The past week has seen a surge in Israeli attacks on Gaza, where over 300 Palestinians were killed in the first 48 hours of the month. These deadly assaults, combined with an increase in settler violence in the occupied West Bank, point to Binyamin Netanyahu’s acting with impunity despite the rising chorus of criticism of Israel abroad.
As long as the Israeli prime minister has Donald Trump’s backing, which he can consolidate during his visit to Washington this weekend, then he can increase military operations against both Palestinian populations.
And while there is plenty of domestic opposition to Netanyahu on a personal level, polling shows strong Israeli support for the war on Gaza. One poll commissioned by Israel’s Haaretz newspaper and conducted by Pennsylvania State University two months ago even found that 82% of Israeli Jews supported the forced expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.
