President Biden on Wednesday ramped up his efforts to address Arab concerns about Israel’s devastating airstrikes in Gaza, saying there must be “a vision of what comes next” after the war, calling for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and stressing that Israel must minimize civilian casualties even if that poses a “burden.”
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“Hamas is hiding behind Palestinian civilians, and it’s despicable — and not surprisingly, cowardly as well,” Biden said. “This also puts an added burden on Israel while they go after Hamas. But that does not lessen the need for us to operate in line with the laws of war. Israel has to do everything in its power.”
The president’s comments marked his strongest to date about the need for Israel, along with its Arab neighbors, to think about what comes after the country’s retaliatory attacks on Gaza and to guarantee Palestinians’ future right to self-determination. While Biden stopped short of criticizing Israel for its aerial bombardment, which Palestinian health authorities say have killed more than 6,500 people, he condemned Israeli settlers in stark terms for attacking Palestinians in the West Bank.
“I continue to be alarmed about extremist settlers attacking Palestinians in the West Bank that are pouring gasoline on the fire,” Biden said, noting that the attacks are happening in recognized Palestinian communities. “This was a deal. The deal was made, and they’re attacking Palestinians in places they’re entitled to be. It has to stop. They have to be held accountable, and it has to stop now.”
Biden’s comments appeared designed in part to respond to Arab leaders in the Middle East, who have urged the president to be more outspoken about the need for Israeli restraint and to signal that he has a vision beyond the current conflict that addresses the needs of Palestinians as well as Israelis.
At the same time, Biden said he was skeptical about the number of civilian deaths in Gaza, which are reported by a health ministry run by Hamas.
“I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed,” Biden said. “I’m sure innocents have been killed … I think that Israelis should be incredibly careful to be sure that they’re focusing on going after the folks that are propagating this war against Israel. And it’s against our interests when that doesn’t happen. But I have no comfort in the number that the Palestinians are using.”
Biden’s comments came as Israel is more than two weeks into its war with Hamas and is expected to launch a ground invasion of Gaza imminently.
Palestinian gunmen from Hamas broke through the sophisticated Israel-Gaza border fence on Oct. 7 and killed more than 1,400 Israelis in a brutal attack in which they hunted civilians in their homes and cars, burned people alive and took scores of people hostage into Gaza, including some Americans.
The attacks have shaken Israelis’ pride in their vaunted intelligence and security apparatus and pressure has built on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch a scorched-earth campaign in Gaza in retribution for the attacks.
Biden has stood staunchly behind Israel since the attacks and reiterated Wednesday that the country has a “responsibility to respond to the slaughter of their people.” But in recent days he has moderated his full-throated support of Israel and its counterattack as he has come under pressure from Arab leaders and members of his own party to address the devastation in Gaza — where Israel has cut off food, fuel, electricity and water.
Few aid trucks have been able to get into the Palestinian enclave at Egypt’s Rafah border crossing with Gaza, while thousands of civilians, including many children, have died amid a barrage of Israeli airstrikes.
On Wednesday, as he opened a news conference with visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Biden issued his clearest call to date for a two-state solution in which Palestinians can govern themselves post-Hamas, which governs the densely populated enclave of Gaza that is home to more than 2 million people.
“I also want to take a moment to look ahead toward the future that we seek: Israelis and Palestinians equally deserve to live side-by-side in safety, dignity and peace,” Biden said. “There’s no going back to the status quo as it stood on October 6th. That means ensuring Hamas can no longer terrorize Israel and use Palestinian civilians as human shields.”
Biden added: “It also means that when this crisis is over, there has to be a vision of what comes next. And in our view, it has to be a two-state solution and it means a concentrated effort from all parties — Israelis, Palestinians, regional partners, global leaders — to put us on a path toward peace.”
Keeping up with politics is easy with The 5-Minute Fix Newsletter, in your inbox weekdays.
“Hamas is hiding behind Palestinian civilians, and it’s despicable — and not surprisingly, cowardly as well,” Biden said. “This also puts an added burden on Israel while they go after Hamas. But that does not lessen the need for us to operate in line with the laws of war. Israel has to do everything in its power.”
The president’s comments marked his strongest to date about the need for Israel, along with its Arab neighbors, to think about what comes after the country’s retaliatory attacks on Gaza and to guarantee Palestinians’ future right to self-determination. While Biden stopped short of criticizing Israel for its aerial bombardment, which Palestinian health authorities say have killed more than 6,500 people, he condemned Israeli settlers in stark terms for attacking Palestinians in the West Bank.
“I continue to be alarmed about extremist settlers attacking Palestinians in the West Bank that are pouring gasoline on the fire,” Biden said, noting that the attacks are happening in recognized Palestinian communities. “This was a deal. The deal was made, and they’re attacking Palestinians in places they’re entitled to be. It has to stop. They have to be held accountable, and it has to stop now.”
Biden’s comments appeared designed in part to respond to Arab leaders in the Middle East, who have urged the president to be more outspoken about the need for Israeli restraint and to signal that he has a vision beyond the current conflict that addresses the needs of Palestinians as well as Israelis.
At the same time, Biden said he was skeptical about the number of civilian deaths in Gaza, which are reported by a health ministry run by Hamas.
“I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed,” Biden said. “I’m sure innocents have been killed … I think that Israelis should be incredibly careful to be sure that they’re focusing on going after the folks that are propagating this war against Israel. And it’s against our interests when that doesn’t happen. But I have no comfort in the number that the Palestinians are using.”
Biden’s comments came as Israel is more than two weeks into its war with Hamas and is expected to launch a ground invasion of Gaza imminently.
Palestinian gunmen from Hamas broke through the sophisticated Israel-Gaza border fence on Oct. 7 and killed more than 1,400 Israelis in a brutal attack in which they hunted civilians in their homes and cars, burned people alive and took scores of people hostage into Gaza, including some Americans.
The attacks have shaken Israelis’ pride in their vaunted intelligence and security apparatus and pressure has built on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch a scorched-earth campaign in Gaza in retribution for the attacks.
Biden has stood staunchly behind Israel since the attacks and reiterated Wednesday that the country has a “responsibility to respond to the slaughter of their people.” But in recent days he has moderated his full-throated support of Israel and its counterattack as he has come under pressure from Arab leaders and members of his own party to address the devastation in Gaza — where Israel has cut off food, fuel, electricity and water.
Few aid trucks have been able to get into the Palestinian enclave at Egypt’s Rafah border crossing with Gaza, while thousands of civilians, including many children, have died amid a barrage of Israeli airstrikes.
On Wednesday, as he opened a news conference with visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Biden issued his clearest call to date for a two-state solution in which Palestinians can govern themselves post-Hamas, which governs the densely populated enclave of Gaza that is home to more than 2 million people.
“I also want to take a moment to look ahead toward the future that we seek: Israelis and Palestinians equally deserve to live side-by-side in safety, dignity and peace,” Biden said. “There’s no going back to the status quo as it stood on October 6th. That means ensuring Hamas can no longer terrorize Israel and use Palestinian civilians as human shields.”
Biden added: “It also means that when this crisis is over, there has to be a vision of what comes next. And in our view, it has to be a two-state solution and it means a concentrated effort from all parties — Israelis, Palestinians, regional partners, global leaders — to put us on a path toward peace.”
