U.S. and Israeli officials revealed details of the toughest phone call between U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding Israel's decision to withhold part of the tax revenues it collects for the Palestinian Authority. They stated that the U.S. president ended the call by saying, “This conversation is over.”
An American official described the call as "frustrating and one of the most difficult conversations" that Biden has had with Netanyahu. The official noted that the call signified the increasing tensions between Biden and Netanyahu, according to Axios, which explained that the tax revenues collected by Israel for the Palestinian Authority are a major source of income for the Palestinian Authority, which is already suffering from a financial crisis.
Israeli and American officials told Axios that the 45-minute call last Saturday focused on the next phase of the Israeli ground operation, but towards the end of the call, Biden raised his concerns about the withheld Palestinian tax revenues. According to the U.S. and Israeli officials, Biden told Netanyahu that he needs to confront the hardliners in his coalition on this issue, just as he deals with the political pressure from Congress regarding the war in Gaza.
After a few minutes of discussion, Biden informed Netanyahu that he expected him to resolve this issue, and he added, “This conversation is over” before ending the call, according to an American official and a source familiar with the conversation.
