In a wide-ranging interview with TIME, President Joe Biden stopped short of labeling Israeli actions in Gaza as war crimes despite saying "a lot of innocent people have been killed" in the ongoing conflict with Hamas.
When asked directly if Israeli forces have committed war crimes in Gaza based on US intelligence, Biden said "The answer is it's uncertain and has been investigated by the Israelis themselves. The ICC is something that we don't, we don't recognize."
Biden was asked whether it was Israel who was to blame for the fact there was no ceasefire, Biden put the blame squarely on the terrorist group running Gaza. "Hamas. Hamas could end this tomorrow. Hamas could say (unintelligible) and done period. And, but, 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, et cetera. Bibi is under enormous pressure on the hostages, on the hostages, and so he's prepared to do about anything to get the hostages back."
He acknowledged the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, citing "lack of food, water, medicine, etc." However, Biden also strongly condemned Hamas, saying the terrorist group has engaged in "dastardly" acts like "tying mothers and daughters together with rope and pouring kerosene on it and burning them to death" to intimidate the population.
The president expressed support for a ceasefire to secure the release of US hostages he believes are still being held alive in Gaza by Hamas. He said the "last offer Israel made was very generous" regarding a potential hostage exchange.
"We are the world power."
In an exclusive interview with TIME, President Biden discussed his efforts to lead a turbulent world https://t.co/xCIfVwMx2n pic.twitter.com/EdL3ubhKiv
— TIME (@TIME) June 4, 2024
While critical of some Israeli actions, Biden defended Israel's right to self-defense against Hamas attacks. He pushed back against the notion that Israel is intentionally starving Gaza civilians as a tactic, saying "I don't think that."
The interview covered a range of foreign policy issues including the Iran nuclear deal, North Korea's nuclear program, and Biden's efforts to establish new partnerships like AUKUS and the Indo-Pacific strategy.
On Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden said he has a "major disagreement" over what happens after the current Gaza conflict ends. He stated his biggest disagreement with Netanyahu is the lack of a "transition to a two-state solution" that Biden said Arab partners like Saudi Arabia could help facilitate.
Asked if it is true, as some have suggeted, that "Netanyahu is prolonging the war for his own political self-preservation," Biden refused to answer directly, simply saying, "I'm not going to comment on 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."
