Senior Biden aide demands ‘thank you’ for US role in Israel’s Gaza genocide
A senior aide to former US President Joe Biden has publicly lashed out at Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing the Israeli prime minister of lying and showing “ingratitude” after he claimed Israeli soldiers died in Gaza because Washington supposedly imposed an arms embargo.
“Netanyahu is both not telling the truth and ungrateful to a president that literally saved Israel at its most vulnerable moment,” Amos Hochstein told Axios on Tuesday evening, minutes after Netanyahu made the allegation at a press conference.
Hochstein, a US envoy widely known in Israel, was born there and served in the Israeli military as a tank crewman in the 1990s.
He later moved through the world of business and energy, building a reputation as a behind-the-scenes broker between Israel and successive US administrations.
Hochstein’s outburst laid bare Washington’s role in backing Israel’s genocide in Gaza - then demanding thanks for it.
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In a post on X, Hochstein listed the scale of US backing for Israel’s assault and appeared to demand gratitude for it. “After more than $20 Billion military support, largest in Israel history, two aircraft carriers rushed to the region…after SAVING countless lives of Israelis - only acceptable response to POTUS #Biden and [the] American people is THANK YOU.”
Hochstein’s criticism echoed that of another senior Biden-era official, Brett McGurk, who also rejected Netanyahu’s account.
“That statement by Netanyahu is categorically false,” McGurk told Axios.
“Biden left office with a ceasefire in Gaza and hostages coming home, a ceasefire in Lebanon with Hezbollah defeated, Iran in its weakest position since 1979 after two failed missile attacks thanks to the deployment of US military forces and a coordinated response that destroyed Iran’s air defenses."
McGurk added the former president's "commitment to Israel’s security to include US military assistance was unwavering throughout the crisis”.
Netanyahu has repeatedly accused the Biden administration of restricting arms deliveries during the Gaza war.
Biden officials have long denied imposing a sweeping embargo, saying they only held up one shipment of high-payload bombs over fears they would be used in densely populated areas.
Netanyahu revived the claim as he tried to explain remarks to The Economist in which he suggested Israel lost soldiers in Gaza because he refused to “carpet bomb” cities before sending troops in on foot.
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