Biden hails 'extremely successful' Israeli war that transformed region

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Jan 2025 00:01
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On his final full day as US president, Biden says the Palestinians now have a “credible path” to statehood, suggesting this was linked to the ceasefire agreement.

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US President Joe Biden speaks about the ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal in North Charleston, South Carolina, on January 19, 2025. (AFP)

US President Biden said Sunday that he "looks forward" to seeing the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal "fully implemented".

"After so much pain, destruction and loss of life, today the guns have gone silent," Biden said on his final full day as president, shortly after the first three Israeli captives were returned to the occupied Palestinian territories from Gaza, noting that the captives "appear to be in good health."

He mentioned that indirect negotiations between "Israel" and Hamas regarding the second phase of the agreement—focused on the release of the remaining captives—were set to begin on the 16th day of the ceasefire.

He stressed that the ultimate goal of this phase would be a "permanent end of the war without Hamas in power or able to threaten Israel." When asked if he was concerned about Hamas regaining strength in Gaza, Biden replied, "No".

The outgoing US president reiterated that the agreement resulted from the framework he had outlined in a speech on May 31, 2024, which gained widespread international support, including endorsement from the UN Security Council.

He attributed the breakthrough to US-backed Israeli military pressure on Hamas and its allies in the region.

Defending his unwavering support for "Israel" against criticism that it could have drawn the US into a wider war, Biden said he had considered that possibility, "but I concluded abandoning the course I was on would not have led us to the ceasefire we're seeing today."

"Now the region has been fundamentally transformed," Biden indicated, pointing out that Hamas' top leaders had been killed and its "sponsors in the Middle East have been badly weakened by Israel, backed by the United States."

"Hezbollah, one of Hamas's biggest backers, was significantly weakened on the battlefield, and its leadership was destroyed," he claimed.

Biden also alleged that "Israel's" war was "extremely successful", leading Hezbollah to abandon its military operations in support of the Palestinian Resistance and the installation of a new Lebanese president and prime minister, "both of whom support a sovereign Lebanon."

"The Assad regime next door in Syria is gone, removing Iran's ready access to Lebanon. Iran is in the weakest position in decades," the outgoing US president added.

In a rare comment, Biden mentioned that the Palestinians now have a "credible path" to statehood, suggesting this was linked to the ceasefire agreement, though he did not provide details.

This notion contrasts with Netanyahu’s repeated rejection of such a path, even at the risk of jeopardizing normalization talks with Saudi Arabia, which has demanded progress on a "two-state" solution as a condition for an agreement.

Biden on Sunday acknowledged the importance of the role played by incoming President Donald Trump and his aides.

"Now it falls on the next administration to help them implement this deal," he said.

"I was pleased to have our team speak as one voice in the final days. It was both necessary and effective and unprecedented."

Biden is set to leave office on Monday after one term, with Trump preparing to take the oath of office for a second time at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.