(Telegraph-UK) Bethany Mandel - Over the course of ceasefire negotiations over the last several months, a pattern has emerged: Interested parties propose a deal, and Hamas rejects it. In turn, the U.S. president ratchets up his rhetoric. He doesn't turn up the heat against the Hamas terror organization, but instead against the Israeli prime minister. Biden seems to believe that the obstacle standing in the way of peace is Benjamin Netanyahu - that without the prime minister to deal with, negotiations would somehow go more smoothly with another head of the Jewish state. However, an Israel Democracy Institute survey conducted on Feb. 28-March 4 found that 74% of Israeli Jews support the IDF expanding its military operations into Rafah, while only 12% oppose it. In short, Netanyahu's handling of the war has popular support. The Israeli people would prefer to have the full support of the American president and his administration behind them, but they understand that they may have to go it alone not just with an invasion in Rafah in Gaza, but also with future military action against Hizbullah in the north.
2024-03-14 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive