US President Joe Biden said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may delay ending the war in the Gaza Strip for political reasons.

In an exclusive interview with Time magazine on Tuesday, Biden was asked whether he believed Israeli insinuations that Netanyahu was prolonging the war for his political interests, and he replied, "There are good reasons for people to come to that conclusion."

The interview was conducted on May 28, a few days before Biden announced a detailed proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, and its publication coincides with Netanyahu facing deep political divisions at home.

Biden - who is currently pushing to end the war that has been ongoing for nearly 8 months after previously supporting its continuation - added that the Israeli forces committing war crimes in Gaza is something that “could not be confirmed.”

Biden referred to the political challenges that Netanyahu faced before the start of the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, regarding changing the constitution and imposing judicial reforms.

He added, "This is an internal discussion that has no results, and it is difficult to say whether or not Netanyahu will change his position on these reforms."

Major disagreement

Regarding the Gaza war, Biden said that his main disagreement with Netanyahu is over what will happen after the end of the Gaza war, and will Israeli forces return to the Strip?

He explained that he spoke with officials in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the Emirates regarding this, saying: “If the matter is the return of Israeli forces to the Gaza Strip, this cannot succeed.”

He stressed the necessity of moving to a two-state solution (Palestinian and Israeli). Biden added: “I believe there is a clear path to transition, in which Arab countries will provide security and reconstruction in Gaza in exchange for a long-term commitment to transition to a two-state solution.”

In response to a question about the possibility of Israeli forces committing war crimes in Gaza, Biden claimed that it was not certain that this happened, and it was investigated by the Israelis themselves.

Weeks ago, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, requested the issuance of international arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant. For their responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Regarding this, Biden said, “We do not recognize the International Criminal Court,” and added, “One thing is certain, which is that the Palestinians in Gaza are suffering greatly due to the lack of food, water, and medicine, and many innocent people have been killed.” The Israeli war on Gaza left more than 119,000 martyrs. There are wounded Palestinians, most of them children and women, and about 10,000 are missing amid massive destruction and famine that claimed the lives of children and the elderly.

Israel continues this war, ignoring a Security Council resolution demanding that it stop the fighting immediately, and orders from the Court of Justice demanding that it stop its attack on Rafah, take immediate measures to prevent acts of genocide, and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies