Joe Biden ‘desperate’ for Gaza ceasefire deal to salvage legacy: Analyst
Speaking to Al Jazeera earlier, Rami Khouri, a non-resident senior fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC (ACW), said the US president does not want to be remembered by the title “Genocide Joe”, and Israel appears to be the obstacle to the ceasefire deal Biden “desperately” wants.
“Biden is desperate, absolutely desperate to get the ceasefire done before he leaves office. Partly for his own legacy, so that he’s not forever known as ‘Genocide Joe’. And partly to help Kamala Harris who he expects to succeed him. To give her a chance to move on to the next stage of peace-making in the Middle East,” Khouri told Al Jazeera.
Khouri also said that reports over the last couple of weeks point the finger at the Israelis for being “obstacles to a ceasefire” in Gaza.
The reports are that “Hamas has accepted all the conditions and all the alterations that were made and it’s the Israelis that were holding out and kept changing the terms,” he said.
“The Americans, I think, just out of tradition, blame everything on the Arab side, the Palestinian side, the people allied with Iran. But the reality, I think, is much more clear that the obstacle to a ceasefire, exchange of prisoners and hostages, is probably Benjamin Netanyahu,” he added.
Majority of Americans oppose sending US forces to defend Israel: Poll
The survey by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs found that 56 percent of the American public opposes sending US troops to defend Israel if it is attacked by Iran.
The poll was conducted between June 21 and July 1.
Among Democrats and Independents, the percentage of those opposing the move was higher. But a slim majority of Republicans (53 percent) said they would favour US forces defending Israel in this scenario.
Canada to evacuate families of diplomatic staff from Israel: Report
Israel’s Ynet news is reporting that the families of Canadian diplomats in Israel will be evacuated to Jordan, “due to the worsening security situation” and the possibility of an Iranian attack.
Ynet said Canada informed the Israeli Foreign Ministry of the decision on Wednesday.
