In an unusual move, the Prime Minister's office issued a statement during the Sabbath, disputing comments made by President Joe Biden although he stopped short of denying the president's words.
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"In their conversation on Friday, the prime minister repeated his long-held assertion that Israel must maintain full security control in the Gaza Strip, which would conflict with the Palestinian demands for sovereignty."
On Friday, Biden told reporters that Netanyahu did not close the door on possible negotiations with the Palestinians toward a two-state solution. Netanyahu's statements in a press conference the day earlier, were not a final rejection of U.S. proposals and that a demilitarized Palestinian state was still an option.
Netanyahu said in the press conference that in any future resolution, Israel must have control of the entire area west of the Jordan River. He said as prime minister, he must be able to stand up even to the best of Israel's friends.
According to a report on CNN, Netanyahu told Biden in their call on Friday – the first in a month, that his public statements were not meant to shut the door to any possible Palestinian State in the future. Biden explained to reporters that there were countries who were members of the UN, that did not have militaries. When asked if he agreed with White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby when he said there was not chance for that while Netanyahu remained in power, the president said he believed some solution could be found.
Frustration from Netanyahu has been growing in Washington as Biden begins his campaign for a second White House term. On Friday, some 60 members of Congress from his own party wrote him to demand the administrations clarification that there would not be any displacement of Gazans after the war and in the Senate, a growing number of Democrats were pushing for some conditions being attached to aid to Israel to ensure that civilians were not heart by Israel's military actions in the Strip.