Biden and Obama's disagreement about how much to back Israel
Five people who were aware of Biden's remarks during the early weeks of the Israel-Hamas conflict said that he saw affirmation for advice he claimed President Barack Obama and his closest advisers disregarded, as well as commendation for his unwavering public support of Israel and some early achievements in influencing its government.
According to those familiar with his remarks, Biden revealed in private that during Israel's military invasion of Gaza in 2014, while he was vice president, Obama and his staff disregarded his long-held conviction that the best course of action is to hug rather than criticize Israelis.
Rather, they claimed that Obama publicly criticized Israel's actions and expressed concern about Palestinian civilian casualties early in the 2014 conflict, as Biden has noted. Thus, according to those familiar with Biden's remarks, Obama wasted any chance to pressure the Israeli government when it invaded Gaza.
When Biden recapped the 2014 debate, they claimed his takeaway was, "I was right then, and I am right now."
According to three people familiar with the president's remarks, his private comparisons with his former boss faded as anger over the increasing number of civilian deaths in Gaza overshadowed the initial applause for his strategy. Over 14,000 Palestinians have lost their lives as of yet, the Gaza Health Department, which is under the control of Hamas, reports.
These people claimed that Biden's faith in his plan has not faltered, though. They said that in spite of his administration's revised public message urging Israel to reduce civilian casualties and strong pressure on Biden to veer from his current course—some of which came from members of his own Democratic Party—it has, if anything, become more adamant.