Outgoing Democratic US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has to find a way to accommodate the legitimate concerns” of Palestinians for the long-term sustainability of Israel.
“And the idea that Israel is going to be able to sustain itself for the long-term without accommodating the Palestinian question … It’s not going to happen,” Biden, who hands over to Republican President-elect Donald Trump on Monday, said in an interview on MSNBC.
“And I kept reminding my friend, and he is a friend, although we don’t agree a whole lot lately, Bibi Netanyahu, that he has to find a way to accommodate the legitimate concerns of a large group of people called Palestinians, who have no place to live independently.”
Supporters and families of hostages, who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, rally demanding the release of hostages as part of a deal being advanced by U.S. President Joe Biden, outside the U.S. consulate in Tel Aviv, Israel June 3, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/MARKO DJURICA)
Hostage deal
Biden’s MSNBC interview comes after Netanyahu announced that Israel and Hamas signed a ceasefire agreement regarding the first phase of a hostage deal on Thursday.
Biden faced criticism from multiple human rights advocates for his military and diplomatic support for Israel during the Israel-Hamas war.
The United States has for decades backed a two-state solution between the Israelis and the Palestinians that would create a state for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza alongside Israel.
Netanyahu says Israel must have security control over all land west of the Jordan River, which would preclude a sovereign Palestinian state.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in remarks to reporters on Thursday that the deal could eventually lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
