Netanyahu says Israel has ‘work’ to do to win over Gen Z
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A recent Gallup poll showed that only 6 per cent of those aged 18 to 34 in the US had a favourable opinion of Isreali Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Israel has “work” to do in winning over young people in the West as polls show collapsing support, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with a Britain-based podcast aired on Aug 20.
Protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza have become increasingly common in capitals across the West
A recent Gallup poll showed that only 6 per cent of those aged 18 to 34 in the US had a favourable opinion of Mr Netanyahu, and just 9 per cent approved of Israel’s military action in Gaza.
On the Triggernometry podcast, Mr Netanyahu was asked whether Israel could lose the backing of Western governments once Gen Z – those born between around 1997 and 2012 – assumes power.
“If you’re telling me that there’s work to be done on Gen Z and across the West, yes,” he responded.
But he added that opposition to Israel among Gen Z stemmed from a wider campaign against the West and repeated his unproven claim of an orchestrated plot against Israel and the West, without saying who was behind it.
Israel’s defence minister approved a plan on Aug 20 for the conquest of Gaza City and authorised the call-up of around 60,000 reservists
Hamas’ October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel’s offensive has killed at least 62,122 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, figures the UN deems reliable.
Since returning to the White House in January, US President Donald Trump has offered Israel ironclad support.
Mr Netanyahu told the podcast, which bills itself as promoting free speech with “open, fact-based discussion of important and controversial issues”, that Mr Trump “has proven an exceptional, exceptional friend of Israel, an exceptional leader”.
“I think we’ve been very fortunate to have a leader in the United States who doesn’t act like the European leaders, who doesn’t succumb to this stuff,” he said, referring to countries, including France and Britain, that have vowed to recognise a Palestinian state. AFP
