Joe Biden Cursed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Threatened to Cut Off Military Aid After October 7 Terror Attacks in Heated Phone Call, Book Claims

Former President Joe Biden may have averted war with Iran as he strong-armed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the wake of the October 7, 2023 terror attacks, a new book claims.

In Brink: Inside the Race to Free the October 7th Hostages, Biden's National Security Council Coordinator, Brett McGurk, recounted Biden's effort to stop a war in the Middle East by threatening to cut off aid from Israel.

McGurk recalled Biden's tense call with Netanyahu. At the time, the administration feared Iran would launch the “largest ballistic-missile attack in history” at Israel unless the country worked out a ceasefire with Hamas.

McGurk, 53, wrote that Biden laid into Netanyahu on the call, saying, "'Bibi, man, what the f--- are you doing?’ He gripped the phone tight. ‘You think I’m Santa Claus? No Santa in Israel, pal.’"

McGurk continued: "When Netanyahu asked what he meant, Biden said he could cut off military aid to Israel with the snap of a finger, leaving the country on its own. Netanyahu retorted that Israel would defend itself even without the United States. (We later learned that he concluded from this call that we were cutting military supplies.)”

Biden ultimately agreed to help defend Israel against Iran on the condition that the U.S. would move to end the war and free the hostages.

"That's the deal, pal," Biden said before hanging up on Netanyahu abruptly.

McGurk added that he believes if not for the Iranian threat, Biden may have been more punishing to Israel.

“If not for the pending Iranian attack, the U.S. might have taken irreversible measures against Israel at this juncture,” McGurk wrote. “My own mind wrestled with whether this might have been a better course.”

McGurk wrote that Biden felt regional war in the Middle East would be a liability in the 2024 election.

"Biden’s team wanted him to appear strong and in command, not captive to events,” McGurk wrote.

However, Biden's gambit to aid Israel in an effort to avoid war in the Middle East turned out to be just as costly.

Kamala Harris disappointed Democratic voters by refusing to break from the administration on Israel during her short campaign. Democratic postmortems on the election concluded that the issue severely cost her.

Biden's instinct appears to have been correct that war in the Middle East would become a major issue for the president — as has played out under his successor, Donald Trump.

Trump entered war with Iran in February, and it has turned out to be a disaster for himself, the Republican Party and American drivers. The war has caused the price of gas to skyrocket, which in turn has brought Trump's approval rating to career lows.

Meanwhile, Republican politicians are struggling across the board in midterm election polling, suggesting Democrats could gain control of the House and Senate for the second half of the president's term.

Furthermore, like his predecessor, Trump has been hammered by his party's voters over his apparent allegiance to Israel.