President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he stands by considering himself to be a “Zionist” amid fears of an “all-out war” in the Middle East.
“I'm a very strong supporter of Israel. I make no bones about it,” Biden said during an interview on “The View” in the morning. “I said years ago: I was a Zionist. All a Zionist means is that there needs to be an Israel.”
During the interview, “The View” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin asked the president whether “all-out war” in the Middle East was possible in the wake of Israel’s recent strikes on Lebanon that killed hundreds of people and militants, and Hezbollah launching a ballistic missile at Tel Aviv early Wednesday. A top Israeli general, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said Wednesday that a ground operation in Lebanon may be imminent, according to CNN.
“An all-out war is possible, but I think there's also the opportunity — or still in play — to have a settlement that could fundamentally change the whole region,” Biden said. “The Arab world very much wants to have a settlement because they know what it does for them. They're willing to make arrangements with Israel and alliances with Israel, if Israel changes some policies.”
The president went on to argue a ceasefire is necessary in Israel’s conflict with Lebanon — and that it could bear fruit in ending another high-profile conflict Israel has in the Middle East:
“There needs to be a two-state solution. Ultimately, it needs to happen. There's a way to do it, and they have a possibility — I don't want to exaggerate it — but a possibility if we can deal with a ceasefire in Lebanon, that it can move into dealing with the West Bank.”
