- By Bernd Debusmann Jr
- BBC News, Washington
February 27, 2024
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited a poll that showed high levels of support for Israel in the United States
Popular support for Israel in the US will help it fight “to complete victory” over Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.
In a statement, Mr. Netanyahu cited polls that showed more than 80% of Americans supported Israel during the conflict in Gaza.
His comments came after US President Joe Biden warned that Israel risks losing global support in the war.
US officials say they are working on a possible ceasefire agreement.
In his statement on Tuesday, Mr. Netanyahu said he had been waging a campaign since the start of the conflict “to counter international pressure to end the war early and mobilize support for Israel.”
“We have made significant achievements in this area,” Mr. Netanyahu added, pointing to a recent Harvard-Harris poll showing 82% of the American public supports Israel. “This gives us more strength to continue the campaign to complete victory.”
On Monday, Mr Biden said the US hoped for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza “by next Monday”.
The US president also later suggested that Israel could “lose support from around the world” if it “can keep up with this incredibly conservative government that it has.”
Another poll by the Associated Press and Norc found that about half of U.S. adults in January believed Israel had “gone too far” — up from 40% in November.
White House and State Department officials confirmed Tuesday that negotiations for a temporary ceasefire would continue, but declined to provide details about the content of the talks or possible timelines.
John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said “significant progress” had been made last week toward an agreement that would allow hostages to leave Gaza and humanitarian aid to enter.
“We are building on that progress this week and the President and his team continue to engage around the clock with multiple partners in the region,” Mr. Kirby added.
“But as the president said just in the last 24 hours, there is no agreement yet. And there is still a lot to do.”
The ceasefire, Mr. Kirby said, would “hopefully” allow for a six-week pause, significantly longer than previous pauses in fighting.
“Perhaps this could lead to something more in terms of a better approach to ending the conflict,” he said.
At the State Department, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said U.S. diplomats working with Qatar, Egypt and Israel were “trying to get this deal over the finish line” but that “ultimately we would need Hamas to say yes.” .
A Hamas official previously told BBC News the group's priorities were ending hostilities, not releasing hostages.
Israel launched a large-scale air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip after Hamas gunmen killed about 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in southern Israel, some of whom have since been released.
The Hamas-run Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip says at least 29,878 people have been killed in the territory since then – including 96 deaths in the last 24 hours – as well as 70,215 wounded.