‘Pouring Gasoline on a Fire’: Biden Demands Israeli Settler Attacks In West Bank ‘Stop Now’

President Joe Biden held a joint White House press conference on Wednesday with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and before taking questions addressed the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

“Israelis and Palestinians equally deserve to live side by side in safety, dignity, and peace. There’s no going back to the status quo as it stood on October the sixth,” Biden began, referring to the devastating October 7th Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed some 1,500 people and left hundreds kidnapped.

“That means ensuring Hamas can no longer terrorize Israel and use Palestinian civilians as human shields. It also means that when this crisis is over, there has to be a vision of what comes next,” Biden continued, adding:

And in our view, it has to be a two-state solution. It means a concentrated effort from all the parties Israelis, Palestinians, regional partners, global leaders to put us on a path toward peace.

In the past few weeks, I’ve spoken to leaders throughout the region, including King Abdullah of Jordan, President Sisi of Egypt, President Abbas, the Palestinian Authority. And just yesterday with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia about making sure there’s real hope in the region for a better future. But the need and I mean it sincerely about the need to work toward a greater integration for Israel, while insisting that the aspirations of the Palestinian people will be part will be part of that future as well.

I’m convinced one of the reasons Hamas attacked when they did, I have no proof of this, as my instinct tells me, is because of the progress we were making towards regional integration for Israel and regional integration overall. And we can’t leave that work behind. And one more word on this. I continue to be alarmed about extremist settlers attacking Palestinians in the West Bank, that pouring gasoline on fire is what it’s like. This was a deal. The deal was made.

“And they’re attacking Palestinians in places that they’re entitled to be. It has to stop. They have to be held accountable and it has to stop now,” Biden concluded.

Watch the full clip above via CNN.