President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is "starting to lose support" and that changes need to be made considering the mounting death toll in Gaza.
Netanyahu declared war on the Palestinian militant group Hamas following its October 7 attacks on Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and 240 taken hostage. Death tolls continue to mount, drawing international scrutiny and continued calls for a ceasefire by many—including protests across the United States in defense of civilians.
As of Tuesday, officials in the Hamas-led territory estimate more than 20,000 Palestinian casualties, according to the Associated Press. Palestinian and Israeli officials believe the number of people killed in Gaza exceeds 15,000, the majority of which are civilians.
Biden told a campaign fundraising event in Washington, per multiple reports, that Israel is starting to lose support from the international community with its indiscriminate bombing of Gaza, leading to thousands of Palestinian civilian casualties.
Newsweek reached out to the White House and the Israeli government via email for comment.
The president also said that Netanyahu and his right-wing government should support a two-state solution with the Palestinians, according to Bloomberg. Biden said the current Israeli cabinet is the most conservative in the nation's history and "they don't want anything remotely approaching a two-state solution."
Netanyahu's government "is making it very difficult for the world" to continue backing Israel, Biden added. He referred to Netanyahu as a good friend who "has to change."
"Biden knows exactly who he's dealing with," Shmulik Nili, an associate political science professor at Northwestern University, told Newsweek. "He has much more sympathy for Israelis than for Netanyahu and his government, and obviously domestic political pressures will also push Biden to take an increasingly stern line with Netanyahu as time passes."
He continued: "Like many Israelis, Biden will be waiting for the collapse of Netanyahu's government and a new election, widely seen as likely sometime in 2024. From Biden's point of view, the sooner the better."
The forceful comments from Biden come one day after he openly discussed the public perception of the Israel-Hamas war during a White House Hanukkah reception.
"We continue to provide military assistance until they get rid of Hamas," Biden said. "But we have to be careful. They have to be careful. The whole world's public opinion can shift overnight, we can't let that happen."
Biden's comments followed what some consider a stern rebuke by Netanyahu regarding a future two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.
On Monday, Netanyahu said he would block the Biden administration's postwar plan to have the Palestinian Authority take over Gaza and acknowledged a "disagreement" between U.S. and Israeli perception of the ongoing conflict, according to The Wall Street Journal.
"After the great sacrifice of our civilians and our soldiers, I will not allow the entry into Gaza of those who educate for terrorism, support terrorism and finance terrorism," Netanyahu said in a statement, referring to the Palestinian Authority that currently oversees portions of the West Bank.
"I will not allow Israel to repeat the mistake of Oslo," Netanyahu added, referring to the 1993 agreement that established the Palestinian Authority and which Netanyahu has long criticized.
Update 12/13/23, 8:13 a.m. ET: This story was updated with comments from professor Shmulik Nili.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Nick Mordowanec is a Newsweek reporter based in Michigan. His focus is reporting on Ukraine and Russia, along with social ... Read more
