Biden Says Netanyahu Put Political Survival Ahead of Israel’s Interests

Biden writes that Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack “shattered” his hopes for a permanent peace in the Middle East, and that he called the Israeli prime minister several times that day.

“I wanted him to know my determination to ensure that a day like this would never happen again,” he writes in “Promise Me, America,” which Little, Brown and Company is scheduled to publish on Nov. 17.

Little Trust Between the Leaders

“He and I could be direct with each other, but there wasn’t a ton of trust,” Biden writes of Benjamin Netanyahu.

He says he was also worried about “Bibi’s Trump-like tendencies.”

“He could play fast and loose with the truth, and thought nothing of bending democratic institutions to serve his personal needs,” Biden wrote.

He says that after Netanyahu returned to power at the end of 2022, “I felt that the work of protecting Israel meant protecting it both from its enemies and itself.”

Promises on Civilian Casualties

Biden writes that he had been calling on Israel to take precautions to reduce civilian suffering from the start of the war, and that he raised those concerns “privately in many conversations with Bibi.”

According to Biden, Netanyahu acknowledged that rising casualties were damaging Israel’s image and U.S. support for the war, but “a familiar pattern established itself: He would promise to do more, and then another aggressive action would follow, killing more civilians.”

“When we called them on it, the Israelis always had an explanation or excuse, but the result was the same. Bibi had no qualms about making promises he had no power — or intention — to keep.”

“While I understood that he was working under severe pressures, I was frustrated by his failure to think like a statesman and safeguard Israel’s long-term interests, not just his own short-term political needs,” he adds.

Biden Carries Gaza’s Toll

Biden writes that he will “never regret standing by Israel in the wake” of the Oct. 7 attack, and he defends U.S. assistance even as it became controversial among Democrats.

“Too many innocent Palestinians were killed. Too much pain was inflicted on people with no connection to Hamas. Too little food and water and medicine and fuel got into Gaza for too long,” he writes. “And I carry that with me. It was a tragedy.”

“I hope Israel wakes up,” Biden writes. “The days of American leaders like me — passionate defenders of Israel to the core — are passing.”

The Times of Israel reported no immediate response from Netanyahu. The passages follow earlier memoir excerpts on Trump’s 2021 Oval Office letter, their 2024 White House meeting, and Biden’s account of Nancy Pelosi.