President Biden said Thursday that in the days since the war in Gaza began, he has pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent civilian deaths and address Palestinian concerns while maintaining steadfast United States support for Israel.
Mr. Biden spoke with MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell in his last televised interview while in office, during which he also discussed his political career and the presidency. The interview, which aired Thursday night, was taped earlier in the day.
The 15-month war, which began after Hamas led a deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. Most of Gaza’s roughly two million residents have been displaced at least once, and much of the enclave has been destroyed.
Mr. Biden and other leaders announced a temporary cease-fire agreement on Wednesday that raised hopes that Israel’s military offensive on Gaza would end. Under the agreement to end the fighting, some hostages held by Hamas in Gaza will be released.
The president and his advisers struggled for months to negotiate an end to the conflict. Mr. Biden, who put the cease-fire deal on the table in May, told MSNBC that he had repeatedly told Mr. Netanyahu that he “must find a way to satisfy the legitimate concerns” of the Palestinians. He called Mr. Netanyahu’s friend, but he said: “We don’t agree on much lately.”
Critics, including some families of hostages who pushed for a ceasefire deal, accused Mr. Netanyahu that he deliberately delayed negotiations to prolong the conflict. Mr. Biden did not respond directly when asked if he believed Mr. Netanyahu had done it. He said the Israeli prime minister had come under political pressure from Israel’s right wing and had sometimes been forced “to do some of the things that, in my faith, I thought were counterproductive.”
To reach the ceasefire agreement, President-elect Donald J. Trump and Mr. Biden asked their advisers to cooperate. Mr. Biden said in Thursday’s interview that he had no discussions with Mr. Trump on the negotiations over the past two weeks.
Mr. Biden recalled that the first time he urged Mr. Netanyahu to prevent civilian deaths was during a visit to Israel 10 days after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Mr. Biden said he told the prime minister that the United States would support Israel, but that “you can’t bomb these communities.”
Israel’s bombing campaign has been one of the most intense in 21st century warfare, and the country has occasionally used inaccurate bombs.
During the interview, Mr. Biden has defended his steadfast support for Israel throughout the conflict.
“When Iran thought they were going to blow Israel off the map — they had these thousands of missiles headed their way,” he said. “So guess what? We didn’t let that happen.”
