Officials in Biden admin worked to undermine Netanyahu after ceasefire talks collapsed, former aide says
A new bombshell report on an Israeli TV news show revealed Biden officials discussed the idea of working to trigger an election with the hope of defeating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu so they could push the president’s ceasefire deal.
The plan was ultimately blocked by the president.
One of the president’s advisors on the region said that after the first ceasefire deal in the Israel-Hamas war collapsed, the idea of working against Netanyahu started to circulate in President Joe Biden’s administration, according to former White House officials interviewed on Israel’s Channel 13 show “HaMakor.”
The idea floated was that Biden would give a speech directly to the Israeli public, presenting two options, according to his Middle East advisor Ilan Goldenberg. “A lot of people were talking about, including in the Oval Office at times, the idea of, like, the President going out and giving a speech. Benny Gantz (the opposition leader) was at 37 [seats] and Bibi was like at 15, right? Like, he was very weak. Joe Biden was still incredibly popular in Israel,” he claimed.
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Goldenberg said, “The idea was that Biden would say you can end the war, get all the hostages out, get a deal that includes even, you know, maybe trying to have elements of Hamas leave — or you can keep doing what you’re doing, and Israel will be in a Forever War. Your sons and daughters are going to keep fighting. Most of the hostages are going to come home dead. The idea would be either to force Netanyahu to come on board with that or scramble Israeli politics and see if you could trigger elections. That’s what people were saying, like, ‘let’s just break this up because it’s not going anywhere good.’”
However, Goldenberg said Biden blocked the move. “I think at the end of the day, he [Biden] was uncomfortable with the idea of going out that directly against Netanyahu.”
At a moment when U.S.-Israeli cooperation was vital, the deep mistrust and personal tensions between former President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu threatened to derail key diplomatic opportunities. The recent report featured insights from nine senior Biden administration officials and sheds light on the complexities that defined their interactions.
Tom Nides, former U.S. ambassador to Israel, recalled how the president frequently clashed with Netanyahu’s leadership.
“Biden didn’t really trust Netanyahu,” Nides said. “Netanyahu, I mean, come on everybody, he’s a survivor, a manipulator, you know, a magician when it comes to relationships. Biden saw all of that.”
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Before Oct. 7, tensions focused on Netanyahu’s push for judicial reform, which sparked massive demonstrations and clashes among the Israeli public. “I was in the middle of all this… I had many a screaming match with Ron Dermer (Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs) about this,” Nides said. Biden repeatedly urged Netanyahu to slow down and seek consensus, while anxieties rose over figures like far-right nationalist Minister Ben Gvir.
“There were lots of anxieties over the issues around judicial reform, which I thought was insane,” Nides said.
The personal tension sometimes erupted publicly. When asked if Biden ever used harsh language for Netanyahu, Nides said, “President Biden likes to use colorful language, and on occasion, the prime minister was able to extract that colorful language from the president.” He said Netanyahu questioning Biden’s commitment to Israel particularly infuriated him.
After Oct. 7, when Biden became the first sitting president to visit Israel during wartime, tensions deepened as Netanyahu rejected U.S. plans for Gaza’s future. According to Michael Herzog, Israel’s then-ambassador to Washington, Biden believed Netanyahu was aiding Trump politically, while Netanyahu suspected Biden of deliberately “walking on his head.”
The tension extended to hostage negotiations. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Hamas was reluctant to talk seriously for months. When asked if Netanyahu added conditions, he said, “I’m not saying that.”
Unlike their public statements, Arab leaders were quietly supporting Israel’s efforts to defeat Hamas, Dan Shapiro, former deputy assistant secretary of Defense, revealed in the interview. “They said very clearly, please tell the Israelis they have our support to wipe out Hamas,” he said.
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At the same time, while tensions with Netanyahu were growing, a major opportunity was slipping away. Amos Hochstein, former U.S. special envoy for International Energy Affairs, called Saudi Arabia “the most important Muslim country in the world,” describing Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a historic figure capable of reshaping the region.
Herzog, Israel’s former ambassador to Washington, confirmed that serious discussions had taken place about advancing normalization during the transition period before Trump could return to office. “Biden would bring Democrats, and Trump would bring Republicans,” Herzog explained, but said that Trump preferred to wait, not wanting to share the achievement. “I believe it will happen, I just don’t know when,” Herzog said.
Fox News Digital sent questions to former President Biden’s spokesperson for comment.