President Joe Biden spoke to TIME Magazine Washington Bureau Chief, Massimo Calabresi, and Editor-in-Chief, Sam Jacobs, on China, Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel, and said that he is in the process of talking with the Israelis right now, but refuses to disclose any details, as these will be reported before any decisions are reached, “I have not spoken with Bibi since the attack on Sunday.”
When asked if he feels that Israeli forces committed war crimes in Gaza, Biden responded that, “The answer is uncertain as it has been investigated by the Israelis themselves. The ICC is something that we don't recognize. But one thing is certain, the people in Gaza, the Palestinians have suffered greatly, for lack of food, water, medicine, etc. And a lot of innocent people have been killed. But it is—and a lot of it has to do not just with Israelis, but what Hamas is doing in Israel as we speak. Hamas is intimidating that population. I went over right after that attack on the Israelis. What they did was—exceeded anything I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot. Tying mothers and daughters together with rope and pouring kerosene on it and burning them to death. That kind of thing, attempting to intimidate. And it is dastardly.”
Biden says that, “We believe there are US hostages that are still alive. I met with all the families. But we don't have final proof on exactly who's alive and who's not alive. And by the way, I’ve been calling for a ceasefire, period. And to get those hostages. That’s the main reason why we push. Both the Israelis desperately want a ceasefire in order to get the hostages home. And it's a way to begin to break the momentum. And so that's why we're pushing hard for this.”
Biden believes that Hamas is to blame that the deal, the ceasefire for hostages has not been consummated, “Hamas could end this tomorrow. Hamas could say so and get it done period. And, the last offer Israel made was very generous in terms of who they'd be willing to release, what they'd give in return, etc. Bibi is under enormous pressure on the hostages, and so he's prepared to do about anything to get the hostages back.”
Biden does not agree with the accusations that Israel is responsible for the hunger in Gaza, alleging that it is intentionally using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, but warned that, “I think they've engaged in activity that is inappropriate. That is…When I went over immediately after the—Hamas’ brutal attack, I said then, and it became public, I said, don't make the same mistake we did going after bin Laden. Don't try—The idea of occupying Afghanistan, the idea that you had nuclear arsenals in Iran, that were being generated in Iraq, is simply not true. And it led to endless wars. They were not true. Don't make the mistakes we made. And I think they're making that mistake.”
Biden refused to comment on the suggestion in Israel that Netanyahu is prolonging the war for his own political self-preservation, explaining that, “There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion. And I would cite that as—before the war began, the blowback he was getting from the Israeli military for wanting to change the court. And so it's an internal domestic debate that seems to have no consequence. And whether he would change his position or not, it's hard to say, but it has not been helpful.”
Trump has said that Netanyahu is rightfully criticized for Oct. 7, but Biden disagrees, “I don't know how any one person has that responsibility. He was the leader of the country, so therefore, it happened. But he wasn't the only one that didn't pick it up. Even so, my major disagreement with Netanyahu is, what happens after, what happens after the Gaza war is over? What does it go back to? Do Israeli forces go back in? I've been talking to the Egyptians and been talking to the Saudis. I’ve been talking to the Jordanians. I've been talking to the Emiratis and the answer is that if that's the case, it can't work.”
Biden insists that, “There needs to be a two-state solution, a transition to a two-state solution. That's my biggest disagreement with Bibi Netanyahu, but I'm in the process of negotiating a lot of that. I think there is a clear path for a transition where the Arab states would provide security and reconstruction in Gaza in return for a longer-term commitment to a transition to a two-state solution. And that extends all the way from Saudi Arabia, who I continue to talk to—my team—to the Jordanians that are trying to work bringing in goods and certain goods now, food, medicine, etc. And the Egyptians who I've been talking with frequently about what happens in terms of access for more material to get into Gaza to prevent this catastrophe from continuing.”