US President Joe Biden lashed out at the government of Israeli PM Benyamin Netanyahu, stressing that “Israel’s ultimate security rests on a two-state solution” with the Palestinians.
He said Netanyahu's coalition has some “of the most extreme” cabinet ministers he's ever seen in Israel, and accused ministers who back settling “anywhere they want” in the West Bank of being “part of the problem” in the conflict.
During an interview with CNN, Biden said he believes that a two-state solution was the correct path forward in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
“It’s not all Israel now in the West Bank, all Israel’s problem, but they are a part of the problem, and particularly those individuals in the cabinet who say, ‘We can settle anywhere we want. They have no right to be here, etc.,’” Biden said.
“And I think we were talking with them regularly, trying to tamp down what’s going on and hopefully, Bibi will continue to move toward moderation and change.”
On Ukraine, the US President said that Ukraine is not yet ready for NATO membership, saying that Russia’s war in Ukraine needs to end before the alliance can consider adding Kyiv to its ranks.
“I don’t think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war,” Biden said.
“We’re determined to commit every inch of territory that is NATO territory. It’s a commitment that we’ve all made no matter what. If the war is going on, then we’re all in war. We’re at war with Russia, if that were the case.”
Last week, the White House announced that the US was sending Ukraine cluster munitions for the first time.
Biden told CNN it was a “difficult decision” to give Ukraine the controversial ammunition, but that he was convinced it was necessary because Ukraine was running out of ammunition.
The NATO meeting comes as Sweden is seeking to join the Western alliance. Biden said he was optimistic that Sweden would eventually be admitted to NATO, noting the key holdout, Türkiye, is seeking to modernize its F-16 fleet, along with Greece, which has voted to admit Sweden.
Commenting on the crisis caused by the burning of the Quran in Stockholm, Biden said it isn’t “Swedes that are burning the Quran. They are immigrants who are burning the Quran.”
Biden also discussed other key foreign policy challenges, including China.
The US President said that he’s confident Chinese President Xi Jinping wants to replace the US as the country with the largest economy and military capacity in the world, but he said that he believes the US can have a working relationship with Beijing.
“I think there is a way to resolve, to establish a working relationship with China that benefits them and us,” Biden said.
“And the last thing I’ll tell you, I also called him after he had that meeting with the Russians about this new relationship, etc. And I said, ‘This is not a threat. It’s an observation.’ I said, ‘Since Russia went into Ukraine, 600 American corporations have pulled out of Russia. And you’ve told me that your economy depends on investment from Europe and the United States. And be careful. Be careful.’”
US Relations with Saudi Arabia
The US president also commented on the prospects of Saudi-Israeli normalization.
He pointed to Saudi Arabia’s decision, on the eve of his visit to the kingdom last summer, to open its airspace to all air carriers, paving the way for more overflights to and from Israel.
The US president also noted efforts toward a permanent ceasefire in Yemen.
“So, we’re making progress in the region. And it depends upon the conduct and what is asked of us for them to recognize Israel,” Biden said in the interview.
“Quite frankly, I don’t think they have much of a problem with Israel. And whether or not we would provide a means by which they could have civilian nuclear power and/or be a guarantor of their security, that’s – I think that’s a little way off,” Biden added.
