President Joe Biden said in a Saturday Washington Post op-ed that the U.S. was prepared to issue visa bans against Israeli settler “extremists” attacking targets in the West Bank.
Israel continues to launch airstrikes and increase its ground assault in Gaza in an effort to root out Hamas, which killed over 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped hundreds of civilians in mass terrorist attacks on Oct. 7. Biden called for a “two-state solution” amid the conflict on Saturday, and also suggested that both Gaza and the West Bank should be consolidated under a single governance structure, while threatening to issue visa bans against “extremists attacking civilians” in the latter region, according to the Post.
“As we strive for peace, Gaza and the West Bank should be reunited under a single governance structure, ultimately under a revitalized Palestinian Authority, as we all work toward a two-state solution,” Biden wrote in the op-ed on Saturday. “I have been emphatic with Israel’s leaders that extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank must stop and that those committing the violence must be held accountable.”
“The United States is prepared to take our own steps, including issuing visa bans against extremists attacking civilians in the West Bank,” Biden wrote.
Biden called for enhanced support for Palestinian civilians during the Israel-Hamas conflict, according to the Washington Post. He also called on the “international community” to step in to aid Gaza and provide “interim security” and “reconstruction measures” for the region in the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jake Smith on November 18, 2023
