President Biden on Friday expressed support for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's critical speech against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and calls for early elections in Israel.
Why it matters: Biden's backing of Schumer's remarks is another sign of the growing divide between the president and Netanyahu over the war in Gaza, and will likely give backwind to other Democrats to publicly criticize the Israeli government more forcefully.
Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant signed on Thursday a letter to the Biden administration assuring Israel will use U.S. weapons according to international law and allow U.S.-supported humanitarian aid into Gaza, two Israeli and U.S. officials told Axios.
Why it matters: The letter of assurances is a requirement under a national security memorandum issued last month by President Biden. The new policy doesn't single out Israel, but it came after some Democratic senators expressed concern over the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
