Biden Says Netanyahu Failed to Honor Gaza Civilian-Protection Promises in Memoir

Former U.S. president Joe Biden accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his forthcoming memoir of failing to follow through on promises to reduce civilian harm in Gaza. Passages disclosed on November 13 describe Biden’s frustration with their private discussions during the war following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. “I had been calling on Israel to take precautions to reduce civilian suffering since the beginning of the conflict,” Biden writes. He says he repeatedly raised the issue with Netanyahu, who acknowledged that mounting civilian casualties damaged Israel’s image and American support for the war. Biden describes a pattern of assurances about additional precautions followed by military actions that killed more civilians. In Biden’s account, Netanyahu made commitments that he either could not or did not intend to fulfill. The former president writes that he recognized the intense pressure on Israel’s prime minister, but believed Netanyahu placed immediate political considerations ahead of Israel’s longer-term interests. The newly disclosed chapter of “Promise Me, America,” due out next week, also addresses criticism of Biden’s mental acuity, his decision to seek reelection and his handling of the 2024 campaign.