Widespread protests, especially from young people, against Biden’s policy towards the Israeli war on Gaza (Reuters)

The New York Times quoted US Deputy National Security Advisor John Feiner as saying that the United States made mistakes in its policy towards the Israeli war on Gaza.

During a closed meeting held Thursday with Arab-American political leaders in Dearborn, Michigan, Viner said: “We are well aware that we have made mistakes in the response to this crisis since October 7,” according to a recording of the meeting obtained by The New York Times. An official at the National Security Council confirmed the authenticity of the recording.

In the closed meeting, Viner offered some of the clearest “expressions of remorse” the US administration has offered regarding its policy in the Gaza war, a sign of increasing Democratic pressure on President Joe Biden.

Viner said, "The Biden administration should have quickly condemned Israeli statements that likened the Palestinians to animals," and added, "I have no confidence in the current Israeli government and its willingness to take serious steps regarding the two-state solution."

The war in Gaza has become part of a series of political problems facing Biden, who has remained a public supporter of Israel and resisted demands within the Democratic Party to call for a ceasefire.

His statements, in which he questioned the number of Palestinian martyrs as a result of the Israeli raids on Gaza, sparked widespread anger against him, especially from young people, black voters, and Democrats who sympathized with the Palestinian cause.

The newspaper notes that the Dearborn meeting provides an unusual glimpse behind the scenes of the administration's attempts to rally support in the crucial state of Michigan, which includes a large Arab-American population in Dearborn and other Detroit suburbs.

Opinion polls show that Biden's support in the state has eroded, and his allies there have warned the White House in recent months that he faces the risk of losing the state he won in 2020.

Source: New York Times