Netanyahu against his minister Ben-Gvir on US support for Israel

(Patria) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday hit back at a far-right minister in his cabinet who said Washington has not fully backed Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, AFP reported.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir told the Wall Street Journal that US President Joe Biden has not provided sufficient support to Israel.

"Instead of giving us full support, Biden is busy providing humanitarian aid and fuel (to Gaza), which goes to Hamas," Ben-Gvir said in an article published on Sunday. "If (former US President Donald) Trump were in power, US behavior would be completely different."

Netanyahu appeared to respond to the interview ahead of a cabinet meeting on Sunday, saying:

"We greatly appreciate the support we have received from the Biden administration since the outbreak of the war."
"I do not need help to know how to manage our relations with the US and the international community, while firmly standing by our national interests," he said.

"We make our own decisions, even in cases where there is no agreement with our American friends," Netanyahu added.

The United States is Israel's main international ally, providing billions of dollars in military support each year. But in recent weeks, Washington has insisted on greater protection of civilians in the Gaza Strip, as well as the eventual creation of a Palestinian state.

Ben-Gvir's outburst against Biden came after Washington took the rare step of imposing sanctions on four settlers following increased violence against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank. Ben-Gvir himself lives in such a settlement.

Biden said the violence there has "reached intolerable levels" after signing the sanctions last week. About 490,000 settlers live among approximately three million Palestinians in the West Bank, in settlements considered illegal under international law.