Biden says he was ‘very blunt’ with Israeli leaders about aid to Gaza

US President Joe Biden has said he was “very blunt” with Israeli leaders that they would be “held accountable” if they didn’t allow humanitarian assistance to relieve the suffering of people in Gaza displaced by its raging conflict with Hamas.

“As they probably told you I was very blunt with the Israelis,” Biden told reporters on Air Force One while on his return from Tel Aviv where he expressed America’s solidarity with Israel and held crucial talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Asked specifically what he was “blunt” with the Israelis about, Biden responded, “Everything.” “I was very blunt on the need to support getting humanitarian aid to Gaza, and to do it quickly,” he said.

The president added that he received “no pushback” from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu when he raised humanitarian issues.

“But we’ve had a number of discussions about this,” Biden said. “Look, I don’t know what you picked up in Israel but I got no pushback. Virtually none. Let me say it again, I got no pushback.” (PTI)