President Joe Biden is not-so-privately expressing frustration with Benjamin Netanyahu and how he's handling the war in the Middle East ... saying Israel's PM needs to see the light -- as in Christ.
The Prez was talking to Senator Michael Bennet from Colorado on the House chamber floor Thursday after his State of the Union address -- which he didn't seem to realize was being recorded by a stealthy cameraman.
You can tell Joe was trying to have a private convo -- evidenced by what he said, which got picked up on a hot mic... "I told him, Bibi, and don't repeat this, but you and I are going to have a 'come to Jesus' meeting."
Joe obviously was using a phrase that means coming to some grand realization about something -- but the phrasing is raisin' some eyebrows ... y'know, since BN is Jewish.
It seems like his staff realized he was misspeaking -- 'cause an aide rushed over and got into his ear, seemingly telling him to zip it and move on. Joe did exactly that, or so it seems.
Biden was pressed about this on Friday when he was getting ready to board Air Force One for a campaign trip to Philadelphia ... with reporters asking him why he made the comment.
At first, Biden says he didn't say it in his speech -- but when reporters ask him about what he told lawmakers after the SOTU ... he blamed the media for "eavesdropping."
In his SOTU, Biden announced he's directing the U.S. military to install a seaside pier in Gaza that will allow for a massive influx of aid to Palestinians ... but take a listen, it sounds like he wants Netanyahu to do more in terms of humanitarian aid too.
This jibes with what his administration has been calling for lately -- namely, a ceasefire.