For Biden, occupation of Gaza Strip would be "big mistake"
In response to the bloody Hamas attack at the beginning of October, the Israeli military attacks the Gaza Strip. The US President calls on Israel to exercise "extreme caution" in the operation at Al-Shaifa Hospital. He considers a permanent occupation of the Palestinian territories to be wrong.
US President Joe Biden has reiterated that he believes a permanent Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip is the wrong approach. That would be "a big mistake", said Biden. He made it clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the two-state solution was the only viable path. "I can tell you that I don't believe it will end until there is a two-state solution," Biden said on the sidelines of his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Meanwhile, the Israeli army continued its attacks in the Gaza Strip.
According to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Israel must maintain a strong presence in the Gaza Strip for the time being, even after the end of the war against Hamas, in order to prevent a resurgence of the radical Islamic Palestinian group. "If we withdraw, who will take over? We cannot leave a vacuum. We have to think about what the mechanism will look like," Herzog told the Financial Times. Many ideas are currently circulating. "But no one will want to turn this place, Gaza, back into a terror base."
"So what should be done?"
The US President defended Israel's military operation in the Al-Shaifa hospital: "The first war crime was committed by Hamas by hiding its headquarters, its military, under a hospital. And that's a fact, that's what happened." Findings from US intelligence agencies would support this "fact". The Israeli Defense Forces had released photos and videos from inside the Gaza hospital on Wednesday, allegedly showing numerous weapons caches behind an MRI machine, in hallway closets and other rooms in the hospital. He had asked Israel to be "extremely careful" during the operation. "But Hamas has already declared that it plans to attack the Israelis again. And that is a terrible dilemma. So what is one to do?"
Israel said it had fought and killed Hamas fighters when it invaded the hospital, but had also brought medical experts, Arabic speakers, medical supplies such as incubators and baby food. It is "not realistic" to expect Israel to stop its military operations, said Biden. The US President is not calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The war will stop "when Hamas no longer has the ability to murder and abuse and simply do terrible things to Israelis."
With regard to the release of the hostages abducted by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Biden was "relatively optimistic. I don't want to prejudge anything, (...) but we have heard from the Qataris about (...) cooperation," he explained. Qatar is mediating in negotiations on the release of hostages between Israel and Hamas. Israel's Foreign Ministry called on the Security Council and the international community to work for the immediate release of all hostages. "Prolonged humanitarian pauses are untenable as long as 239 abductees are in the hands of Hamas terrorists," it said.
Biden continues to emphasize his opposition to a permanent Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip, stating that it would be a "big mistake" for Israel under Prime Minister Netanyahu. Conversely, Israeli President Herzog argues that a strong Israeli presence in the Gaza Strip is necessary to prevent Hamas from regaining power after the war.
Source: www.ntv.de
