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Biden’s frustrations with Netanyahu ‘meaningless’ without action: Analysts

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Biden’s frustrations with Netanyahu ‘meaningless’ without action: Analysts

Joe Biden is getting frustrated with Israel.

That is what unnamed sources have been telling media outlets in the United States, as the president faces widespread condemnation over his support for Israel’s war in Gaza.

But as Israel presses on with its military campaign, Biden is nearing “a breach” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, The Washington Post said on Sunday. And he has increasingly voiced anger towards the far-right Israeli leader, even calling him an a**hole on a few recent occasions, NBC News reported on Monday morning.

Yet, despite Biden’s supposed frustrations, analysts say the US president’s comments behind closed doors mean little if he remains unwilling to exert pressure on Israel to end its deadly military offensive in Gaza.

“For anyone with even a shred of conscience, Israel’s war should elicit frustration and anger. But in Biden’s case, it has not yet forced him to issue an absolutely necessary call for a ceasefire that can spare Palestinian lives,” said Imad Harb, the director of research and analysis at the Arab Cente Washington DC.

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“Unfortunately, and despite the fact that the United States has many tools of pressure that it can use to change Israel’s policies and behavior, it is Israel that is in the driver’s seat,” he told Al Jazeera in an email.

Deadly Israeli attacks on Rafah

The reports about Biden’s growing frustrations with Netanyahu come as the United Nations and human rights groups have raised alarm over an expected Israeli ground offensive in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza.

Israel bombarded the densely populated city in the early hours of Monday, killing at least 67 Palestinians, including children.

Previously designated as a “safe zone” by Israel, Rafah is now home to more than 1.4 million people, many of whom are internally displaced from other parts of Gaza and have been sleeping in tents.

The strikes — which Israel said were carried out as part of an operation to free two Israeli captives — came less than 24 hours after Biden spoke with Netanyahu about the planned Rafah offensive.

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The Israeli military operation should not proceed without “a credible and executable plan for ensuring the safety of and support for the more than one million people sheltering there”, Biden told the Israeli leader, according to a White House readout of Sunday’s talks.

Tariq Kenney-Shawa, a US policy fellow at Palestinian think tank Al-Shabaka, said Biden’s call with Netanyahu “was a green light” for the deadly overnight bombings.

“Biden’s harsh words for Netanyahu, if he even really said them, are nothing more than words. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is policy, and Biden’s policy has been unconditional support of Israel every step of the way,” Kenney-Shawa told Al Jazeera.

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Iman Abid-Thompson, the director of advocacy and organising at the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, said Biden and his administration have been “cowardly” because they have voiced most of their criticisms behind the scenes.

Those criticisms, she said, “should be said at the forefront. They should be said out loud. They should be understood by the public and seen in formal statements.”

Abid-Thompson told Al Jazeera that Israel has been emboldened by the lack of pressure from the US, which provides the Israeli government with at least $3.8bn in military aid annually. She dismissed the idea that the US may be unable to rein in Israel’s military campaign.

“I think this idea of ‘What can we do?’ is just an absolute joke,” she said. “There is a lot to say about the lack of responsibility that the United States has taken in what has been happening to Palestinians, specifically by the Israeli government.”

Referring to Israel’s military campaign, she added: “We know that it’s only been upheld and it’s been strengthened because of the funding that the United States has provided unconditionally to Israel.”

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Ways to exert pressure

Asked on Monday whether the Biden administration would consider cutting aid to Israel if it presses ahead with its plans in Rafah, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington “has pursued the policy that we think gives us the maximum ability to be successful in influencing how Israel conducts its military campaign”.

Miller told reporters that, “in many cases”, the administration has been unhappy with the results. But Washington has not assessed whether cutting aid “would be more impactful than the steps that we have already taken”, he said.

“I think that sometimes people pretend that the United States of America has a magic wand that it can wave to make any situation in the world roll out in exactly the way that we would want it to, and that is never the case,” Miller also said during the news conference.

“We use the tools that are available to try to influence policy.”

At a subsequent press conference, White House spokesman John Kirby echoed Miller’s stance. When asked if Biden had ever threatened to strip US military aid ahead of the anticipated Rafah offensive, he responded with a general statement of support for Israel.

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“We’re going to continue to support Israel,” Kirby said. “They have a right to defend themselves against Hamas and we’re going to continue to make sure they have the tools and the capabilities to do that.”

But experts say the US could exert pressure on Israel by simply following its own laws. This includes applying the so-called Leahy Law, which prohibits the US government from providing military aid to foreign countries committing human rights abuses.

“Biden’s reported frustration is meaningless unless he ties it to concrete, tangible pressure on Netanyahu and the Israeli government as a whole,” said Kenney-Shawa. But, he added, Washington has instead “taken every step to minimise the cost of Israel’s assault”.

‘Moment of truth’

Since the Gaza war began, the Biden administration has approved weapons transfers to Israel despite concerns about alleged war crimes and the risk of genocide unfolding in the Palestinian territory.

It also has backed legislation that would provide more than $14bn in additional US security assistance to the country, refused to call for a long-term Gaza ceasefire and blocked attempts at the UN to end the war.

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Raed Jarrar, the advocacy director at Democracy for the Arab World Now, a think tank in Washington, DC, said the administration “has failed miserably in managing the relationship” with Netanyahu.

But Washington can “redeem itself”, Jarrar told Al Jazeera, if it takes decisive action to prevent what he described as “the next chapter of genocide” in Gaza: the expected Israeli military offensive in Rafah.

“This week will actually be the moment of truth. What are they going to do when Netanyahu does not listen to them and goes ahead with the attack on Rafah? What are they going to do?” he asked.

“Are they going to continue the same failed policy, or are they going to switch to the only option that they should have considered all along, which is not aligning themselves with a genocidal maniac?”

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Abuse allegations against lead Democrat shake race for California governor

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Abuse allegations against lead Democrat shake race for California governor

Media reports detailing sexual assault allegations against US Representative Eric Swalwell prompt resignation calls.

Reports detailing sexual assault allegations against US Congressman Eric Swalwell have shaken the California state gubernatorial race, where polls have shown him leading a crowded field of Democratic candidates seeking to replace Governor Gavin Newsom.

A number of influential Democratic Party lawmakers called on Swalwell to drop out of the race and resign from the United States Congress during TV interviews on Sunday, days after reports from CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle detailed alleged accounts of sexual assault from a former staffer and misconduct allegations from several other women.

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“What he did is sick and disgusting,” Congressman Ro Khanna told the news programme Fox News Sunday, calling for investigations into the allegations by law enforcement and the US House of Representatives.

Swalwell has denied the allegations as “absolutely false” and has not given any indication that he plans to exit the race for the governorship of the country’s most populous state. A March poll from Emerson College had shown Swalwell ahead of Democratic and Republican challengers by several points.

But the reports have shaken his campaign, with powerful figures and organisations revoking their endorsements and calling for him to drop out over the weekend. The Manhattan district attorney’s office confirmed on Saturday that it was investigating the allegations.

California gubernatorial candidate, US Representative Eric Swalwell, appears at a town hall meeting in Sacramento, California, on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 [Rich Pedroncelli/AP Photo]

Republican US Representative Anna Paulina Luna has said she will submit a motion to begin the process of expelling Swalwell, a move some Democrats in Congress have said they could support.

“This is not a partisan issue,” Representative Pramila Jayapal said Sunday. “This cuts across party lines. And it is the depravity of the way that women have been treated.”

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Democrats have also called for the expulsion of Representative Tony Gonzales, a Republican from Texas who is also facing sexual misconduct allegations.

Khanna and Republican Representative Byron Donalds have said that they could support a bid to eject both Gonzales and Swalwell from Congress.

“As far as I’m concerned, both gentlemen need to go home,” Donalds said.

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Anyma Says He’s ‘Truly Devastated and Deeply Sorry’ Following Canceled Coachella Set: ‘I’m Working on a Solution’

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Anyma Says He’s ‘Truly Devastated and Deeply Sorry’ Following Canceled Coachella Set: ‘I’m Working on a Solution’

Electronic musician Anyma is speaking out after his Coachella set was canceled due to severe weather condititions early Saturday morning. 

“I’m heartbroken,” the DJ, whose real name is Matteo Milleri, wrote in a statement shared to his X account Saturday evening. “I don’t have many words other than to say I’m truly devastated and deeply sorry to everyone who showed up to the main stage, and to those watching the livestream at home. Having the opportunity to perform the new ÆDEN show and share all the new music and art means more to me than I can express. It’s incredibly painful, especially after working day and night for the past year, not just me, but my team and the @coachella crew, who poured everything into this.”

The statement continued: “Safety was and always will be our biggest concern. The dangerous winds not only prevented us and Coachella from building our stage, but also made it impossible for my entire live setup and performance to operate safely.”

While he noted there are no other slots available for him to perform during Coachella weekend 1, Milleri wrote that he is “working on a solution to bring you some music at least,” but doesn’t want to “impose on the other artists’ slots.” “Updates soon,” he concluded. 

Anyma was set to perform following Sabrina Carpenter’s headlining set on Day 1 of the festival, but the weather made it unfeasible. Attendees were notified at 12:17 a.m. of this “schedule update” with a statement posted online and sent as a push notification via the Coachella app. 

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“Due to strong wind conditions affecting Anyma’s stage build, he is unable to perform,” the statement read. “Coachella & Anyma have made this decision together with your safety as the priority. Further updates to come.”

Winds had gusted as high as 35-40 mph in Indio during the day Friday, and there were reports of tents being toppled in the campground area at Coachella. Weather reports for the area on Sunday, the closing day of the festival, show winds predicted at 10-20 mph, although the possibility for gusts again exists.

Even if Anyma is shut out of appearing at Coachella this weekend, he is still on the agenda for the same slot during weekend 2, this coming Friday night.

Anyma first gained popularity as one-half of the EDM duo Tale of Us.

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Pope Leo calls out ‘delusion of omnipotence’ fueling Iran war in vigil for peace at St. Peter’s Basilica

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Pope Leo calls out ‘delusion of omnipotence’ fueling Iran war in vigil for peace at St. Peter’s Basilica

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Pope Leo in a Saturday vigil for peace, called out the “delusion of omnipotence” he claimed is fueling war.

“In prayer, our limited human possibilities are joined to the infinite possibilities of God. Thoughts, words and deeds then break the demonic cycle of evil and are placed at the service of the Kingdom of God,” he said in a prayer service at St. Peter’s Basilica.

He continued, “A Kingdom in which there is no sword, no drone, no vengeance, no trivialization of evil, no unjust profit, but only dignity, understanding and forgiveness. It is here that we find a bulwark against that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive.”

In posts on X and during the prayer vigil, the pontiff also warned that war “divides” while hope and faith unite humanity.

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TRUMP’S LAST-MINUTE DELAY: WHY HE WAS NEVER GOING TO OBLITERATE IRAN IN THE FIRST PLACE

Pope Leo XIV leads a vigil for peace inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Saturday. (Gregorio Borgia/AP Photo)

“Enough of the idolatry of self and money. Enough of the display of power. Enough of war,” he wrote. “True strength is shown in serving life.”

The archbishop of Tehran, Belgian Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, was among those in the pews.

Leo’s words came on the same day Vice President JD Vance and a U.S. delegation began face-to-face talks with Iran amid an uneasy ceasefire.

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MIKE PENCE WARNS JD VANCE TO AVOID OBAMA-STYLE IRAN DEAL AS NUCLEAR TALKS SET TO BEGIN IN PAKISTAN

They were some of the first American pontiff’s strongest words yet after he called President Donald Trump’s threat against Iran on Tuesday “truly unacceptable.”  

“Today, as we all know, there has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable,” the pope said earlier this week. “There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more so a moral issue for the good of the whole entire population.”

Pope Leo XIV speaks to the media on the U.S.–Israeli conflict with Iran, as he leaves the papal residence to head back to the Vatican, April 7, in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters)

Trump had written on Truth Social “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will… God Bless the Great People of Iran!”

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Hours later, the president announced a two-week ceasefire subject to Iran agreeing to “the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz,” the president wrote in another post.

As the high-stakes talks began on Saturday in Islamabad, Trump told reporters outside the White House: “We win regardless of what happens. Maybe they make a deal, maybe they don’t.”

Islamabad hosted peace talks between Iran and the U.S. on Saturday. (Farooq Naeem/AFP via Getty Images)

For more than a month, the pope limited his remarks to muted appeals for peace, but in his Easter blessing last Sunday, he urged “those with weapons lay them down. Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace.”

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Leo also invoked what he said were the final words that Pope Francis issued to the world from the same balcony one year ago, during which the late pontiff warned of a “globalization of indifference.”

“What a great thirst for death, for killing we witness each day in the many conflicts raging in different parts of the world,” Leo said, quoting Francis.

Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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