REPORT: Biden Officials Admit They Never Pressured Israel for Ceasefire, as Israeli Leaders Boast of Playing Washington
“God did the State of Israel a favor that Biden was the president during this period… We fought [in Gaza] for over a year and the administration never came to us and said, ‘ceasefire now.’ It never did. And that’s not to be taken for granted.”
—Former Israeli ambassador Michael Herzog:
A sweeping Israeli Channel 13 investigation has exposed the Biden administration’s complicity in Israel’s 19-month war on Gaza. Nine top Biden officials acknowledged avoiding real pressure on Israel—even as the death toll surpassed 30,000. Israeli leaders openly bragged they dragged out the war, playing for time until Donald Trump’s return.
Former National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Ambassador Tom Nides, and others defended their unwavering support for Israel—even as they admitted enabling a campaign one U.S. aide described as “killing and destroying for the sake of killing and destroying.”
Here’s what the investigation revealed: 🧵⬇️
1. “Killing and Destroying for the Sake of Killing and Destroying”
➤ Ilan Goldenberg, a senior national security aide, described the war’s aimlessness: “If they’re never going to do this, it doesn’t matter what the outcome is, Hamas is still going to control Gaza. You’re just killing and destroying for the sake of killing and destroying. But you’re not building an alternative.”
➤ U.S. officials pushed a post-war plan modeled on the anti-ISIS campaign, proposing that Arab states temporarily secure Gaza—but Netanyahu blocked it, refusing any role for the Palestinian Authority.
➤ Far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich openly pushed for reoccupying Gaza and rebuilding settlements. Netanyahu refused to advance alternatives, keeping the door open to their demands.
2. “We Fought for Over a Year and the Administration Never Said ‘Ceasefire Now’”
➤ Israeli officials were blunt about the benefits of Biden’s passivity. Former ambassador Michael Herzog declared:
“God did the State of Israel a favor that Biden was the president during this period, because it could have been much worse. We fought [in Gaza] for over a year and the administration never came to us and said, ‘ceasefire now.’ It never did. And that’s not to be taken for granted.”
➤ Biden aides privately admitted Netanyahu was dragging out the war. “He’s undercutting it every step of the way,” said Goldenberg. “All the security people are coming out and saying it.”
➤ He also revealed there were internal discussions in Washington about Biden giving a speech to pressure Israel politically, possibly triggering new elections there—but Biden backed off.
3. U.S. Covered for Israeli War Crimes and Blocked Aid Report
➤ State Department adviser Stacy Gilbert resigned after being cut out of the process of drafting a legally required arms compliance report.
➤ The final version cleared Israel of violating U.S. law—despite overwhelming evidence of aid obstruction. Gilbert called it “shocking in its mendacity,” adding: “Everyone knows that is not true.”
➤ Even as settlers looted Gaza-bound trucks and Israel blocked humanitarian aid, Biden certified compliance—and kept weapons flowing.
4. Netanyahu Sabotaged Captives Release Talks to Prolong the War
➤ Biden officials revealed that Netanyahu deliberately tanked negotiations, fearing a deal would force him to end the war.
➤ American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin was scheduled for release the day he was executed. Amos Hochstein confirmed: “There’s no doubt… those hostages would be alive.”
➤ Netanyahu’s public campaign to retain control over Gaza’s Philadelphi Corridor was viewed by Biden officials as a smokescreen to kill the deal.
5. Biden Backed Israel Even After Netanyahu Publicly Undermined & Insulted Him
➤ Biden once told Netanyahu he was “full of shit,” and hung up the phone mid-call. But as Ambassador Tom Nides put it: “Biden saw [Netanyahu] as a manipulator, a magician… But he stood by him through the end.”
➤ In May 2024, Biden announced he was pausing a shipment of 2,000-lb bombs over concerns about their use in Gaza. Days later, Netanyahu accused the U.S. of freezing broader arms deliveries—reportedly pausing Biden’s plans to restore the paused shipment.
6. Saudi Deal Collapsed Because Israel Refused to Make Any Concessions
➤ Biden officials described how a U.S.-Saudi normalization deal—coupled with defense and economic pacts—was nearly complete. But it required Israel to accept a “political horizon” for Palestinians.
➤ Dan Shapiro, former deputy assistant secretary of defense, explained: “We always understood that the Israeli government depended on far-right ministers who would try to block that commitment… that might require an election or a coalition shuffle.”
➤ Former U.S. ambassador Jack Lew called Israel’s refusal to engage “kind of shocking.”
➤ Amos Hochstein said: “I don’t understand the decision not to grab that opportunity as the most important strategic move Israel can make.”
➤ Herzog claimed Netanyahu deliberately stalled, hoping Trump would return to office and take credit: “It was my understanding that Trump preferred for the deal to wait until he got into office so that he’d be the one to do it.”
Clarification: Negotiators were discussing adding American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin to the release list on the same day he was executed. He was not yet formally “scheduled” for release. Amos Hochstein said: “There’s no doubt… those hostages would be alive.”
The full investigation in Hebrew is available here:
🇮🇷 NEW: Iran’s Supreme Leader, and Leader of the Islamic Revolution:
🔹I, your servant, Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, learned of the result of the vote by the honorable Assembly of Experts at the same time as you, through the broadcasting of the Islamic Republic.
For me, to sit in the place where two great leaders—Imam Khomeini the Great and the martyred Khamenei—once sat is a difficult task. This seat carries the legacy of someone who, after more than 60 years of striving in the path of God and renouncing all kinds of pleasures and comforts, became a radiant figure and a distinguished leader not only in the present era but throughout the history of the rulers of this country. Both his life and the manner of his death were intertwined with a grandeur and dignity born from reliance on the Truth.
🔹 I had the honor of seeing his body after his martyrdom. What I saw was a mountain of steadfastness, and I heard that his uninjured hand remained clenched in a fist. Those who are knowledgeable about the many dimensions of his character will need much time to speak about them.
Here I will suffice with this brief account and leave the details for more suitable occasions. This is the reason it is so difficult to assume the position of leadership after such a person. Bridging that gap will only be possible with the help of God and the support of you, the people.
🔹 “Unity among the individuals and groups of the nation, which usually becomes particularly evident in times of hardship, must not be compromised. This will be achieved by overlooking points of disagreement.”
🔹 “An effective presence on the scene must be maintained; whether in the way you demonstrated during these days and nights of war, or through various forms of meaningful participation in social, political, educational, cultural, and even security arenas. What matters is that the correct role is properly understood and carried out as much as possible, without harming social unity.”
🚨 CONFIRMED: Footage reviewed and geolocated by Bellingcat confirms US tomahawk missiles hit the girls’ primary school in southern Iran that killed 180 people, most of them children.
Researcher Trevor Ball notes Israel does not possess Tomahawk missiles. United States does.
🚨 BREAKING: Iran Launches Strikes on U.S. Bases Across the Middle East
▪️Explosions seen at the U.S. Naval Base in Al-Juffair, Bahrain, confirmed by Bahrain.
▪️Alarm sirens followed by up to four explosions in Kuwait.
▪️Massive explosions reported in Abu Dhabi.
▪️In Qatar, an official source at the Ministry of Defense told Al Jazeera that an Iranian missile was intercepted by the Patriot air defense system.
Iran had warned that any U.S. attack would be met with attacks on American bases and interests across the region, with a goal of killing a minimum of 500 American soldiers.
More images from Bahrain where the Bahrain News Agency confirms that the service center of the US Fifth Fleet was targeted by a missile attack.
Massive explosions heard over Jordanian skies, Al Jazeera reports.
⭕️ LEAKED Email: Kat Abughazeleh “firmly an interventionist,” foreign policy adviser says
Kat Abughazaleh, a socialist Democratic candidate in Illinois’ 9th District and one of the only Palestinian-Americans seeking office in 2026, was described by her national security adviser as “firmly an interventionist” who “won’t stop until Russia is made to pay for its crimes,” in written responses detailing her foreign policy vision, obtained by Drop Site.
Ben Mermel wrote in an email to a Washington-based progressive foreign policy activist that Abughazaleh believes “the world is better off when America takes a leading role” and that the U.S. has “an obligation to support pro-democracy movements around the world, from Iran to Venezuela.” He added that “Kat wholly supports the National Endowment for Democracy, as well as its affiliated organizations (NDI, IRI, and the AFL-CIO’s Solidarity Center),” and said Congress should expand tools “from sanctions to NGO support” to advance those efforts without always resorting to “kinetic force.”
The DC-based activist had written to Mermel saying he had noticed unusually hawkish language on the campaign website related to Ukraine and Taiwan and was looking for clarification.
In his response, Mermel said that on Taiwan she would amend the Taiwan Relations Act by “dropping our strategic ambiguity” and make clear the U.S. would counter Chinese aggression “with force,” arguing the region now requires “a firmer hand.”
On Ukraine, Mermel wrote she would “hold the line,” support “funding the Ukrainian war effort to the hilt,” back long-range strikes on Russian strategic targets, deploy additional U.S. “air, naval, and ground assets” to NATO’s front line, and that “She supports the seizure and redistribution of Russian assets in Europe and the United States, for the purpose of financing the war effort.”
Abughazaleh did not respond to a request for comment, but a source close to the campaign told Drop Site that the adviser’s email did not accurately represent her views, saying, “Kat is committed to taking on authoritarianism but is vehemently against the military industrial complex and the continuation of failed US intervention approaches.” Abughazaleh has consistently argued against U.S. support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza and, at a recent forum, said she opposes U.S. strikes on Iran.
Mermel in 2024 attended a pro-Israel protest held to counter the encampment at George Washington University. He has been Abughazaleh’s National Security Adviser since July 2025, according to Legistorm. The full exchange is posted below. Watch the report on Breaking Points:
Here is the full email exchange that has been circulating among foreign policy activist circles. Drop Site confirmed its authenticity: 🧵
"On Wed, Jan 21, 2026 at 10:24 PM XXXX wrote:
Hi Ben, Great to hear from you -- I appreciate the prompt response. It's great to hear that a primary campaign has an NSA on board and is taking the issues seriously already. If you don't mind, I'm going to fire off a series of questions: 1. On your personal background: How did you come into this position, and what led you to choose this work? I see on Legistorm that you're from the Northeast and went to school here in DC (and have probably actually lived here longer than I have in total). What drew you to Kat's campaign and Illinois politics? 2. What has your role in the nascent primary fight been like, and what role do you see foreign policy playing in the race? The AIPAC and Israeli genocide points are obvious ones, and I've seen some of the recent reporting on Biss (as I alluded to). Are there any other major issues or demographic blocs in the district that are affecting the race? Schakowsky's office has a long history of good work opposing U.S. support for bad governments in Central America, though I've never been sure if that stemmed from the district's makeup or from the personal interests of the Congresswoman or her team. 3. Are there any members of Congress -- especially in the House -- that you and the campaign look to for inspiration or as a model for your foreign policy approach? As for the platform: 4. This line in particular stands out to me: "As with regard to Taiwan, the United States must continue to support Taiwan in the face of increasing Chinese aggression and attempts to undermine Taiwan’s internationally recognized status as a state of its own." The U.S. does not officially recognize Taiwan as a state of its own -- only a dozen or so small countries do -- and this a longstanding policy ("One China") meant to prevent U.S.-China and cross-Strait conflict. Independence is also a hotly debated topic in Taiwan, and the DPP's position does not represent a Taiwanese monolith. Previous moves by U.S. officials toward treating Taiwan as an independent country, outside the Taiwan Relations Act, drove U.S.-China relations to their lowest point in recent memory. Is the campaign's position that the U.S. should change this policy status quo and support Taiwan's independence? 5. The first paragraph of the entire foreign policy page argues "we must support democratic movements worldwide while still avoiding unnecessary military intervention." While I agree that supporting democracy movements is an admirable goal, has the U.S.'s tremendous and unwavering support for the genocide in Gaza not severely undermined its credibility to do this? What would this "support" entail in Congress -- would it include the kinds of National Endowment for Democracy-sponsored groups long favored by interventionists in the State Department, or sanctions on repressive countries?..."
"6. The platform also mentions very early on that "Putin's war in Ukraine presents one of the most brazen instances of an illegal and immoral invasion of one country by another since World War II." Putin's invasion has certainly been flagrantly illegal and cruel, though I do find it interesting that this "most brazen instance of illegal and immoral invasion of one country by another" is mentioned several paragraphs before Israel's invasion of Gaza. The paragraph continues: "The United States must exert significant diplomatic pressure on Russia and its allies to end the war and recognize full Ukrainian sovereignty over its rightful territory, including Crimea" -- what sort of diplomatic pressure would this entail, and what would the prospective congresswoman do to affect it? Which allies of Russia would the U.S. pressure in this case? Additionally, while Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea was flagrantly illegal, no experts on the conflict think Ukraine has any chance of retaking the territory by military force, or that Russia would ever cede the territory. Is it worth drawing hard conditions on territory recognition if those conditions potentially undermine a peace deal and prolong the brutal war and suffering for Ukrainians? For context, I worked on a Congressional letter supporting peace negotiations in 2022 which attracted plenty of controversy from superficially pro-Ukraine Democrats, even though Ukraine was in a much stronger position to negotiate then than now.
I apologize for the wall of text and wordy questions; the latter three are active debates among the FP-oriented left in DC and issues that actively come up for progressive or "Squad" offices and their teams. I only ask out of my own passion for the issues, intellectual curiosity, and to see how insurgent progressives are approaching FP. Please feel free to respond on your own time with no rush from me -- I realize I'm merely an outside observer and a fan and thus a low priority. I appreciated the campaign's statements against Trump's illegal Venezuela attack and his threats toward Iran, and I'll continue to follow and root for Kat to fight and win.
Palantir Technologies has a permanent desk at the U.S.-led Civil Military Coordination Center (CMCC) headquarters in southern Israel, three sources from the diplomatic community inside the CMCC told Drop Site News.
According to the sources, the artificial intelligence data analytics giant is providing the technological architecture for tracking the delivery and distribution of aid to Gaza.
The presence of Palantir and other corporations—along with recent changes banning non-profits unwilling to give data to Israeli authorities—is creating a situation in which the delivery of aid is taking a backseat to the pursuit of profit, investment, and the training of AI products, experts say.
🚨France, Germany, Italy, and the United States have escalated attacks on UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, demanding her resignation over remarks she did not make.
Here’s everything you need to know:
1. U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz and the leading Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee accused Albanese of calling Israel the “common enemy of humanity.”
2. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot went further, branding her a “political activist who stirs up hate,” accusing her of comparing Israel to the Third Reich, and announcing France will formally demand her removal at the UN Human Rights Council session on February 23, 2026. He insisted she must resign immediately.
🔴3. But Albanese never called Israel the “common enemy of humanity.” She described the system enabling genocide in Palestine as humanity’s common enemy. The quote has been widely misrepresented.
4. French officials also criticized her for appearing at the Doha Forum alongside a Hamas leader and Iran’s foreign minister. In fact, she was not on stage with those figures. Paris has long accused her of “justifying” the October 7 attacks for contextualizing them within decades of occupation, a characterization President Emmanuel Macron previously called a “disgrace.”
5. The Trump administration has previously demanded her removal and imposed sanctions on her for documenting Israel’s crimes.
6. Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul echoed the push, writing: “I respect the UN system based on independent rapporteurs. However, Albanese has made numerous inappropriate statements in the past. I condemn her recent statements on Israel. Her position is untenable.”
7. Italy’s foreign minister also supported her removal, stating that Albanese’s positions “do not reflect those of the Italian government” and that her “behaviors, statements, and initiatives are not appropriate for the position she holds within a body of peace and guarantee such as the United Nations.”
8. Supporters, including various scholars, say the campaign is political retaliation for her reports on Israeli human rights violations.
9. Amnesty International France called Paris’s move a “shameful misrepresentation,” stating: “No, Francesca Albanese did not designate Israel as the common enemy of humanity… We denounce this attack on the independence of her mandate.” The group added it was “shocking” that France’s foreign minister repeated false claims while publicly prioritizing the fight against disinformation.
10. In an interview with L’Humanité, Albanese responded to @jnbarrot: “Everyone makes mistakes, it’s human. But we correct, we rectify,” calling on him to apologize and retract his false comments.
11. The backlash has not come only from Western governments.. “We don’t agree with much of what she says. We wouldn’t use the language that she’s using in describing the situation,” the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said.
The fight now centers on whether @FranceskAlbs, an independent UN Special Rapporteur can continue documenting Israeli crimes without political reprisal.