Biden says he’s prepared to return to Israel, give Knesset speech regarding war in Gaza

US President Joe Biden indicates that is he prepared to return to Israel and even speak before the Knesset.

Some left-leaning pundits have been urging Biden to take this step in order to bypass Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hardline government and speak directly to the Israeli public about the US vision for ending the war in Gaza, starting with a hostage deal and extended truce followed by Arab stakeholders helping rehabilitate the Strip, a reformed Palestinian Authority returning to governing the enclave, Saudi Arabia normalizing ties with Israel, the creation of a pathway toward a Palestinian state and the bolstering of broader regional alignment against Iran.

The MSNBC interviewer doesn’t get into these specifics, sufficing with asking Biden whether he would be prepared to return to Israel and address the Knesset.

“Yes,” Biden responds, without elaborating further.

Pressed on whether this would have to be at the invitation of Netanyahu or President Isaac Herzog, Biden responds, “I’d rather not discuss it more.”

Asked whether his initial response means that the idea of a Knesset speech has been discussed with his aides, the US president says, “It doesn’t mean anything.”