCRs knifing them), halting aid, threatening to halt more aid specifically if Israel moved into Rafah, the repeated ongoing ostentatious stunts about aid (airdrops and the pier), multiday news cycles about all of the above, etc. Now Biden is saying Netanyahu is prolonging the war for political reasons. Absolutely sociopathic."
"No one hears about what is happening in northern Israel," former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren said in response to the interview. "The interview is an inappropriate attack on the political system in Israel. The U.S. should not interfere in what is happening in Israeli politics."
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response.
Biden appeared to walk back his comment in response to a question shouted by a reporter following a statement on an immigration executive order Tuesday.
"I don't think so. He's trying to work out a serious problem he has," Biden said when asked if Netanyahu is "playing politics" with the war.
