Joe Biden vented his anger at Benjamin Netanyahu in a series of profanity-laden rants, accusing the Israeli prime minister of ‘regularly lying to him’ during the war in Gaza, according to a bombshell new book.
The US President labelled Netanyahu a ‘bad f***ing guy’ and ‘son of a bi**h’ in conversations with his associates, journalist Bob Woodward writes in his new insider account.
President Biden’s ‘frustrations and distrust’ of Netanyahu ‘erupted’ last spring, Woodward writes, as the war in Gaza became increasingly destructive and spread into Rafah, a southern area of the Strip where many refugees had fled.
Biden and Netanyahu have known each other for nearly 40 years, with their relationship stretching back to when the President was a junior senator in his early 40s and Netanyahu was a fledgling diplomat around ten years younger.
However, their relationship has been somewhat strained at times, and Netanyahu was a key international ally of Biden’s rival Donald Trump while the former president was in the White House.
Last week, Biden said he did not know whether the Israeli leader was holding up a peace deal in the Middle East in order to influence the outcome of the 2024 US presidential election.
The new revelations are made in Woodward’s book ‘War’, which comes out next week.
The famed Watergate reporter is expected to lift the lid on the president’s blunt assessments of fellow world leaders, including Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin.
Speaking to advisors shortly after the invasion of Ukraine, he is reported to have described the Russian President as ‘That f***ing Putin’ and ‘the epitome of evil.’
Biden is also said to have had a nickname for his predecessor in the Oval Office, calling Donald Trump ‘that f***ing a**hole,’ CNN has reported based on excerpts from the book.
Woodward describes Biden being left ‘f***ing furious’ by Netanyahu, allegedly saying in one tirade: ‘That son of a bi**h, Bibi Netanyahu, he’s a bad guy. He’s a bad f***ing guy!’
With Netanyahu ‘continuing to say he was going to kill every last member of Hamas.’ Woodward wrote, ‘Biden had told him that was impossible, threatening both privately and publicly to withhold offensive US weapons shipment.’
‘He’s a f***ing liar,’ Biden said of Netanyahu after that invasion began. The prime minister had repeatedly vowed to raid the area no matter what, claiming Hamas leaders were hiding there.
Biden also took out his anger on Netanyahu directly, reportedly saying to him after an Israeli airstrike killed a top Hezbollah military commander and three civilians in Beirut: ‘Bibi, what the f**k?’
He also reportedly tried to warn Netanyahu that Israel was losing credibility in the world and was being seen as a ‘rogue’ actor.
‘We saw an opportunity and took it,’ Netanyahu is said to have responded. ‘The harder you hit, the more successful you’re going to be in the negotiation.’
Biden was trying to rein in Israel amid worries the fighting would ignite an all-out war in the Middle East.
The White House downplayed the book’s revelations, with spokesperson Emilie Simons telling reporters on Tuesday: ‘The commitment that we have to the state of Israel is ironclad.’
The leaders ‘can have very honest and straightforward conversations’ and US-Israel ties are strong, Simons added.
Simons, when pressed on the details, said she wouldn’t comment on every anecdote that may come out in reporting.
She added of Biden and Netanyahu: ‘They have a long-term relationship. They have a very honest and direct relationship, and I don´t have a comment on those specific anecdotes.’
Biden has pushed for a ceasefire agreement in Gaza for months, but Netanyahu has repeatedly resisted the prospect even as talks are ongoing.
‘No administration has helped Israel more than I have. None. None, none. And I think Bibi should remember that,’ Biden said last week.
Responding to concerns raised that Netanyahu is not interested in a peace deal in part due to US politics, he added: ‘And whether he’s trying to influence the election, I don’t know – but I’m not counting on that.’