Biden mum on Israeli officials skipping DC visit in deepening rift over Gaza – Washington Examiner

President Joe Biden declined to comment Tuesday on the decision from Israeli government officials to back out of a series of meetings in Washington, D.C., surrounding the war in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pulled his country’s delegation out of those Washington, D.C., talks after the United States abstained from a Monday United Nations vote calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

“Oh, I don’t want to get into that now,” Biden told reporters Tuesday after delivering remarks at the White House on the recent bridge collapse in Baltimore, Maryland. “I’ll have plenty of time to talk about Rafah.”

Just one day prior, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the White House was “disappointed” by Netanyahu’s decision.

“It’s disappointing. We’re very disappointed that they won’t be coming to Washington, D.C., to allow us to have a fulsome conversation with them about viable alternatives to them going in on the ground in Rafah,” he said at Monday’s White House press briefing. “Nothing has changed about our view that a major ground offensive in Rafah would be a major mistake.”

The president previously voiced optimism about brokering another extended ceasefire agreement before the start of Ramadan; however, negotiations between Israel, Hamas, and various third parties have stalled in recent weeks.

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You can watch Biden’s remarks in full below.

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