On Monday night, President Joe Biden emphasized that Israel must pursue peace with the Palestinians for its long-term survival. He cautioned that the country's "incredibly conservative government" risked losing international support, during an appearance on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.”
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Hours later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to Biden's remarks. "Since the beginning of the war, I have been leading a diplomatic effort aimed at preventing premature cessation of hostilities and securing support for Israel. We have significant achievements in this regard, as evidenced by the recent Gallup-Harris poll in the United States, which shows that 82% of the American public supports Israel."
Netanyahu added: "This means that four out of five Americans support Israel and not Hamas, giving us added strength to continue the campaign until achieving absolute victory." Netanyahu's reference to the poll appears to frame the war as Israel versus Hamas rather than Israel versus the Palestinians, potentially accounting for the relatively large disparity compared to other surveys.
But Biden does not see it the same way. “Israel has had the overwhelming support of the vast majority of nations. If it keeps this up with this incredibly conservative government they have, and (National Security Minister Itamar) Ben-Gvir and others, they’re going to lose support from around the world, and that is not in Israel’s interest,” he said in the Myers interview.
Biden also said that a deal for hostages could be reached within a week, and said in the interview that he hopes a temporary cease-fire "gives us time to begin to move in directions that a lot of Arab countries are prepared to move," meaning to normalize relations with Israel.
"Saudi Arabia is ready to recognize Israel. Jordan, Egypt, there are 6 other countries. I worked with Qatar," Biden said. The bottom line is that the only way Israel will survive in the end - and I've been criticized for saying that you don't have to be Jewish to be a Zionist. I'm a Zionist - but here's the thing: they also need to take advantage of the invitations for peace and security to the Israelis as well as to the Palestinians, which Hamas is taking advantage of."
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Gallup-Harris poll in the United States, which shows that 82% of the American public supports Israel
According to Biden: “I think that if we get that temporary cease-fire, we’re going to be able to move in a direction where we can change the dynamic.”