Biden says Netanyahu is losing support and 'has to change'

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned that Israel is losing international support due to its “indiscriminate bombing” of Gaza, even as Washington looks to send additional military aid to its long-time ally.

Speaking at a fundraising event for his 2024 presidential re-election campaign, Mr Biden said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has to change, and this government in Israel is making it very difficult for him to move”.

“Israel's security can rest on the United States, but right now it has more than the United States. It has the European Union, it has Europe, it has most of the world supporting them,” he said.

“They’re starting to lose that support by indiscriminate bombing that takes place.”

The far-right government in Israel and the centre-left Biden administration have had a testy relationship that predates the war in Gaza.

“This is the most conservative government in Israel's history,” Mr Biden said. He added that the government “doesn't want a two-state solution”.

Earlier this year, when nationwide protests erupted across Israel over the government's plans to overhaul the judiciary, the White House expressed “deep concerns” and declined to say if it would invite Mr Netanyahu to Washington for an official visit.

But the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza briefly put the differences between Mr Biden and Mr Netanyahu to one side.

The US President quickly mobilised to send billions of dollars in additional funding to the Israeli military as it escalated its campaign in the Gaza Strip, where health authorities say more than 18,000 Palestinians have been killed and 90 per cent of the population has been displaced.

Last week, the State Department approved the sale of tank ammunitions to Israel that can be used in its ground campaign.

The scale of devastation in Gaza and the administration's continued support of Israel's operation despite rhetoric of “concern” have split a Congress that is normally unified in its support of Israel.

Key Democratic senators are working on a measure to require that the weapons received by any country “are used in accordance with US law, international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict”.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is working on the legislation, said US support for Israel cannot come in the form of a “blank cheque” and accused the Netanyahu government of a “gross disregard” for Palestinian civilian life.

“US military aid always includes conditions, and there is no exception, even for our allies,” she said on X.

The US is the top donor to Israel and “almost all US bilateral aid to Israel is in the form of military assistance”, a March 2023 congressional report showed.

Latest from Israel-Gaza war – in pictures

Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.

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It's up to you to go green

Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.

“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”

When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.

He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.

“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.

One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.

The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.

Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.

But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”

Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi

“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”

Tales of Yusuf Tadros

Adel Esmat (translated by Mandy McClure)

Hoopoe

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