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President Biden pressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Friday to agree to the creation of a Palestinian state after the war in Gaza is over and raised options that would limit Palestinian sovereignty to make the prospect more palatable to Israel.<\/p>\n
Hoping to overcome Mr. Netanyahu\u2019s strenuous resistance, Mr. Biden floated the possibility of a disarmed Palestinian nation that would not threaten Israel\u2019s security. While there was no indication that Mr. Netanyahu would ease his opposition, which is popular with his fragile right-wing political coalition, Mr. Biden expressed optimism that they may yet find consensus.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a number of types of two-state solutions,\u201d the president told reporters at the White House several hours after the call, their first in nearly a month amid tension over the war. \u201cThere\u2019s a number of countries that are members of the U.N. that are still \u2014 don\u2019t have their own militaries. Number of states that have limitations.\u201d He added, \u201cAnd so I think there\u2019s ways in which this could work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked what Mr. Netanyahu was open to, Mr. Biden said, \u201cI\u2019ll let you know.\u201d But he rejected the notion that a so-called two-state solution is impossible as long as Mr. Netanyahu is in power \u2014 \u201cno, it\u2019s not\u201d \u2014 and he brushed off the idea of imposing conditions on American security aid to Israel if the prime minister continues to resist.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019ll be able to work something out,\u201d Mr. Biden said.<\/p>\n
The last time the two leaders were known to have talked was on Dec. 23, in a call that was later described as especially tense<\/a>. The latest call came a day after Mr. Netanyahu told reporters in Israel that he had rebuffed Mr. Biden\u2019s efforts<\/a> to pressure him into a two-state solution. Mr. Netanyahu said Israel must maintain security control \u201cover all the territory west of the Jordan,\u201d referring to both Gaza and the West Bank, despite American views. \u201cThe prime minister needs to be able to say no, even to our best friends,\u201d Mr. Netanyahu told reporters.<\/p>\n Mr. Biden has argued that the creation of a Palestinian state that guarantees Israel\u2019s security is the only viable long-term resolution to a conflict that has dragged on for decades, repeating a position held by most American presidents and European leaders in recent history. In the meantime, Mr. Biden has suggested that a \u201crevitalized\u201d version of the Palestinian Authority<\/a>, which partially governs the West Bank, take over Gaza as well once Hamas has been removed from power there \u2014 another idea Mr. Netanyahu has rejected because he considers the authority corrupt and compromised by support for terrorists.<\/p>\n \u201cThe president still believes in the promise and the possibility of a two-state solution,\u201d John F. Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, told reporters at the White House after the call, which he said lasted 30 to 40 minutes. \u201cHe recognizes that\u2019s going to take a lot of work. It\u2019s going to take a lot of leadership \u2014 there in the region particularly, on both sides of the issue. And the United States stands firmly committed to eventually seeing that outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Kirby said the two leaders also discussed hostages held by Hamas, humanitarian aid to Gaza, the release of tax payments to the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank and the shift in Israel\u2019s military strategy to more surgical operations. But Mr. Kirby revealed no specific new agreements and confirmed that the leaders continued to disagree about the prospect of a Palestinian state.<\/p>\n Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu have known each other for decades, and the relationship between the left-leaning president and right-leaning prime minister has long been complicated<\/a>. They squared off last year over Mr. Netanyahu\u2019s attempt to strip away some of the power of Israel\u2019s judiciary and over Mr. Biden\u2019s drive to negotiate a new nuclear agreement with Iran.<\/p>\n After the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas killed 1,200 in Israel, they put their differences aside to embrace one another both figuratively and literally<\/a>. But as Israel\u2019s war against Hamas has devastated much of Gaza, reportedly killing more than 24,000 combatants and civilians, they have grown increasingly at odds again.<\/p>\n The long gap between calls in itself was an indication of friction. In the two and a half months between the Oct. 7 attack and their pre-Christmas conversation, Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu spoke 14 times, or roughly once every five and a half days. This time it took 27 days to reach out again.<\/p>\n But Mr. Kirby sought to play down the discord, characterizing their clashes as honest disagreements between friends. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to agree on everything,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve said that. Good friends and allies can have those kinds of candid, forthright discussions and we do.\u201d<\/p>\n He rejected the perception that Mr. Biden was trying to coerce Mr. Netanyahu into accepting a Palestinian state. \u201cThis isn\u2019t about trying to twist somebody\u2019s arm or force a change in their thinking,\u201d he said. \u201cPrime Minister Netanyahu has made clear his concerns about that. President Biden has made clear his strong conviction that a two-state solution is still the right path ahead. And we\u2019re going to continue to make that case.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Kirby cautioned Mr. Netanyahu about his use of language, referring to the prime minister\u2019s statement that Israel must maintain security control over Gaza and the West Bank. Mr. Netanyahu, speaking in Hebrew, referred to \u201call the territory west of the Jordan\u201d but some translated it incorrectly into English as \u201cfrom the river to the sea,\u201d<\/a> wording that has drawn criticism.<\/p>\n The latter phrase, often used by Palestinians and their supporters, is taken by many backers of Israel as an antisemitic statement advocating the eradication of Israel, which lies between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, as do the Palestinian territories. The House censured Representative Rashida Tlaib<\/a>, Democrat of Michigan, in November for using that phrase.<\/p>\n Asked about Mr. Netanyahu\u2019s comment, Mr. Kirby said, \u201cIt\u2019s not a phrase that we recommend using because of that context.\u201d<\/p>\n