Bethlehem / PNN /
A tweet by the so-called Israeli Minister of National Security, the extremist Itamar Ben Gvir, sparked controversy within Israeli circles after he tweeted: "Hamas loves Biden."
Ben Gvir attacked US President Joe Biden by posting a tweet on his x account, combining the words "Biden" and "Hamas" with a heart (♥) symbol to indicate "love between the two parties," according to the tweet.
The tweet from Ben Gvir came after the US decision to suspend the shipment of weapons to Israel, and Biden's threat to refrain from supplying Israel with certain types of weapons if it launched an attack on Rafah.
Biden threatened in an interview with CNN that the United States would stop shipments of American weapons to Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a major invasion of Rafah.
These statements by Biden came during his appearance on the "Erin Burnett OutFront" program on the American network, hosted by the network's anchor Erin Burnett.
He added, "I won't provide them with the weapons historically used to deal with Rafah, and with cities, those that deal with this issue. Israel won't receive our support if it enters the population centers in Rafah."
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid commented on Ben Gvir's tweet, saying, "If Netanyahu does not expel Ben Gvir today, he is exposing every soldier in the Israeli army and every citizen of the State of Israel to danger."
This was not the first time that the extremist Ben Gvir had attacked US President Joe Biden. Ben Gvir accused Biden of aligning with Israel's enemies and described his efforts to pressure Tel Aviv as wrong.
Ben Gvir said in a previous interview with the American newspaper "New York Times" that "Biden prefers the approach of Palestinian-American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to his approach and that of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."
The Israeli Minister of National Security told the newspaper that he expected "the President of the United States not to follow their path, but to follow our path."
He considered that Biden was extremely wrong in seeking to pressure Israel and said that the American president "constantly sought to impose restrictions on Israel and talked about the rights of the other party, including many terrorists who want to destroy Israel," according to him.
The Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, also criticized the US administration of President Joe Biden in February last year, considering it "harming Israel's war effort," which sparked a storm of criticism in Tel Aviv.
This came in an interview with Ben Gvir, the leader of the extremist "Jewish Power" party, with the American newspaper "Wall Street Journal."
Ben Gvir said he believes that the Biden administration "harms the Israeli war effort," and believes that the Republican presidential candidate, Donald "Trump, will give Israel more freedom to eliminate Hamas."
Instead of providing us with full support, he is busy providing humanitarian aid and fuel to Gaza - which goes to Hamas. If Trump were in power, US behavior would be completely different."
In July last year 2023, Ben Gvir criticized statements by US President Joe Biden, confirming that Israel would not give up a single hill or settlement outpost in the West Bank.
Biden then stated that the Israeli government had some "most extremist members" he had ever seen and criticized ministers who supported expansionist settlement policies as "part of the problem" (Middle East issue), according to the Times of Israel.
Ben Gvir praised the United States as a "great friend" before criticizing US President Joe Biden, saying: "The land of Israel belongs to the nation of Israel according to the Torah of Israel, and we will not give up a single hill or settlement outpost in the West Bank. It is ours."
Ben Gvir also called on the Israeli government to move forward with comprehensive judicial reform, not just the "Reasonableness Law" project.
The Israeli Minister of National Security responded to Biden via a tweet on his "Twitter" account, saying: "President Biden needs to realize that we are not another star on the American flag," referring to the stars symbolizing the number of US states.
Ben Gvir added, wondering: "How exactly am I extremist? By distributing weapons to Israeli citizens to defend themselves? By giving full support to our soldiers and police officers? (...) I invite Biden to tour Jerusalem and Hebron to see that our extremism is extremism with great love for the State of Israel."
Ben Gvir's statements often stir controversy within Israeli circles and the Israeli government, which later described them as "irresponsible" and "childish."