Protests in support of Palestine have surged across several prominent US university campuses, including Columbia University, New York University, Yale University, and Harvard University. These student demonstrations have elicited contrasting reactions from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Israel has commenced a ground operation in Rafah, Gaza’s last major population center not yet entered by Israeli troops. The operation comes after Hamas attacks on Israeli towns on October 7th. Israel claims that Rafah houses Hamas combat battalions and retreating fighters, but Egypt warns of catastrophic humanitarian consequences. The US has urged Israel to consider alternative strategies, while efforts to broker a ceasefire have failed. Gaza officials estimate over 34,000 deaths in Israel’s military campaign.
Former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the Hamas attack in Gaza and called for his resignation. Pelosi criticized Netanyahu’s response, saying, “What could be worse than what he has done in response?” She also pointed to the resignation of Israel Defense Forces intelligence chief Major General Aharon Haliva over the failure to prevent the attack and argued that Netanyahu has been an “obstacle to the two-state solution.” Pelosi’s comments come as health authorities in Gaza estimate that more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel’s siege of the enclave.
Israeli Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli has criticized President Joe Biden’s leadership and declared that he would vote for Donald Trump if he could in the American elections. Chikli’s remarks reflect growing divisions between the Netanyahu government and the Biden administration, which has expressed criticism of Israel’s military approach and handling of humanitarian needs in Gaza. Despite these tensions, the US Senate has approved a $14 billion security assistance package for Israel, which Biden has pledged to sign into law. Amidst ongoing protests against US support for Israel, the issue has become a concern for Biden’s re-election prospects.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down over the October 7 attack by Hamas, accusing him of being an “obstacle” to peace. Pelosi’s comments reflect the growing divide between Democrats and the Jewish state’s leader, with high-ranking Democrats like Chuck Schumer also criticizing Netanyahu. Despite her criticism, Pelosi emphasized that Israel remains a “friend” and that it is in the US’s national security interest to support it. She also praised House Speaker Mike Johnson for defying isolationist Republicans and securing foreign aid packages for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies, calling him an “obstacle” to a two-state solution between Israel and Gaza. She urged Netanyahu to resign, claiming responsibility for the deadly response to Hamas’s attack on Israel.
Iranian hardliner Javad Karimi Ghoddusi made a nuclear threat toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suggesting Iran could conduct a nuclear test within a week. His remarks contradict the foreign ministry’s earlier statement that Iran has no nuclear weapons policy.
Eyal Megged, a former friend of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has penned a column in Haaretz accusing him of destroying the country. Megged writes that Netanyahu is “captive to the madness of a dictator’s grandeur” and that he is “not able to put up with a situation where someone else will take his place.”
Passover, the Jewish holiday commemorating freedom from slavery, was observed in Israel under the shadow of ongoing conflict and the continued detention of 133 hostages by Hamas. While some families marked the holiday with traditional rituals and symbolic acts of remembrance, others protested outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home, demanding a deal to release the hostages.
