President Joe Biden speaks in the East Room during an event to welcome mayors attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting to the White House. AP
Biden said Friday it was still possible that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could agree to some form of a Palestinian state after the two leaders spoke by phone for the first time in nearly a month, while Israel's war in Gaza grinds on.
"The illusion that Biden is preaching about a state of Palestine and its characteristics does not fool our people," Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas's political bureau, said in a statement.
"Biden is a full partner in the genocidal war and our people do not expect any good from him."
Biden said after the call that it was possible that Netanyahu could become open to some form of the two-state solution, raised for decades to end tensions in the Middle East.
"There are several types of two-state solutions. Several countries are members of the UN that... don't have their militaries," Biden told reporters after an event at the White House.
The call between Biden and Netanyahu came a day after the Israeli leader said he opposes allowing Palestinian sovereignty as the war in Gaza shows no signs of letting up.
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