Amid heightened tensions between the US and Israel over the latter's war with Hamas, President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finally spoke yesterday after a nearly four-week gap in direct communication.
A day after Netanyahu rejected US calls to scale back Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip or take steps toward the establishment of a Palestinian state after the war, the two leaders talked over the phone, with Biden telling reporters after the call that Netanyahu is not opposed to all two-state solutions for Palestinians.
Denying that a two-state solution was impossible, Biden said that some United Nations members do not have military forces, suggesting a non-militarized government in Palestine might be agreeable to Israel.
When asked if he would reconsider conditions on Israel aid, Biden said, "I think we'll be able to work something out. I think there are ways in which this could work."
