(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) An anonymous but “very senior” Israeli official has accused U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. intelligence agencies of attempting to force Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu out of office, the Times of Israel reported.
Responding to a United States intelligence report that Netanyahu’s administration “may be in jeopardy” due to its handling of the ongoing Hamas–Israel war, the official suggested that American officials may be attempting to meddle in Israeli elections.
The intelligence report also suggested that there was a great deal of “distrust” among Israelis regarding Netanyahu’s “ability to rule.”
“We expect large protests demanding his resignation and new elections,” the report continued. “A different, more moderate government is a possibility,” it continued.
Israeli officials did not take kindly to the report, accusing the Biden administration of getting out over its skis.
“Those who elect the prime minister of Israel are the citizens of Israel and no one else,” said the official in a statement, suggesting that the news report was merely an attempt to stir up trouble for Netanyahu.
According to the official, Israel is it’s own sovereign nation, not to be meddled with by the United States or other international powers.
“Israel is not a protectorate of the US but an independent and democratic country whose citizens are the ones who elect the government,” said the source. “We expect our friends to act to overthrow the terror regime of Hamas and not the elected government in Israel.”
For his part, Netanyahu has expressed public gratitude for Biden’s aid, which culminated in the passage of a large spending bill last month.
Netanyahu on Tuesday said that he “deeply appreciate[d] the support we have received from President Biden and the administration, and I hope it will continue,” but noted that “Israel will win this war, no matter what,” presumably alluding to growing internal pressure in America from the pro-Hamas Left.
In the Democratic primaries of several crucial swing states, large swaths of the Muslim population have voted “uncommitted” to convey their protest, despite Biden being the only candidate on the ballot considered a viable contender.
The pressure has led him publicly to ratchet up his rhetorinc and public attacks on the conservative Netanyahu, much as former President Barack Obama attempted to do during his presidency.
For Netanyahu, however, there may be more to gain politically from standing up to Biden’s demands than capitulating to them after the Oct. 7 atrocities helped win the embattled leader—who, at the time, faced a series of lawfare attacks from the Israeli courts—a public reprieve.
A storied war hero himself, “Bibi” has approached the mission in Gaza with a singular purpose, declaring that there is “no other option but total victory, and that victory is within reach.”
