No, President Biden Was Not Asleep During a Meeting With Israel PM
US President Biden did not fall asleep while Israeli PM Naftali Bennett was speaking to him.
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A short clip and a photograph of a meeting between Israeli PM Naftali Bennett and President of the United States of America Joe Biden are being widely shared across social media platforms to claim that Biden fell asleep during his interaction with the former.
In the clip, Bennett is seen speaking with his mask off while Biden sits across him.
However, we found a longer version of the video on the official YouTube channel of The White House which shows Biden listening to Bennett as he speaks. The US president also responds to the Israeli PM as he finishes talking. One can also notice that Biden's fingers are moving while Bennett speaks to him.
CLAIM
The video and its screenshot are being shared across social media platforms, claiming that President Biden fell asleep while PM Bennett was speaking to him in front of the media after the two leaders met.
Words such as 'Sleepy Joe', a phrase used by former President Donald Trump, were also a part of some claims.
Sean Hannity, a conservative political commentator also shared the video, which can be seen in this archived post.
(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)
The video and it's screenshot were shared by noted politicians and public figures in Israel as well as the United States, including British activist Maajid Nawaz and Indian-American right-wing political commentator and author Dinesh D'Souza.
Israeli politician and writer Galit Distel-Etebarian had also shared the clip, which was later tagged by Twitter as 'Manipulated Media'.
More claims made across Facebook and Twitter can be seen here, here, here, and here.
WHAT WE FOUND
Using reverse image search, we came across a video of the meeting on the White House's verified YouTube channel. The 13-minute clip shows Bennett and Biden discussing various issues, such as replenishing Israel's Iron Dome, starting booster shots for COVID-19 protection and the situation in Kabul.
In this video, the Israeli PM can be seen taking his mask off around the 11-minute mark, so ask to speak to Biden. Further, around 12 minutes and 17 seconds into the video, the viral frame can be seen.
Throughout the interaction, Biden can be seen moving his fingers as Bennett speaks, and even responds to Bennett as he thanks him later in the video, near the 12:51 mark.
The Israeli Prime Minister's account had also tweeted a clip of the interaction, where Bennett is seen speaking to Biden, as the former sits with his head down.
Towards the end of the clip, the US President responds to Bennett's thanks and credits the Obama presidency for the 'qualitative edge' that Israel has over its 'friends in the region'.
The same video of the meet can also be seen on the Israeli PM's YouTube channel, which shows Israel's PM speaking to US President Biden and also contains the viral section, starting at the 7-minute-23-seconds mark.
Evidently, US President Joe Biden did not fall asleep during a meeting with Israeli PM Naftali Bennett. The screenshot simply shows Biden sitting with his hands together and head bowed as Bennett made his statements after a meeting on 27 August.
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