The Obama administration hated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the fire of a thousand Suns, because Bibi would not bow to the Obama “grand bargain” to hand the region to Iran. What infuriated Obama more than anything is that a large percentage of Americans supported Bibi’s position and saw in him something Obama and his VP Joe Biden lacked: A strong leader willing to fight against the enemies of Israel, and America.

Team Obama runs the Biden administration’s foreign policy, so the hate remains. Team Biden wants to force a ceasefire on Israel, leaving Hamas in control of Gaza, and Netanyahu will not capitulate.

The Biden administration has been all but openly threatening Israel if it captures Rafah, where Hamas’ last four battalians are based presumably protecting the remaining senior leaders and holding most of the hostages. Netanyahu recognizes that to leave Hamas in Rafah is to lose the war.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

“The IDF will continue to operate against all of Hamas’s battalions throughout the Strip – and this includes Rafah, Hamas’s last stronghold. Whoever tells us not to operate in Rafah, is telling us to lose the war – and that will not happen.”

— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) March 7, 2024

Biden calls capturing Rafah a “red line” – no explicit threat to cut off ties, but a clear warning you usually give enemies – in this case, Netanyahu:

BIDEN answering question on if Israel ‘invaded’ Rafah:

BIDEN: It is a red line. But I’m never going to leave Israel. The defense of Israel is still critical. So there’s no red line …But there’s red lines that if it crosses, that, you cannot have 30,000 more Palestinians dead as…

— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) March 10, 2024

Note the red line will not stop the flow of defensive weapons, an implicit threat to cut off “offensive” weapons.

Why it matters: This was the first time since the Hamas attack on October 7 that Biden said he has a “red line” for the Israeli military operation in Gaza.

• Biden’s remarks in the interview are another sign that the President’s patience about the Netanyahu government is growing thin.
• The president gave the “red line” remark in response to a question about a possible military operation in Rafah — something the administration has expressed serious concerns about.

Yes, but: Biden emphasized that he will not abandon Israel and will not stop the supply of weapons like Iron Dome in a way that Israel won’t be able to defend itself.

Both Biden and Harris have been upping the anti-Netanyahu rhetoric, with Biden stating that he warned Bibi that they would have a “come to Jesus” moment over Gaza. I don’t believe for a second that was a ‘hot mic’ accident, and even if it were, it’s still upping the rhetoric.

JUST IN – Biden caught on hot mic at State of the Union: “I told him, Bibi, and don’t repeat this, but you and I are going to have a ‘come to Jesus’ meeting.”

pic.twitter.com/JyooADkMLp

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) March 8, 2024

The administration is increasing the chance to portray Netanyahu as the problem, with Harris stating in an interview today that we need to “not to conflate” the people of Israel from the current government of Israel:

US Vice President Kamala Harris stated that there must be a clear differentiation between the Israeli government and the Israeli people during an interview with CBS on Saturday….

As the Biden administration and Netanyahu’s right-wing government have been at odds in recent weeks, in some of her most outspoken remarks about Netanyahu, Harris stated that there must be a clear differentiation between the Israeli government and the Israeli people.

“It’s important to distinguish and to not conflate the Israeli government with the Israeli people. The Israeli people are entitled to security, as are the Palestinians, in equal measure. Our work as the United States is to do what we must, and what we always have, is stand for the security of Israel and its people, and also to do what we have done behind closed doors as in public, forcing a better path forward in terms of what is happening now in Gaza.”

When discussing the future of the region with CBS, she said, “We need a two-state solution, and frankly, we’ve been working every day since October 8 towards that end.”

Harris expanded on Biden’s remarks during the State of the Union, with rising concerns about the developing humanitarian crisis, stating that “Far too many Palestinian civilians, innocent people have been killed. Israel has to do better on that issue and needs to allow more aid to get in. We need a ceasefire over the course of six weeks to be able to facilitate support getting in for these innocent civilians who so desperately need it. It is a humanitarian catastrophe, as I have said, and it must be addressed.”

Kamala Harris: “I think it’s important for us to distinguish, or at at least not conflate the Israeli government with the Israeli people. The Israeli people are entitled to security, as are the Palestinians, in equal measure.” pic.twitter.com/arAlC7Opnp

— Philip (@rulesbasedworld) March 9, 2024

On cue, the color revolution in Israel against Netanyahu has heated up dramatically, recalling the weeks and months leading up to October 7 when Israel was paralyzed by the expertly organized hysteria over judicial reform. The Biden administration was closely aligned with those protests, leading to Israeli objections, Report: Israel Accuses Biden White House of “Inappropriately Meddling” Over Country’s Judicial Reform Plan:

The fact that President Joe Biden has kept up his attacks on Prime Minister Netanyahu despite the freezing of judicial reforms shows that it has nothing to do with his concern for the Israeli judiciary and everything to do with the current Israeli leader.

When it comes to dealing with Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Biden White House is holding on to the legacy of hostility it inherited from President Barack Obama.

Just days ahead of Netanyahu’s expected return to office last December, the news website Politico revealed the Biden administration’s strategy to deal with him. “President Joe Biden and his aides have a plan for how to deal with the far-right, anti-Palestinian tilt of the incoming Israeli government: make it all about Benjamin Netanyahu,” Politico reported on December 20, nearly a week ahead of Netanyahu’s return to power.

“The Biden administration will hold the presumptive Israeli prime minister personally responsible for the actions of his more extreme cabinet members, especially if they lead to policies that endanger a future Palestinian state (…),” the news outlet noted.

The anti-Netanyahu fervor has been mostly kept under the surface since October 7, but now it’s bubbled up as the Biden administration is openly attacking Netanyahu. You think it’s a coincidence? I don’t.

It’s Saturday evening in Tel Aviv and the crowds are getting bigger. Elections now! pic.twitter.com/uyn6pScAv9

— Ami Dar (@AmiDar) March 9, 2024

Now in Tel Aviv: police clash with anti government protesters calling for elections pic.twitter.com/gZdQnq8noZ

— Oren Ziv (@OrenZiv_) March 9, 2024

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