Biden and Obama's disagreement about how much to back Israel
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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 clai