Just when you think Joe Biden might start taking some real responsibility, he finds a new scapegoat. This time, he’s pointing fingers at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the horrific murder of American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages by Hamas terrorists. Because, of course, why hold the terrorists accountable when you can blame one of our closest allies?

Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old American, was found dead in Rafah, Gaza Strip, alongside five Jewish citizens. Their bodies were recovered by Israeli Defense Forces. But instead of focusing on the killers — Hamas — Biden seemed more interested in taking a swing at Netanyahu.

Fresh off a two-week beach vacation, Biden returned to the White House and told reporters that a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas is “very close.” But when asked if Netanyahu is doing enough, his blunt answer was, “No.” And for the families of the remaining hostages, Biden offered a vague reassurance that he’s “not giving up,” which is probably cold comfort to anyone who’s paying attention.

Biden’s comments came after meeting with his hostage negotiation team in the Situation Room. The media reported that he seems to think the parents of Goldberg-Polin are the only American family he needs to console, when there are still eight American citizens and others being held hostage by Hamas. Nice priorities, Joe.

Netanyahu, on the other hand, didn’t waste time responding to Biden’s insinuations that Israel needs to “do more.” He laid out the facts clearly: since April, Israel has repeatedly accepted U.S.-backed proposals for a hostage deal. Each time, Hamas refused. Even the Deputy CIA Director said just five days ago that Israel has shown seriousness in negotiations — but Hamas hasn’t budged. So, what exactly does Biden want Israel to do, bend over backward even further while terrorists keep killing their people?

Netanyahu made it clear: If Israel keeps making concessions, it sends the message to Hamas that they should “kill more hostages” to get more from Israel. He stated the obvious — international pressure should be directed at Hamas, not Israel. But hey, why would Biden apply pressure on the actual terrorists when it’s easier to strong-arm the Israeli government?

The Biden administration knows the U.S. has leverage over Israel, largely thanks to the military aid America provides. So instead of focusing on holding Hamas accountable, Biden chooses the easy route: blame Netanyahu. Because who needs moral clarity when you can score political points by criticizing an ally?

Remember how former President Donald Trump handled these situations? He knew how to put the squeeze on Iran and other backers of Hamas, making it crystal clear who the bad guys were. Biden? He’s more interested in appeasing everyone except our friends.

Israel has bent over backward to reach a deal, but Biden is acting like he’s a passive observer rather than the leader of the free world. He’s checked out at this point, more interested in taking shots at Netanyahu than dealing with the actual terrorists who are murdering Americans.

And let’s not forget, this isn’t the first time Biden has played the blame game. He’s blamed Trump for inflation, the border crisis, and just about everything else that’s gone wrong under his watch. So, it’s no surprise that he’d look for a new scapegoat in Netanyahu for the chaos in the Middle East.

If Biden truly cared about American hostages or stability in the Middle East, he’d be directing his outrage where it belongs — at Hamas and its backers. But instead, we’re left with a president who’s more interested in shifting blame than taking decisive action. It’s a sad state of affairs when the leader of the free world is more comfortable criticizing our allies than confronting our enemies.