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The aggressive Israeli bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip is starting to bleed support from the international community because of high civilian casualty numbers, President Joe Biden has said.
“They’re starting to lose that support,” Mr Biden said during a campaign fundraiser in Washington on Tuesday, just hours before he was set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr Biden added that he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to shake up the composition of his Likud-led cabinet, which experts have described as the most right-wing and extreme in Israeli history.
“Bibi’s got a tough decision to make,” Mr Biden added, using a nickname for the longtime Israeli prime minister.
“This is the most conservative government in Israel’s history,” he said before later adding that Mr Netanyahu must “strengthen and change” his coalition government to find a two-state solution to the decades-long conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Mr Biden noted that the current makeup of the Israeli government “doesn’t want a two-state solution”.
The president’s comments go further in criticising the Israeli government than he has during public events so far.
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