Biden Says It Would Be ‘Big Mistake’ For Israel To Reoccupy Gaza
US president Joe Biden said on Sunday that Israel should not reoccupy Gaza if it invades the territory following Hamas’ sudden, deadly attack against the country earlier this month.
“I think it’d be a big mistake,” the president told CBS’s Scott Pelley. “Look, what happened in Gaza, in my view, is Hamas. And the extreme elements of Hamas don’t represent all the Palestinian people. And I think that it would be a mistake for Israel to occupy Gaza again.”
Biden went on to tell 60 Minutes he believed Hamas’ leadership needed to be eliminated, “but there needs to be a Palestinian authority” in Gaza and a pathway to “a Palestinian state.”
“And you believe Israel would pursue that after what’s occurred?” Pelley asked.
“Not now. Not now,” Biden replied. “But I think Israel understands that a significant portion of Palestinian people do not share the views of Hamas and Hezbollah.”
President Biden says Hamas must be eliminated, but he supports Palestinian statehood. This has been the U.S. policy for decades. https://t.co/NASVaY1Z4Tpic.twitter.com/eFbZDh1IBy
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 15, 2023
Israel withdrew its military from Gaza in 2005, and Hamas was elected to govern a year later. The country has sent ground troops since, in 2009 and 2014, but has not reoccupied the area.
Biden’s comments continue the White House’s policies of fiercely supporting Israel after Hamas unleashed a surprise attack against Israel on October 7, storming into Israeli towns, gunning down revellers at a music festival, and taking hundreds of hostages. It was the deadliest attack on Israel in decades, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a declaration of war and ordered retaliation in Gaza.
Thousands have been killed on both sides, with no end to the conflict in sight.
Netanyahu has mobilised more than 360,000 reserve troops, and the military is widely expected to be near an invasion of the Gaza Strip with the goal of targeting Hamas’ leadership. Israel has already cut off food and supplies to Gaza, and temporarily limited Palestinians’ access to water there.
President Biden supports a humanitarian corridor that allows people out of Gaza – where Israel has cut off food, fuel, electricity, and much of the water. He also says the Israeli occupation of Gaza would be “a big mistake.” https://t.co/gYadyBKneXpic.twitter.com/7Tn0Oyo8Lo
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) October 15, 2023
Pelley asked Biden on Sunday if the US would support a safe path for Gazans to leave the area. The president said he would, adding he believed Israel would allow those in Gaza to access medicine and water.
“I’m confident that Israel is going to act under the rules of war,” Biden said. “There’s standards that democratic institutions and countries go by. And so I’m confident that there’s gonna be an ability for the innocents in Gaza to be able to have access to medicine and food and water.”