Biden and his aides have been “repeatedly frustrated” by Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip, especially by the large death toll among Palestinian civilians, the report said. It added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ignored US advice.
“As his influence over Netanyahu shrunk, the president’s anger grew,” Politico wrote. It cited unnamed officials as saying that phone calls between Biden and Netanyahu have “increasingly turned into shouting matches”.
The dynamic illustrates “an acknowledgement” that Biden may be unable to prevent a “regional war” in the Middle East, the magazine noted. This has forced Biden to settle for “limiting Israel’s response rather than discourage it entirely”.
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
Nearly 41,800 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and at least 96,800 others injured, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.
