WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden ‘s growing frustration with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to rise, with the Democrat, captured on a hot mic, saying he and the Israeli leader will have to have a “come to Jesus meeting.”
Biden’s comments came as he spoke with Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., on the floor of the House chamber after Thursday night’s meeting. State of the Union address.
In the exchange, Bennet congratulates Biden on his speech and urges the president to continue pressuring Netanyahu to grow humanitarian concerns in Gaza. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg were also part of the brief conversation.
Biden then responds with Netanyahu’s nickname, saying, “I told him, Bibi, and don’t repeat it, but you and I are going to have a ‘come to Jesus’ meeting.”
An aide to the president standing nearby then speaks softly into the president’s ear and appears to alert Biden that the microphones remained on as he worked around the room.
“I’m on a hot mic here,” Biden says after being warned. “Good. That’s good.”
An expansion humanitarian crisis through Gaza and strict Israeli controls on aid trucks have disappeared virtually the entire population According to the United Nations, they are desperately short of food. Officials have been warning of Israel’s siege and offensive for months causing famine in the Palestinian area.
Biden has become increasingly public about his frustration with the Netanyahu government’s unwillingness to open more border crossings for urgently needed aid to enter Gaza.
In his speech on Thursday, he called on Israelis to do more to alleviate suffering even as they try to eliminate Hamas.
“To Israel, I say this humanitarian assistance should not be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip,” Biden said.
The president announced in his speech Thursday that the U.S. military would help set up a temporary pier aimed at increasing the amount of aid coming into the area. Last week the American army began airdrops in Gaza.
Biden said the temporary pier “will enable a massive increase in humanitarian assistance in Gaza.”