(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden said that when the Israel-Hamas war broke out, he went to Israel and contacted nearly every other leader in the region to start working on a way to end it. But there was a problem.
“Israel occasionally was less than cooperative,” Biden said Thursday in his solo news conference.
“I know Israel well, and I support Israel, but this war cabinet is one of the most conservative war cabinets in the history of Israel.”
In prepared remarks before taking questions, Biden touted what he hopes will be a successful resolution to the nine-month war.
“Six weeks ago, I laid out a detailed plan. It was endorsed by the U.N. Security Council (and) the G-7. That framework is now agreed on by both Israel and Hamas.
“We’re making progress. The trend is positive. And I’m determined to get this deal done and bring an end to this war,” he added.
But, when taking questions, Biden recounted what he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the war’s outset.
“Don’t make the same mistake America made after bin Laden. There’s no need to occupy anywhere. Go after the people who did the job.”
Biden says he offered U.S. helping tracking down the leaders of Hamas, but refused to enable the widespread deaths of Palestinian civilians that’s occurred since October 7. That’s why he refused to supply Israel with 2,000-pound bombs.
“They cannot be used in Gaza or any populated area without causing great human tragedy and damage,” he said.
Biden also told reporters about his disappointment in how long it’s taken to find a possible resolution, especially the question of Gaza’s status once the violence ends.
“The question has always been, what’s the ‘day after’ in Gaza? The ‘day after’ in Gaza has to be … no occupation by Israel of the Gaza Strip.”