Biden 'doesn't know' if Israel is avoiding peace deal to sway US election

US President Joe Biden had terse words for his Israeli ally Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and said he didn't know whether the Israeli hawkish leader was holding up a Middle East peace deal in order to influence the outcome of the 2024 US presidential election.

"No administration has helped Israel more than I have, none. None, none. And I think Bibi should remember that," he said on Friday, referring to the Israeli leader by his nickname.

"And whether he's trying to influence the election, I don't know but I'm not counting on that."

Biden, in a rare appearance in the White House press briefing room, was responding to comments made by one of his allies, Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who told CNN this week that he was concerned Netanyahu had little interest in a peace deal in part because of US politics.

"I don't think you have to be a hopeless cynic to read some of Israel's actions, some of Prime Minister Netanyahu's actions, as connected to the American election," Murphy said.

Biden and Netanyahu have long managed a complicated relationship, but they’re running out of space to maneuver as their actions on Israel's genocidal war on besieged Gaza diverge and their political futures hang in the balance.

For Biden, a diplomatic deal would help resolve a deep divide among Democrats over the war and shore up support for Vice President Kamala Harris, making one fewer global conflict for her to manage should she win next month.

Netanyahu has his own political concerns closer to home: His far-right coalition would abandon him if he stopped the war, and he could lose power and have to face his own legal problems. Israel has expanded its Gaza war into Lebanon now, creating further rifts between Democrats and Arab-American voters in US.

Netanyahu torpedeos Biden's truce deal

Biden has over the past few months pledged that a truce deal was close. But it never seems to materialise, and in many cases, Netanyahu has publicly resisted the prospect while US and Israeli officials continue to talk in private about eking out a deal.

Just last week, the US, France and other allies jointly called for an immediate 21-day Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, and expected Israel to welcome if not fully endorse the plan. Instead, Netanyahu publicly rejected it, telling leaders gathered for the UN General Assembly that Israel would "continue degrading Hezbollah until all our objectives are met."

Israel has pressed forward on two fronts, pursuing a ground invasion into Lebanon and conducting strikes in Gaza that killed dozens, including children. And Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate for Iran's ballistic missile attack this week.

Biden said there had been no decision yet on what type of response there would be toward Iran, though "I think if I were in their shoes, I'd be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields."

He pushed back against the idea that he was seeking a meeting with Netanyahu to discuss the response to Iran. He isn't, he said.

"I'm assuming when they make a decision on how they’re going to respond, we will then have a discussion," he said.

Biden has remained consistent in his support for Israel's war on Gaza. In the aftermath of October 7, Biden hugged Netanyahu on the tarmac of the airport in Tel Aviv.

Since then, he has supported ongoing and enhanced US arms transfers to Israel. Israel has been using same weapons in Gaza where it has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians and wounded some 100,000. Analysts say the accurate death could be around 200,000.

Israel and its leaders are accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice.