US-'Israel' in disagreement over Palestine
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says "Israel" must have security control over all the territory west of the Jordan (River)," while the United States calls for a "two-state solution."
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President Joe Biden is greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after arriving at the Airport, on Oct. 18, 2023, in Occupied Palestine. (AP)
Yesterday, Washington stressed again that it believes "the creation of a Palestinian state is the only way to guarantee Israel's long-term security," opposing statements being made by Israeli officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that the occupation "must have security control over all the territory west of the Jordan (River)," labeling it as a necessary condition, then proceeding to say that this "conflicts with the idea of Palestinian sovereignty."
US National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, commented on Netanyahu's statement assuring that Washington and "Israel" definitely see it differently.
Netanyahu seemed unbothered as he insisted that "a prime minister in Israel should be able to say no, even to our best friends -- to say no when necessary, and to say yes if possible," referencing the United States.
Blinken, Netanyahu in disagreement
On Wednesday, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken described the Israeli war on Gaza as "gutwrenching" and stated that he believes that what is needed is "a Palestinian state that gives people what they want and works with Israel to be effective." He emphasized that this solution is the only one towards "genuine security."
Blinken also stated, "The suffering breaks my heart," adding that a solution should be found, obviously not considering a ceasefire a "solution" having vetoed any such attempt repeatedly at the UNSC
During his tour in the Middle East last week, Blinken stressed to the Israeli occupation that Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, were "committed to helping reconstruct Gaza and aiding with future Palestinian governance, but only on the condition that Israel clear the path for Palestinian statehood."
Blinken urged "cooperation between both sides", saying "an effective Palestinian Authority can only operate with the support, with the help, of Israel, not with its active opposition."
'Israel' drastically losing global support
Recent data obtained by Time from Morning Consult, a business intelligence company, reveals a substantial decline in global support for "Israel" since the outbreak of the war on Gaza.
The net favorability, calculated by subtracting the percentage of negative views from positive views, dropped by an average of 18.5 percentage points worldwide between September and December. This decline was observed in 42 out of the 43 countries included in the polls.
Several countries, including China, South Africa, Brazil, and various nations in Latin America, shifted from viewing "Israel" positively to negatively. Even in wealthy countries where "Israel" already had net negative views, such as Japan, South Korea, and the UK, significant decreases were noted. In Japan, net favorability plummeted from -39.9 to -62.0; in South Korea, it dropped from -5.5 to -47.8; and in the UK, it went from -17.1 to -29.8.
The US's support for "Israel" has consequences in global public opinion, particularly in Arab countries. In Egypt, the US witnessed a shift from a positive favorability of 41.1 to a negative favorability of -14.9. A similar trend occurred in Saudi Arabia, where the US dropped from a positive favorability of 12.2 to -10.5 during the same period.
