Netanyahu, in response to Biden, says Israel’s war stand has wide US support

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he had consistently resisted pressure to end the Gaza war prematurely and that this stand has popular US support that “will help us continue the campaign until total victory” over Hamas.

In a statement billed as his response to remarks by US President Joe Biden that warned against Israel’s hard-right government losing international backing, Netanyahu noted a poll that found 82 percent of Americans support Israel over Hamas.

In remarks broadcast on a late-night talk show, Biden said Israel had already agreed to halt fighting in Gaza for Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month, which is expected to begin on March 10.

“Ramadan is coming up, and there’s been an agreement by the Israelis that they would not engage in activities during Ramadan, as well, in order to give us time to get all the hostages out,” Biden said on NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers”.

Earlier on Monday, Biden said he hoped a ceasefire agreement would be nailed down by March 4: “My national security adviser tells me that they’re close. They’re close. They’re not done yet. My hope is by next Monday we’ll have a ceasefire.”