Biden’s post-war plan for Gaza

President Biden is signaling for the first time what his plan would be for the day after the war in Gaza — a new generation of peace talks in the Middle East on a “two-state solution” in which Israel would co-exist with a Palestinian state, Axios’ Barak Ravid reports.

• Why it matters: Biden’s call for a “concentrated effort” to begin talking about a two-state solution represents a pivot for the president.

Biden had focused largely on trying to avoid conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank — and securing a big peace deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

• But after Hamas’ 7 terrorist attack on Israel, there’s no going back to the “status quo” between Israel and the Palestinian Authority as it stood on Oct. 6, Biden said yesterday during a news conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

“Israelis and Palestinians equally deserve to live side by side in safety, dignity, and peace,” Biden said. “And there’s no going back to the status quo as it stood on October the 6th. That means ensuring Hamas can no longer terrorize Israel and use Palestinian civilians as human shields.”

• “It also meansthat when this crisis is over, there has to be a vision of what comes next. And in our view, it has to be a two-state solution. It means a concentrated effort from all the parties — Israelis, Palestinians, regional partners, global leaders — to put us on a path toward peace.”

Behind the scenes: During a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, Biden noted the importance of a permanent pathway to peace for Israelis and Palestinians after this crisis, the White House said.

• Biden emphasizedto Netanyahu that Hamas doesn’t represent the Palestinian people or their legitimate aspirations for a state of their own.

Reality check: A two-state solution has been an elusive goal for many Middle East diplomats for decades.

• Animosity in the region already seems to be the worst since the Palestinian uprising known as the second Intifada, two decades ago.

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