Israel Rejects Biden Pressure For Ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week that his country would continue its campaign against the Hamas terrorist organization despite pressure from the Biden White House for a ceasefire. The prime minister’s comments came as Israel is preparing to take the final Hamas stronghold in the Gaza Strip, which could bring the current conflict closer to an end.

Netanyahu addressed President Joe Biden’s recent statements that there could be a ceasefire in the current conflict during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The prime minister said that the American people supported Israel and that he was working to “curb pressures intended to end the war before its time, and on the other hand gain support for Israel.”

Netanyahu cited a recent poll that showed 80% of the American public supported his country. He said that this “gives us additional strength to continue the campaign until absolute victory.”

I still can’t believe they had Joe Biden explain the situation in Israel while eating an ice cream cone. We still have American hostages in Gaza. Just insane tone deafness: pic.twitter.com/MNLf1dyP3m

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 27, 2024

Biden said that he hoped there could be a ceasefire agreement by the end of this week. However, Netanyahu’s comments appear to directly contradict the president’s.

The Biden administration pushed Jerusalem to accept a potential ceasefire agreement. Hamas rejected an earlier suggested compromise of a ceasefire in exchange for releasing the estimated 100 hostages still held from the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack that killed more than 1,200 people.

Separately, Netanyahu said that his country would attack the city of Rafah whether or not a ceasefire agreement was reached. While Israel could delay its operations if the hostages were released, Netanyahu said that the attack would continue regardless.

Biden is under increased pressure after recent polls and public statements showed that Muslim and Arab Americans were increasingly unhappy with his administration’s stance toward the conflict. Many Muslim-Americans view Biden’s position as too pro-Israel.

A loss of support among Muslim and Arab Americans could have large implications on the November election. Biden narrowly carried the state of Michigan in 2020 over former President Donald Trump. Should a significant portion of the Muslim American population vote third party or even support Trump, the state and its valuable electoral votes could swing in Trump’s favor.