There is growing demand among US President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party voters to call for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine war in Gaza.
Biden's handling of the ongoing war is turning out to be a major issue for the 2024 presidential election in the US.
The American President’s approval rating has declined to the lowest level of his presidency — 40 percent — as strong majorities of all voters disapprove of his handling of foreign policy and the Israel-Hamas war, the latest national NBC News poll said.
It finds Biden behind former President Donald Trump for the first time in a hypothetical general election matchup.
Most other polls have found similar results, indicating growing disappointment with his Israel policy.
Currently, Israel and Hamas are in the second phase of their agreed-upon truce, which has allowed the release of 50 Israeli hostages by Hamas and 150 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody in exchange.
The brief halt in the conflict has also allowed humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza, where people have been facing a near-starvation situation because of Israel’s strictly enforced blockade.
Biden has sent senior members of his administration — Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Robert Burns and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken — to oversee the exchange of hostages and prisoners and the supply of food and other necessities to Gaza.
The first phase of the four-day truce ended on Monday, but before the deadline ended, the two sides agreed to extend it by another 48 hours.
Before the end of the deadline for the second phase of the truce, it may be extended further to release more people and bring in more relief aid to Gaza.
But this is far from a permanent ceasefire, as has been demanded by a growing number of Democratic Party supporters.
The conflict began with Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people.
Hamas had also taken away nearly 250 hostages.
In response, Israel began a relentless bombardment of Gaza — the Hamas stronghold — and launched a ground operation that has so far killed over 14,500 people, including 5,500 children.
CIA Director Burns held talks with Israeli intelligence agency Mossad’s chief David Barnea and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in Doha on the ongoing truce.
Qatar had played a crucial role in making Hamas and Israel come to an agreement on the release of hostages and aid supplies in Gaza.
Nearly 200 Israeli hostages are still with Hamas, and over 7,500 Palestinian prisoners are in Israel.
The attempt by both Burns and Blinken will be to extend the truce, increase the aid supply, and get most people released.
But it is unlikely that either of the two Biden Administration officers will argue in favour of a permanent ceasefire.
The US President is a staunch supporter of Israel.
In a recent op-ed for The Washington Post, he argued that “as long as Hamas clings to its ideology of destruction, a cease-fire is not peace.”
His pro-Israel stand, especially in the face of the rising death and destruction of Palestinians in Gaza, is turning voters against him before the 2024 presidential election.
Observers are surprised at this since they cannot recall another time when foreign affairs not involving US troops transformed the American political landscape.
“This poll is a stunner, and it’s stunning because of the impact the Israel-Hamas war is having on Biden,” one such observer said.
Biden voters disappointed
Biden has projected the 2024 election as an existential threat to American democracy if it leads to a Trump victory.
Senior Democratic leaders have also tried to convince voters to come out in large numbers to defeat the Republican former president.
However, the current mood seems to be against re-electing Biden, even among voters who hate Trump.
Left-wing activists like actor Cynthia Nixon, famous for her role in Sex and the City, held a five-day hunger strike outside the White House to force Biden to call for a permanent ceasefire.
The erosion for Biden is most pronounced among Democrats, a majority of whom believe Israel has gone too far in its military action in Gaza.
Young voters disapprove his handling of the war
Young voters across the country have voiced disapproval over Biden’s handling of the Israel-Gaza war.
Gen Z and millennial voters — defined as those born from 1997 to 2012 and 1981 to 1996, respectively — supported Democratic candidates and were key in Biden’s 2020 victory in swing states.
But now over 70 percent of them, who form close to 40 percent of the electorate, are disappointed with his handling of the war.
They resent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing politics, blockade of Gaza, and occupation of the West Bank.
These voters see a comparison between minorities in the US and the treatment of Palestinians by Israel.
Unless an urgent course correction is made by Biden, he may find it extremely difficult to return to the White House after the 2024 presidential election.
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