Former US President Joe Biden has expressed limited trust in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his new book, Promise Me, America. The volume was published after the success of the Democrats in the November 3 midterm elections, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Biden wrote that the Israeli leader prioritized his short term political future over the long term interests of his country. There was not much trust between them during his time in office.
The former president also shared concerns about Netanyahu having tendencies similar to those of Donald Trump. He stated that the prime minister could be extremely flexible with the facts and had no hesitation about bending democratic institutions to serve his personal interests.
At the same time, Biden stated that he did not regret supporting Israel following the events of October 7, 2023. He added, however, that the deaths of large numbers of innocent Palestinians had caused him deep sadness.
Addressing his foreign policy record, Biden defended his decision to withdraw United States troops from Afghanistan in 2021. He said he believed it was the right choice and would make the same decision if he were president again under similar circumstances.
Biden acknowledged that then Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley had expressed concerns about the consequences of the withdrawal. He had been assured the Afghan government could survive for at least six months after American forces departed, but instead it collapsed within days.
The United States and the Taliban signed an agreement for American forces to withdraw from Afghanistan in February 2020. That agreement was reached during Donald Trump’s first term as president.
In the memoir, Biden also turned his attention to other world leaders. He described Russian President Vladimir Putin as having a grumpy manner and claimed that Putin would intentionally slouch during meetings, trying to appear uninterested like a teenager.
Regarding Ukrainian leadership, Biden said he believed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s background as an actor was actually very good training for a leader during wartime.
