Biden: ‘Big Mistake’ for Israel to Occupy Gaza at This Point

Sunday, during an interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” President Joe Biden voiced his opposition to Israeli occupation of Gaza in the wake of the Hamas terror attack on Israel.

Biden also called for a “Palestinian state” when asked about the elimination of Hamas.

Partial transcript as follows:

PELLEY: Would you support Israeli occupation of Gaza at this point?

BIDEN: I think it’d be a big mistake. Look, what happened in Gaza, in my view, is Hamas and the extreme elements of Hamas don’t represent all the Palestinian people. And I think that…It would be a mistake to…for Israel to occupy…Gaza again. We…but going in but taking out the extremists the Hezbollah is up north but Hamas down south. Is a necessary requirement.

PELLEY: Do you believe that Hamas must be eliminated entirely?

BIDEN: Yes, I do. But there needs to be a Palestinian authority. There needs to be a path to a Palestinian state.

PELLEY: That path, called “the two state solution,” has been U.S. policy for decades. It would create an independent nation next to Israel for 5 million Palestinians who live in Gaza and on the West Bank of the Jordan River.

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