Bob Woodward upcoming book: Biden calling Netanyahu a ‘liar’ who ‘only cares about his political survival’
US media outlets on Tuesday reported excerpts from a forthcoming book by veteran journalist Bob Woodward in which President Joe Biden is quoted as describing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “liar” who “only cares about his own political survival”.
Woodward has been working for the Washington Post for half a century, and his articles cover what goes on behind the scenes in the White House.
In his book, “War,” which will be released on October 15, Woodward talks in particular about President Joe Biden’s futile efforts to end Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip in response to the movement’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7.
Since the beginning of the conflict, US diplomacy has seemed unable to influence Netanyahu’s approach to managing the war.
According to excerpts from the book, Biden asked the Israeli prime minister during a phone call in April about his strategy, and the latter replied by saying, “We’ve to enter Rafah, to which Biden replied, “Bibi, you have no strategy”.
Later, the US President complained to his advisors, stressing that Netanyahu is a liar and only cares about his political survival.
In early September, Biden made a public statement that Netanyahu was not making enough efforts to reach an agreement to release the Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
However, the US president has not yet used arms shipments as a means of influencing the policies of the Netanyahu government, except for freezing a bomb shipment in May.
According to the Washington Post, Woodward’s book also touches on Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he refers to as a supporter of Biden’s positions but not a decisive influence on his foreign policy.
In July, after meeting with Netanyahu, Harris took a tough line in describing Israel’s handling of the conflict in Gaza, vowing to not be silent about Palestinian suffering.
But her public statements didn’t reflect the friendly tone of the talks, according to the book.
According to Woodward’s book, this discrepancy in the statements of the Democratic candidate for the presidential elections scheduled for November 5 surprised and angered Netanyahu.
