TEL AVIV — US President Joe Biden’s frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reached a new high in recent days with the American leader suggesting he may go over Netanyahu’s head to address the Israeli people from the Knesset podium.

While Biden appears unlikely to go through with such a move at this time, his comments Sunday on MSNBC reflected determination to stem the damage caused by Netanyahu’s Gaza policies to his reelection campaign. It followed his March 7 remark intimating his relationship with Netanyahu was nearing a crossroads. “I told him … you and I are going to have a 'come to Jesus' meeting,” Biden told associates following his State of the Union address. When an aide informed him that he was on a hot mic, Biden answered, “That’s good.” Israeli officials believe he had intended for his comment to be heard.

"The president is clearly singling out the prime minister," one of Netanyahu's senior aides told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. "We have been seeing and hearing this for several weeks — at first with hints and leaks, then with direct statements getting worse all the time. It's like a creeping currency devaluation. You wake up one day and see that your market situation has changed."

Netanyahu at an open war