President Joe Biden’s remarks to Democrat donors in which he said that Israel was losing support was yet another public relations fiasco and the White House was forced into damage control mode.
On Tuesday, the human gaffe machine appeared to have gone rogue again with his remarks suggesting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to shake up his government and that the Jewish democracy’s “indiscriminate bombing” is alienating the world.
Tasked with cleaning up his boss’s mess was NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby who manned the podium during Wednesday’s daily press briefing, engaging in an at times tense back and forth with reporters as he tried to walk back Biden’s comments about the critical Middle East ally.
Top Biden spokesman John Kirby denies he’s walking back Biden’s “indiscriminate” bombing comment yesterday, despite Kirby’s repeated efforts to walk Biden’s comment back pic.twitter.com/iSYM1fe8pc — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 13, 2023
In one exchange with a persistent member of the press asking about “surgical or indiscriminate” air strikes, Kirby shot back, “We’re not going to armchair quarterback this from this particular podium,” chiding the reporter to “let me finish.”
“We’re not gonna, we’re not gonna characterize very airstrike,” he said. “We’re not gonna speak for Israeli military operations. The president was reflecting a concern that we have had for some time and will continue to have as this military proceeds, about the need for reducing civilian harm and being as precise and careful and deliberate as possible.”
Biden’s remarks behind closed doors to the Democrat high rollers set off a firestorm over what could be seen by some as throwing Netanyahu under the bus at a time when his party’s anti-Semitic base is on the brink of a full revolt that could severely damage his reelection hopes.
“I think he has to change, and with this government, this government in Israel is making it very difficult for him to move,” Biden reportedly said, according to CNN, describing Netanyahu’s regime as the “most conservative government in Israel’s history.”
Joe Biden told Democrat donors that Benjamin Netanyahu “needs to change his hardline government.” “This is the most conservative government in Israel’s history!” “This government does not support a two-state-solution!” He also warned that support for Israel is waning. pic.twitter.com/H8f5BCgmqA — Townhall.com (@townhallcom) December 12, 2023
Biden reportedly said that the Jewish democracy “has most of the world supporting it,” but added “They’re starting to lose that support by the indiscriminate bombing that takes place,” a statement that could have been taken directly from Hamas talking points.
The regime spox also said of Biden, “He was expressing concerns that that that we continue to see civilian casualties in Gaza and, again, that we want to make sure that as they work to minimize that they actually have those kinds of results that they are able to minimize.”
“He expressed those concerns as a real friend of Israel, somebody who loves and respects Israel and has for his whole public life,” he said, adding that Biden has long had a close relationship with the prime minister. “
“They have a long standing relationship. They’re going to keep that relationship. They’re going to keep talking. I think you can expect that he will be talking to Prime Minister Netanyahu in the future about what we can do to continue to support Israel,” Kirby stated.