It is a sign of the pressure that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under that he felt the need to force growing tensions with the US over the war in Gaza into the open.
By angrily pushing back against the US push for the establishment of a Palestinian state once Israel‘s war on Hamas comes to an end – with a two-state solution long-standing foreign policy for Washington – Netanyahu risks undermining his staunchest ally. President Joe Biden came out strongly in the wake of the Hamas attack on southern Israel on 7 October, in which 1,200 people were killed and another 240 taken hostage, asserting Israel’s right to defend itself by going into Gaza. Nations such as the UK followed in his path.
But as the death toll inside Gaza has continued to rise, almost 25,000 people according to health ministry officials in the Hamas-controlled territory, international pressure has grown for a ceasefire – particularly from Arab nations – and the Biden administration has called on Netanyahu to rein in military operations, go after Hamas in a more controlled manner and reduce civilian casualties.
