Former US President Joe Biden has offered a sharp assessment of his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in excerpts from his new memoir, Promise Me, America. The passages, released by CNN on Friday, describe a period of growing friction between the two leaders following the attacks on October 7. Biden accuses Netanyahu of prioritizing his own political survival over the long term interests of Israel while failing to adequately reduce civilian casualties in Gaza.
In the book, Biden writes that he had consistently urged Israel to take precautions to limit suffering among civilians from the start of the conflict. He claims that Netanyahu acknowledged the damage rising Palestinian deaths were causing to Israel’s image and to American support. Despite these acknowledgments, Biden argues that Israel repeatedly offered explanations or excuses for its conduct without changing the outcome on the ground.
The former president also questioned the trustworthiness of his counterpart. Biden stated that Netanyahu showed no hesitation in making promises he had neither the power nor the intention to keep. He expressed frustration with what he perceived as a lack of statesmanlike thinking, noting that Netanyahu seemed focused on short term political needs rather than safeguarding Israel’s future.
Biden’s account aligns with recent memoirs from other former administration officials who detailed tensions during the war. Brett McGurk, who served as a deputy assistant to the president and led hostage negotiations, published his book Brink last month. McGurk described a boiling point moment when Biden confronted Netanyahu after an Israeli strike in April 2024 killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza.
The two leaders clashed over several key decisions, including the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July 2024. Netanyahu believed the strike would strengthen Israel’s position, while Biden feared it could jeopardize ongoing hostage talks. McGurk attributed much of the negotiating deadlock to Hamas, arguing that public US pressure on Israel inadvertently strengthened the group’s hand.
Phil Gordon, who served as national security adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris, provided a different perspective in an October interview with The Jerusalem Post. Gordon stated that Netanyahu introduced new demands in July 2024 that delayed an agreement by approximately six months. These demands included keeping Israeli forces along the Philadelphi Corridor and monitoring returning Palestinians in northern Gaza.
Gordon argued that these conditions made a deal impossible for half a year, a period during which nearly 9,000 additional Palestinians were killed. He noted that more Israeli hostages died during this time, including six who were executed by Hamas in August 2024. While acknowledging uncertainty about whether greater flexibility would have yielded an immediate result, Gordon insisted that Netanyahu’s insistence on those terms had a clear and negative consequence.
Kamala Harris also weighed in on the relationship in her memoir, 107 Days, published last year. She claimed that Netanyahu preferred Donald Trump’s return to the White House because he believed the former president would support more aggressive plans for Gaza. Harris wrote that Netanyahu wanted Trump sitting across from him and accused the Israeli leader of stalling negotiations during a meeting in July 2024. She also criticized Biden, suggesting he struggled to show the same empathy for Palestinian suffering as he did for Israeli and Ukrainian civilians.
The memoir also addresses criticisms of Biden’s mental fitness, particularly those raised by special counsel Robert Hur in early 2024. Biden notes that investigators interviewed him on October 8 and 9, 2023, immediately after the Hamas attacks. He argued that he was dealing with the aftershocks of a profound global change and suggested that Israeli leaders did not view him as diminished during that period.
The 480 page book is scheduled for release on November 17. Biden, who is 83 and battling advanced prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, plans to limit his promotional appearances. In a recent interview with People, he stated that he would not have sought reelection had he known about his illness, adding that he did not believe an 80 year old man with cancer should run for office.
