Joe Biden: Joe Biden consistently urged Israel to implement measures to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza from the start of the conflict. Our verdict: True.
Joe Biden made the claim in comments reported by The Jerusalem Post on 14 November 2026, discussing his forthcoming memoir and his relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu.
Our verdict
True
The claim is accurate. Joe Biden's memoir says he called on Israel to reduce civilian suffering from the start of the conflict, and official records show him pressing the point from 18 October 2023 onwards.
What we found
We rated this claim true. Biden's forthcoming memoir states directly that he had been calling on Israel to take precautions to reduce civilian suffering since the beginning of the conflict, as reported by The Jerusalem Post. That account is backed by official records: a White House background press call on 27 November 2023 describes Biden travelling to Israel early in the conflict to stress the importance of minimising civilian casualties, and a State Department press briefing on 23 April 2024 confirms he raised the need to minimise civilian casualties with the Israeli prime minister both privately and publicly from 18 October 2023. A later White House background call on 31 May 2024 shows the administration acknowledging the high civilian death toll in Gaza. Some academic and policy analyses argue his public rhetoric told a different story, but these look at speeches rather than the private and official communications that are the heart of the claim.
The evidence
3 of 6 sources support the claim; none contradict it.
- Background
Biden's memoir says he had been calling on Israel to take precautions to reduce civilian suffering since the beginning of the conflict. [1]
- Supports the claim
The White House documented that Biden travelled to Israel early in the conflict to stress the importance of minimising civilian casualties and has consistently stressed the importance of international humanitarian law. [2]
- Supports the claim
The State Department confirms that Biden communicated the need to minimise civilian casualties to the Israeli prime minister both privately and publicly starting on 18 October 2023. [3]
- Supports the claim
The administration acknowledged the high civilian death toll in Gaza as of May 2024. [4]
- Background
An assessment of US policy six months into the war says the administration was initially reluctant to make public concerns about Israeli conduct, though private cautions were issued. [5]
- Background
An academic analysis of Biden's early speeches argues that his rhetoric justified Israel's military action, minimised Palestinian civilian suffering, and framed the conflict in moral polarisation rather than urging Israel to take precautions to reduce civilian casualties. [6]
What we could not confirm
- Whether Biden's memoir quote accurately reflects his actual actions at the time, rather than a later characterisation.
- The exact frequency of his urgings in the first ten days of the conflict, from 7 to 17 October 2023, before his visit to Israel on 18 October.
- Whether the word "consistently" holds for the whole duration of the conflict beyond the periods covered by official records.
How we checked
We looked at Biden's own memoir account as reported by The Jerusalem Post, official White House and State Department transcripts and press briefings, and secondary policy and academic analyses of his public rhetoric. We reviewed 7 relevant sources.
Sources
- [1]www.jpost.com · Biden says Benjamin Netanyahu put political survival before Israel's interests | The Jerusalem Post
- [2]bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov · Background Press Call by Senior Administration Officials on Humanitarian Aid | The White House · November 27, 2023
- [3]2021-2025.state.gov · Department Press Briefing - April 23, 2024 - United States Department of State · April 23, 2024
- [4]bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov · Background Press Call on President Biden's Remarks on the Middle East · May 31, 2024
- [5]mei.edu · The Biden Administration’s Middle East Policy at a Time of War: An Assessment of US Policy Six Months Into the Israel-Hamas War - Middle East Institute
- [6]cejsh.icm.edu.pl · "Babies being killed": A pragma-dialectical analysis of Biden’s justification for the war on Gaza
Have evidence we missed?
If you know of a source that confirms or contradicts this claim, send us the link. We review every submission and update fact checks when new evidence changes the picture.
Measured Take updates fact checks when new evidence emerges. Corrections are noted on the page.
All fact checks