KEMETIC MINDS — BREAKING NEWS
August 21, 2026
OSLO — Hamas reached an agreement with the United States and The Board of Peace on disarmament linked to an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza on Friday, July 31, and Israel responded with an unequivocal rejection, according to a PRIO comment published Friday by Jørgen Jensehaugen (Jensehaugen, 2026). A February 2026 Gallup poll cited in the comment shows more Americans sympathizing with Palestinians than with Israelis (Jensehaugen, 2026).
Key Facts
- Hamas reached an agreement with the United States and The Board of Peace on disarmament linked to an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza on Friday, July 31 (Jensehaugen, 2026).
- Israel’s response was an unequivocal rejection, delivered through clear statements from the country’s political leadership and intensified bombing of Gaza despite a ceasefire technically in place (Jensehaugen, 2026).
- In a February 2026 Gallup poll, 41 percent of Americans sympathized more with Palestinians and 36 percent sympathized more with Israelis; ten years earlier the corresponding figures were 62 and 15 (Jensehaugen, 2026).
- Only Republicans and those aged 55 and over sympathized more with Israelis than with Palestinians, with both groups shifting since 2016 (Jensehaugen, 2026).
- In Lebanon, Trump criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu, saying, “You’re fucking crazy. […] I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.” (Jensehaugen, 2026).
Hamas-US Agreement Meets Israeli Rejection
Jensehaugen wrote that the agreement was “very good news, pointing to a possible way out of the profound tragedy in Gaza,” and that President Donald Trump initially appeared to be more in agreement with Hamas than with Israel (Jensehaugen, 2026). Israel’s rejection came both in the form of clear statements from the country’s political leadership and intensified bombing of the devastated strip of land despite the ceasefire (Jensehaugen, 2026).
Jensehaugen wrote that this points to a recurring theme in the Middle East, noting that Israel has continued its military campaigns in both Lebanon and Syria after Trump declared that they had to end so that he could secure an agreement (Jensehaugen, 2026). On the Lebanon front, Trump voiced frustration with Netanyahu, and Jensehaugen added, “Not so subtle” (Jensehaugen, 2026).
“There is, however, a wide gap between rhetorical pressure and actual pressure,” Jensehaugen wrote. “As long as the United States continues to supply Israel with weapons and protect it at the UN, Israel has limited incentive to halt its military campaigns” (Jensehaugen, 2026). He described the rhetoric as nevertheless “an indication of a changing relationship” (Jensehaugen, 2026).
US Public Opinion Shifts Toward Palestinians
“In terms of practical policy, US support for Israel has never been stronger, while Palestinians are being treated worse than ever. At the same time, however, a remarkable shift is taking place in American public opinion,” Jensehaugen wrote (Jensehaugen, 2026). A Gallup poll published in February 2026, with comparable results going back to 2001, found 36 percent of Americans sympathized more with Israelis and 41 percent sympathized more with Palestinians (Jensehaugen, 2026).
Only two groups sympathized more with Israelis than with Palestinians: Republicans and those aged 55 and over (Jensehaugen, 2026). Even within those groups the balance shifted — among over-55s, the figures moved from 72/11 in 2016 to 49/31 in 2026, and among Republicans from 79/7 to 70/13 over the same period (Jensehaugen, 2026). Jensehaugen wrote that one of the big questions hanging over international politics is when this shift in public opinion will begin to translate into US foreign policy (Jensehaugen, 2026).
What’s Still Unconfirmed
The PRIO comment does not report the status of the July 31 agreement after Israel’s rejection, and the source presents no element of its account as disputed or unverified (Jensehaugen, 2026).
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References
- Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). (2026, August 21). Is US patience with Israel running out? – Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). prio.org
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