According to a survey conducted by Israeli polling agency, Midgam, 70 percent of Israelis think that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not doing enough to get captives released.
Only a fifth of the public believed that the Israeli Prime Minister was doing enough to reach a deal.
About 73 percent of Jewish and 69 percent of Arab respondents said that Netanyahu was responsible for the absence of a deal.
About 68 percent thought he should be doing more.
When asked which side was more responsible for the lack of a deal nine months into the war, a third blamed Hamas and a similar percentage of people blamed Netanyahu.
Families of some of the remaining hostages held a protest vigil on Tuesday evening at the National Mall in Washington, demanding that Netanyahu come to terms with Hamas and bring home the approximately 120 Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza.
About 150 people wearing yellow shirts that read “Seal the Deal NOW!” chanted “Bring Them Home” and listened to testimonials from relatives and former hostages.
Several criticized Netanyahu on the belief that he was dragging his feet or playing hardball on a proposed cease-fire deal that would return all of the hostages.
The Israeli Prime Minister is currently in Washington DC and he is scheduled to address Congress later today, Wednesday, July 24, 2024.
The arrival of Netanyahu in U.S has touched off a flurry of protests in the nation’s capital, including a sit-in at a congressional office building that ended with multiple arrests.
Hundreds of advocates rallied at Capitol Hill on Tuesday, the eve of Netanyahu’s speech to the Congress, to urge an end to weapons transfers to Israel.
Organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, protesters wearing red T-shirts took over the building’s rotunda.
One side of their shirts read, “Jews say stop arming Israel.” The other side read, “Not in our name.”
After about a half-hour of clapping and chanting, officers from the U.S. Capitol Police issued several warnings, then began arresting protesters.
Nonetheless, multiple protests are planned for Wednesday, when Netanyahu is slated to address Congress.
In anticipation, police have significantly boosted security around the Capitol building and closed multiple roads for most of the week.
Biden To Meet Netanyahu
According to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the White House announcement, U.S President, Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to meet on Thursday, July 25, 2024.
U.S Vice President Kamala Harris will also meet with Netanyahu separately that day.
Harris, as Senate President, would normally sit behind foreign leaders addressing Congress, but she will be away on Wednesday, on an Indianapolis trip scheduled before Biden withdrew his reelection bid and she became the likely Democratic presidential candidate over the weekend.
Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump will also host the Israeli Prime Minister on Friday, July 26, 2024, at his resort in Palm Beach.
“Looking forward to welcoming Bibi Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida,” the former US President said in a post on Truth Social, using Netanyahu’s nickname.
The meeting will be their first since the end of Trump’s presidency, during which the two forged close ties, and comes at a time of strains also between Netanyahu and Biden over Israel’s war against Hamas militants in Gaza.
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