Israel government ‘most extreme’ ever seen, says Joe Biden

US President Joe Biden called out the “the most extreme” Israeli government that he’s ever seen during an interview with CNN yesterday. Biden slammed the far-right coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu and sidestepped questions about extending an invitation for the Israeli Prime Minister to visit the White House.

According to Biden, members of the Israeli cabinet who back settlers going “anywhere they want” in the occupied West Bank are “part of the problem” in the conflict. His unusually frank comments appear to have been directed at ultranationalist settlers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Both hold key roles in the Netanyahu government: Smotrich serves as finance minister, and Ben Gvir is the national security minister. Despite their prominent roles, Washington has steered clear of both men and has expressed deep misgivings about them.

Biden is, nevertheless, a strong advocate of the Israeli state, having said repeatedly that, “If there were not an Israel, we’d have to invent one.” That didn’t stop Ben-Gvir from criticising the US president. The head of the extremist Otzma Yehudit party hit back during an interview with an Israeli channel yesterday.

Ben-Gvir tells Biden: Israel not another star on US flag

“President Biden must realise that Israel is no longer another star in the American flag,” said Ben-Gvir. “In what way am I an extremist? By handing out weapons to the citizens of Israel so that they can defend themselves? In that I give full backing to our soldiers and officers? I invite Biden to tour Jerusalem and Hebron to see that our extremism is extreme, immense love for the State of Israel.”

Ben-Gvir is a disciple of the American-born Israeli terrorist and Jewish supremacist the late Baruch Goldstein, who attacked Palestinian worshippers at prayer in Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque in 1994, killing 29 people and injuring 150 others. Moreover, the 47-year old minister’s open incitement to violence against Palestinians did not rule out a 2,000-strong “private militia” to operate under his direct orders.

Asked about a potential invitation for Netanyahu to visit the White House, Biden said, “The Israeli president is going to be coming, and we have other contacts,” referring to President Isaac Herzog’s upcoming visit to Washington at the end of the month.

Biden reiterated his long support for Israel and noted that the Likud leader was “trying to work through how we can work through his existing problems in terms of his coalition.” He continued, “We were talking with them regularly, trying to damp down what’s going on and, hopefully, Bibi [Netanyahu] will continue to move towards moderation and change.”