U.S. President Joe Biden's growing dissatisfaction with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was captured on a hot mic, as he said he would have a "come to Jesus meeting" with him.
Biden made the comments as he spoke with Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., on the floor of the House chamber following Thursday night's State of the Union address.
In the exchange, Bennet congratulates Biden on his speech and urges the president to keep pressing Netanyahu on growing humanitarian concerns in Gaza. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also participated in the brief conversation.
Biden then responds using Netanyahu's nickname, saying, "I told him, Bibi and don't repeat this, but you and I are going to have a 'come to Jesus' meeting."
An aide to the president standing nearby then speaks quietly into the president's ear, appearing to alert Biden that microphones remained on as he worked the room.
"I'm on a hot mic here," Biden says after being alerted. "Good. That's good."
A widening humanitarian crisis across Gaza due to Israel's war crimes and the blockade imposed by Tel Aviv to control aid trucks have left virtually the entire population desperately short of food, according to the United Nations. Officials have been warning for months that Israel's siege and offensive were pushing the Palestinian territory into famine.
Biden has become increasingly public about his frustration with the Netanyahu government's unwillingness to open more land crossings for critically needed aid to make its way into Gaza. He has been widely criticized for supporting Israel and has been called "Genocide Joe" for his complicity in Israel's atrocities in Gaza, which killed over 30,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
In his address on Thursday, he called on the Israelis to do more to alleviate the suffering even as they try to eliminate Hamas.
"To Israel, I say this humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip," Biden said.
The president announced in his speech Thursday that the U.S. military would help establish a temporary pier to boost the amount of aid entering the territory. Last week, the U.S. military began airdropping aid into Gaza.
Biden said the temporary pier "will enable a massive increase in humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza."
