President Joe Biden said Sunday that Israel should not reoccupy Gaza if it invades the territory following Hamas’ sudden, deadly attack against the country earlier this month.
“I think it’d be a big mistake,” the president told CBS’s Scott Pelley. “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 for Israel to occupy Gaza again.”
Biden went on to tell “60 Minutes” he believed Hamas’ leadership needed to be eliminated, “but there needs to be a Palestinian authority” in Gaza and a pathway to “a Palestinian state.”
“And you believe Israel would pursue that after what’s occurred?” Pelley asked.
“Not now. Not now,” Biden replied. “But I think Israel understands that a significant portion of Palestinian people do not share the views of Hamas and Hezbollah.”
Israel withdrew its military from Gaza in 2005, and Hamas was elected to…