Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Feb. 27 countered President Joe Biden’s remarks that Israel could risk losing global support if its offensive operation against Hamas terrorists in Gaza drags on.
“Israel has had the overwhelming support of the vast majority of nations,“ the president said. ”If it keeps this up, with this incredibly conservative government they have ... they’re going to lose support from around the world, and that is not in Israel’s interest.”
President Biden also suggested that Israel has agreed to halt fighting in Gaza for Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month, which is expected to begin on March 10.
“Ramadan is coming up, and there’s been an agreement by the Israelis that they would not engage in activities during Ramadan as well, in order to give us time to get all the hostages out,” he said.
In response, Mr. Netanyahu said that since the start of the war, he has led “a diplomatic campaign to block pressure designed to end the war prematurely, and to secure strong support for Israel.”
“We have had considerable success,” the Israeli leader said in a Feb. 27 statement.
Mr. Netanyahu cited a recent Harvard-Harris poll, which shows that “82 percent of the American public supports Israel.” This means that “four out of five U.S. citizens support Israel and not Hamas.”
“This will help us continue the campaign until total victory,” he said.
Biden Says Ceasefire Talks Aren’t Done Yet
President Biden told reporters on Feb. 26 that he was hoping that a ceasefire agreement would be nailed down by March 4.“My national security adviser tells me that we’re close, we’re close. It’s not done yet,” he said. “I hope by the end of the weekend. ... My hope is by next Monday, we'll have a ceasefire.”
“We are trying to secure a pause that would get hostages out, that would get humanitarian assistance in, and would greatly alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people,” he told reporters on Feb.26.
“What happens after that? I think it’s too early to say. We are focused right now on trying to achieve that pause.”
Among the remaining 134 hostages, six are believed to be U.S. citizens. More than 30 of the hostages are dead, and families are seeking the return of their bodies.
Amid the talks for a pause in fighting, Hamas continues to push for a wider “ceasefire” and a promise by Israel to end its military campaign. Mr. Netanyahu has said that, for Israel, the dismantling of Hamas’s remaining military installations in southern Gaza is non-negotiable.
The Israeli military has since stated that it has found a network of tunnels connecting northern and southern Gaza and Hamas’s various battalions.
Hamas fighters killed about 1,200 people and captured more than 250 hostages during their Oct. 7, 2023, attack, triggering Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry has stated that nearly 30,000 people have died in Gaza.
