Biden refuses to acknowledge Israel did not commit ‘war crimes’

Biden: ‘I’ve been calling for—we should have a ceasefire, period. And to get those hostages.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

In an interview with Time magazine, US President Joe Biden refused to say that Israel did not commit war crimes in Gaza.

“The answer is it’s uncertain and has been investigated by the Israelis themselves,” Biden said on the issue of war crimes.

He then shifted to the case against Israel in the ICC, which was brought by South Africa and supported by other countries.

Biden continued, “The ICC is something that we don’t, we don’t recognize.”

However, he focused heavily on the plight of Gazan civilians in the interview and said, “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.”

Biden discussed Hamas’s role in the crisis while neglecting to mention that Hamas is hoarding aid intended for civilians and re-selling it.

However, he did discuss the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7.

He said, ” What they did exceeded anything I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen a lot.”

When asked if the 8 US hostages in Gaza are still alive, Biden responded, “We believe there are those 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. ”

President Biden added that an immediate ceasefire was needed to secure the release of the hostages.

“I’ve been calling for—we should have a ceasefire, period. And to get those hostages. That’s the main reason why we push,” he said.

The Biden Administration is urging Israel to accept the newest iteration of the hostage release deal and ceasefire. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Israel will not accept a hostage agreement that fails to allow Israel to achieve the goal of dismantling Hamas politically and militarily.

When the interviewer asked if Israel is intentionally starving Gazan civilians, Biden answered. “No, I don’t think that. I think they’ve engaged in an inappropriate activity.”

Biden then recounted how he cautioned Netanyahu not to get Israel in the same situation the US was in when it fought against and conquered Afghanistan.

“The idea of occupying Afghanistan, the idea that you had nuclear arsenals in Iran, that were being, I mean, in Iraq, that were being generated, simply not true. And it led to endless wars,” he said.

When asked if Netanyahu is continuing the war for his own political self-preservation he answered,”I’m not going to comment on that. There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion.”

Finally, Biden summarized his vision for a post-war Gaza.

“The answer is 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,” he said.