During the State of the Union address Thursday evening, President Biden called on Israel to avoid turning humanitarian aid to Gaza into a "bargaining chip" and said that protection of innocent civilians must be the first priority in an armed campaign. Immediately after that, he was recorded telling Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) that he had informed Netanyahu of an upcoming "disciplinary conversation" between the two.
"I told him, Bibi - and don't repeat it - but you and I are going to the come to a Jesus meeting." This religious term is a reference to a person who is on the wrong path and must be reprimanded in order to bring him back into the fold.
After Biden had said this, one of his advisers approached him and signaled that he was being recorded, to which Biden responded: "I'm being recorded here? Well, that's good."
The recording indicates the growing tensions between President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu following the conduct in Gaza, the humanitarian aid and the fighting.
Following the recorded trial, Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State in the Trump administration, tweeted following the incident: "How about a 'come to Jesus' meeting to pressure Hamas to release the hostages? Israel didn't start this war."
