Biden Says He Doesn't Know Whether Israel is Holding Up Peace Deal to Influence 2024 Election

TIME

In a surprise news conference in the White House briefing room Friday, President Joe Biden had terse words for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said he didn't know whether the Israeli leader was holding up a peace deal in order to influence the outcome of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

Transcript

00:00Could you clarify some of your comments yesterday with regard to strikes on Iranian oil facilities?

00:08What did you mean by them, given some of the reactions we're seeing in the market?

00:14Well, look, the Israelis have not concluded what they're going to do in terms of a strike.

00:21That's under discussion.

00:22I think there are, if I were in their shoes, I'd be thinking about other alternatives than

00:28striking oil fields.

00:30Do you agree, do you have any worries that Netanyahu may be trying to influence the election

00:36and that's why he has not agreed to a diplomatic solution?

00:40No administration has helped Israel more than I have.

00:44None.

00:45None.

00:46None.

00:47And I think Bibi should remember that.

00:51And whether he's trying to influence the election or not, I don't know, but I'm not counting

00:54on that.

00:55You said many times recently that you want to speak to him, that you plan to.

00:59No, I didn't say plan to.

01:00I didn't say want to.

01:01You don't have to?

01:02No, I didn't say that.

01:03You're making it sound like I'm seeking to speak to him.

01:08I'm assuming when they make their judgment of how they're going to respond, we will then

01:12have a discussion.

01:13What are you advising the Israelis to do in terms of their retaliation to Iran?

01:17And at this point, you still haven't spoken to Netanyahu.

01:20Is it fair to say that you have little personal influence over what he decides to do?

01:26No.

01:27Look, our teams are in contact 12 hours a day.

01:31They're constantly in contact.

01:34I've already had my presidential daily brief.

01:36We've already had an interface between our military or the diplomats.

01:42It's in constant contact.

01:44They are trying to figure out, and it's high holidays as well, they're not going to make

01:47a decision immediately.

01:49And so we're going to wait to see what they, when they want to talk.

01:53What I know is the plan that I put together received the support of the UN Security Council

02:01and the vast majority of our allies around the world as a way to bring this to an end.

02:08Look, the Israelis have every right to respond to the vicious attacks on them, not just from

02:17the Iranians, but from everyone from Hezbollah, the Houthis, anyway.

02:24But the fact is that they have to be very much more careful about dealing with civilian

02:30casualties.

02:31So how should they respond?

02:32You expressed concerns about attacks on Iranian oil facilities.

02:35How should they respond?

02:36That's between me and them.

02:37All right, we've got to move on.

02:38Go ahead, Tam.

02:39The election is a month away.

02:40One, I'd like to know how you're feeling about how this election is going.

02:45And then also, do you have confidence that it will be a free and fair election and that

02:51it will be peaceful?

02:53Two separate questions.

02:54Very much.

02:55I'm confident it will be free and fair.

02:58I don't know whether it will be peaceful.

03:00The things that Trump has said and the things that he said last time out when he didn't

03:05like the outcome of the election were very dangerous.

03:10If you notice, I noticed that the vice presidential Republican candidate did not say he'd accept

03:16the outcome of the election.

03:17They haven't even accepted the outcome of the last election.

03:20So I'm concerned about what they're going to do.

03:25Are you making any preparations, getting security briefings related to domestic security?

03:30I always get those briefings.

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