Frustrations between Biden and Israeli PM Netanyahu mount

Biden administration officials are laying the groundwork with other Israeli leaders in anticipation of a post-Netanyahu government.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken dialed up pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday over the future of the Gaza Strip, laying bare the Biden administration’s growing frustrations with the Israeli prime minister’s rejection of a proposal last week.

“There’s a profound opportunity for regionalization in the Middle East, in the greater Middle East that we have not had before,” Blinken said during an interview at the World Economic Forum's summit in Davos, Switzerland. “The challenge is realizing it.”

Asked if Netanyahu is the prime minister for seizing this opportunity, Blinken said, "These are decisions for Israelis to make," adding, “This is an inflection point."

Blinken’s comments, made during an interview with New York Times columnist Tom Friedman, come just a week after a trip to the Middle East to try to get Israel and Arab leaders to agree on a path forward for Gaza once the war with Hamas ends.

The Biden administration and Netanyahu’s divisions over Israel’s handling of its war with Hamas, as well as the Israeli leader’s refusal to consider U.S. proposals for a post-war Gaza, have only become more pronounced since Blinken’s visit to Israel, according to multiple senior administration officials.