Biden to Israel: 'It's a big mistake' to maintain occupation of Gaza
SAN FRANCISCO — President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he did not think the fighting between Israel and Hamas would end until there's a separate Palestinian state.
Biden said at a news conference that he advised the Israeli government against the reoccupation of Gaza once the war ends.
"I'm not a fortune teller, I can't tell you how long it's going to last. But I can tell you, I don't think it ultimately ends until there's a two-state solution," Biden said. "I made it clear to the Israelis I think it's a big mistake for them to think they're going to occupy Gaza and maintain Gaza. I don't think that works."
He added: "And so I think you're going to see efforts to bring along - well I shouldn't go into anymore, because it's things I have been negotiating with Arab countries and others about what the next steps are."
It was not immediately clear to which nations Biden was referring, but Jordan's king is among the leaders in the region who has rejected a scenario of reoccupation. Biden's administration previously said it wants to see the Palestine Liberation Organization rule Gaza and the West Bank at the end of the conflict.
Biden, who spoke to the press after a summit in the San Francisco area with Chinese President Xi Jinping, also commented on Israel's operation to root out Hamas militants at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza.
He said Hamas committed a war crime by hiding its fighters under a hospital. He said Israel did not go in with a large number of troops.
“We discussed the need for them to be incredibly careful,” he said. “This is not the carpet bombing. This is a different thing."