Israel is ‘losing support’, Biden says, rebuffing Netanyahu’s plans for post-war Gaza

WASHINGTON – A divide between Israel and the United States, its closest ally, burst into the open on Dec 12, as US President Joe Biden warned that Israeli leaders were losing international support for their war in the Gaza Strip and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

rejected out of hand the American vision for a post-war Middle East.

With civilians in Gaza being killed at a historic rate in the Israel assault, Mr Biden warned in an address in Washington that the international community was turning against the Israeli government.

“They’re starting to lose that support,” Mr Biden said, arguing that Mr Netanyahu needed to make changes to his government, the most far right in Israel’s history.

Until now, the US has backed Israel both in action and rhetoric – supporting the assault on Gaza, fending off calls for a ceasefire at the United Nations and authorising the sale of thousands of tank shells to the Israelis.

But that staunch backing appeared to soften on Dec 12. Mr Biden’s comments represented the sharpest break to date in the language the United States has used regarding Israel since the war began following

Hamas’ devastating attack on Israel on Oct 7.

Mr Netanyahu, addressing Israelis in a video before Mr Biden spoke, ruled out any role in Gaza for the Palestinian Authority after the war ends. The US has been pushing that option.

“There is disagreement about ‘the day after Hamas’,” Mr Netanyahu said in a video statement posted on social media, “and I hope that we will reach agreement here, as well.”

He also said that “after the great sacrifice of our civilians and our soldiers, I will not allow the entry into Gaza of those who educate for terrorism, support terrorism and finance terrorism”, adding that “Gaza will be neither ‘Hamastan’ nor ‘Fatahstan’”.

Fatah – a rival to Hamas – is the political faction that controls the Palestinian Authority, which was ousted from Gaza in 2007 but still administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Israel began its assault on Gaza after Hamas-led militants launched devastating terrorist attacks on Israel from the enclave on Oct 7, killing an estimated 1,200 people.

In the air and ground assault that has followed, more than 15,000 Palestinians have been reported killed, and the Israeli government has been facing growing condemnation from around the world over the asymmetry of the death toll.

Until Dec 12, US officials had been the exception, which Mr Netanyahu appeared to note in his address.

“I greatly appreciate the American support for destroying Hamas and returning our hostages,” Mr Netanyahu said.

“Following an intensive dialogue with President Biden and his team, we received full backing for the ground incursion and blocking the international pressure to stop the war.” NYTIMES