ATLANTA, United States (CNN) — US President Joe Biden said Israel has a “responsibility” to respond to a Hamas attack on October 7, but it must shoulder the “burden” of protecting civilian lives.
Biden told a news conference that the region cannot return to the way it was before the attack, and called for renewed work toward a two-state solution.
Biden called for the rapid flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza and said he was disturbed by attacks by “extremist settlers” on Palestinians in the West Bank.
“Israelis and Palestinians deserve to live side by side in security, dignity and peace,” he said in the White House Rose Garden. “There can be no return to the situation of October 6. This is to ensure that Hamas cannot terrorize and use Israeli and Palestinian civilians as human shields.” “It also means that once this crisis is over, there must be a vision for what comes next.”
Biden continued: “In our view, this must be a two-state solution and all parties — Israelis, Palestinians, regional partners and global leaders — must focus on getting us on the path to peace.”
The US president said it was important to remember that Hamas does not represent the Palestinians, but he said the use of human shields was making Israel’s job more difficult.
“Hamas is hiding behind Palestinian civilians, which is despicable, not surprising, and cowardly,” Biden said. “It puts an additional burden on Israel. And when they go after Hamas, it doesn’t lessen the need to comply with the laws of war.”
“The Israelis must do everything in their power … to protect innocent civilians no matter how hard it is,” Biden insisted.
Biden said he believed his diplomatic efforts to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia were one of the factors that led to Hamas’ decision to attack.
He added: “I have no evidence for this, but my intuition says that the reason is the progress we are making towards Israel’s territorial integration and regional integration in general, and we cannot let go of this work.”
When asked if he had sought assurances from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the ground invasion would be postponed while the hostages were being held, the US president categorically denied it.
“What I’m pointing out is that if it’s possible to get these people out safely, that’s what he should do. That’s their decision, but I’m not calling for it,” Biden said.
“If it’s true, it has to be done,” Biden told Netanyahu of his message to free the hostages.
Biden continued: “They are clearly at risk. The question is whether or not there is a way to get them out. If we can get them out, we have to get them out.”
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