Netanyahu responds to Biden’s criticism - ‘majority of Israelis support my policies’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the recent comment made by U.S. President Joe Biden that the Israeli leader is “hurting Israel more than helping Israel,” during an interview with Politico writer Paul Ronzheimer on Sunday.

“I don't know exactly what the president meant, but if he meant by that that I'm pursuing private policies against the majority, the wish of the majority of Israelis, and that this is hurting the interests of Israel, then he's wrong on both counts,” Netanyahu told Ronzheimer. 

Netanyahu began by stating he is not pursuing private policies. 

“Number one, these are not my private policies, only. They're policies supported by the overwhelming majority of the Israelis.” 

The premier said that most Israelis “support the action that we're taking to destroy the remaining terrorist battalions of Hamas.” 

He said Israelis also agree with his stance against putting the Palestinian Authority (PA) in power in Gaza after the war is over. 

Netanyahu and his cabinet members have rejected the suggestion that the PA should have any influence in Gaza due to its “pay for slay” policy of paying terrorists put in Israeli prisons on charges of terrorism. 

In 2018, then-U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Taylor Force Act into law, which prohibited USAID payments to the PA as long as it continued its policy of paying terrorists or their surviving family members for attacks against Israelis. 

Although the Taylor Force Act is officially a law passed by Congress, Biden resumed USAID payments when he took office against the provisions of the act. 

The prime minister also told Ronzheimer that most Israelis reject having a Palestinian state imposed on them. 

“They also support my position that says that we should resoundingly reject the attempt to ram down our throats a Palestinian state.” 

Netanyahu implied that having a Palestinian state forced upon Israel would be “bad for Israel, bad for the Palestinians, bad for the future of peace in the Middle East.” 

Recent polls suggest that Netanyahu’s policies in Gaza and his position regarding a Palestinian state do reflect the opinion of at least a slim majority of Israelis. 

A recent poll found that a small majority of Israelis opposed ending the war in Gaza if it included the establishment of a Palestinian state. 

However, Netanyahu does not have the wide support of the Israeli public in all areas. A majority of Israelis in that poll also agreed that early elections should be called at the end of the war. 

While Netanyahu has consistently polled low since the outbreak of the war, early elections would require a vote of no confidence, which is not likely to happen during the war as most of Netanyahu’s political opponents have been generally supportive of his Gaza War policies.