The Age / Reuters | Andrea Shalal | 21 January 2024
US President Joe Biden says he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about possible solutions for creation of an independent Palestinian state, suggesting one path could involve a non-militarised government.
Biden’s call with Netanyahu yesterday was the first in nearly a month, the White House said, noting the discussions focused on Israel’s ongoing strikes in Gaza.
Spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Biden had been trying to schedule the call ‘‘for quite a bit of time’’ and denied it came in response to Netanyahu saying he objected to Palestinian statehood that did not guarantee Israel’s security.
Asked if a two-state solution was impossible while Netanyahu was still in office, Biden said, ‘‘No, it’s not.’’
Speaking to reporters, Biden said Netanyahu was not opposed to all two-state solutions, and there were several types possible, noting that some United Nations members do not have military forces.
Biden was asked if he would reconsider conditions on Israel funding aid given Netanyahu’s comments rejecting a two-state solution.
‘‘I think we’ll be able to work something out … I think there’s ways in which this could work,’’ he said.
Biden and Netanyahu also discussed efforts to secure the hostages held by Hamas, and Israel’s announced shift to more ‘‘targeted’’ operations in Gaza to allow more humanitarian assistance to come through, the White House said.
Biden’s call came as Red Crescent officials accused Israel of firing on a hospital in Khan Younis, the main city in the southern part of Gaza.
It said displaced people were injured ‘‘due to intense gunfire from the Israeli drones targeting citizens at Al-Amal Hospital’’ as well as the rescue agency’s base. The military said it was checking the report.
Nearby, Israeli tanks were also approaching Gaza’s biggest remaining functioning hospital, Nasser, where people reported hearing shellfire from the west.
Israel launched a major new advance last week to capture Khan Younis, which it says is now the primary base of Hamas fighters who attacked Israeli towns on October 7, killing 1200 and precipitating a war that has devastated the Gaza Strip.
In the north, where Israel says it has started pulling out troops and shifting to smaller scale operations, 12 people were killed in strikes on a residential building near the largely non-functioning Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Palestinian health officials said.
An Israeli strike on a house in Al-Nusseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip killed five Palestinians.
The Gaza Health Ministry said 142 Palestinians were killed and 278 injured in Gaza in the previous 24 hours, raising the death toll from more than three months of war to 24,762.
Meanwhile, US Central Command forces conducted strikes against three Houthi antiship missiles in Yemen that were aimed into the southern Red Sea and were prepared to launch, the US military said on X.
The incident late on Friday (AEDT), was the latest amid growing tensions in the Red Sea that have disrupted global trade and raised fears of supply bottlenecks.
The Houthis, who control the most populous part of Yemen, say their attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians under attack from Israel in Gaza.