"When Joe Biden and officials in his administration talk about the Israelis and the Palestinians, they describe two peoples that don’t exist in reality," Segal opens.
Segal notes that the US leadership believes that the majority of Palestinians strive for peace and reject the Hamas terror organization.
In contrast, the reality is quite different. "According to a November survey by Arab World for Research and Development, affiliated with Ramallah-based Birzeit University, 59% of Palestinians 'extremely support' the Oct. 7 massacre, and another 16% 'somewhat support' it," Segal points out.
According to Segal, the picture of the Israeli public painted by the US administration is far from reality as well: "Vice President Kamala Harris this week uttered a statement about Israel of the kind typically reserved for dictatorships: 'It’s important for us to distinguish or at least not conflate the Israeli government with the Israeli people.'"
He notes that while there is a significant contrast between Israel’s leadership and its citizens— it is the opposite of what is portrayed by the US government, being that the Israeli public is far more right-wing than the policies of its government.
"While Mr. Netanyahu has previously voiced support for a Palestinian state, a February survey conducted by Midgam for Channel 12 News found that 63% of the Israeli public strongly opposes such a state under any circumstances. While the cabinet implicitly agreed that a renewed Palestinian Authority would control Gaza, 73% of those who expressed an opinion in the survey opposed it," Segal explains.
Alluding to suggestions by Biden's supporters that the President circumvent the Prime Minister and address the Israeli people from the Knesset, Segal concludes: "Maybe Mr. Netanyahu should go over Mr. Biden’s head and speak to the U.S. people directly. According to a recent Harvard Caps-Harris poll, the American public supports Israel much more than the president does. And I’d like to remind my fellow Israelis that it’s important for us to distinguish, or at least not conflate, the American government with the American people."
