Biden gives Netanyahu 'a red line', not going to abandon Israel

US President Joe Biden said in an interview with MSNBC on Saturday, March 9, that the IDF entry into Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip would be a "red line" for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

However, Biden quickly backtracked, stating that there is no "red line" and that he will never leave Israel.

"I'm never going to leave Israel. The defense of Israel is still critical. There's no red line in which I'm going to cut off our weapons so that they don't have the Iron Dome missile defense system to protect them," Biden said.

Biden also reiterated that Israel has a right to continue to pursue Hamas. However, he said it's unacceptable "if 30,000 more Palestinians die as a consequence of going after Hamas".

Biden apparently relied on death figures presented by Gaza's Ministry of Health, which Hamas runs.

According to Biden, Israel's actions leading to the deaths of innocent civilians are "misguided." "He must pay more attention" to this and consider the consequences, Biden said of Netanyahu. Ignoring the lives lost is "contrary to what Israel stands for, and I think it's a big mistake," Biden argued. The president maintained that Netanyahu is "hurting Israel more than helping Israel."