On Thursday, January 16, Joe Biden, the outgoing president of the United States, called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address the “legitimate concerns” of Palestinians. The same Biden who has been criticized for his unwavering support of Israel’s military actions is now calling for a more accommodating approach.
Speaking at an interview on MSNBC, Biden said: “And the idea that Israel is going to be able to sustain itself for the long term without accommodating the Palestinian question… It’s not going to happen.”
“And I kept reminding my friend, and he is a friend, although we don’t agree a whole lot lately, Bibi Netanyahu, that he has to find a way to accommodate the legitimate concerns of a large group of people called Palestinians, who have no place to live independently.”
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the longest-running and most violent disputes in modern history. Biden’s recent comments come at a time when the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has reached new heights of brutality.
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The latest round of violence was caused by a Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, which led to a devastating military response from Israel. The death toll has been staggering, with over 46,000 Palestinians killed and nearly the entire population of Gaza displaced.
Critics argue that Biden’s call for Netanyahu to address Palestinian concerns is too little, too late. After all, Biden has been a loyal supporter of Israel throughout his presidency, even in the face of accusations of war crimes and genocide.
Biden‘s call for Netanyahu to address Palestinian concerns is a step in the right direction; however, it must be followed by real, tangible actions. Otherwise, it’s just another empty promise in a long history of broken ones.
It’s high time for global leaders to move beyond empty rhetoric and take concrete steps toward resolving this century-old conflict. The lives of millions of Palestinians and Israelis hang in the balance, and the international community must hold both sides accountable for their actions.
