President Joe Biden reiterated his opposition to a cease-fire in Gaza in an op-ed published Saturday, in which he also lamented the high cost to Palestinians and laid out his vision for a two-state solution.

“As long as Hamas clings to its ideology of destruction, a cease-fire is not peace,” Biden wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece detailing the challenges presented by the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.

Even as many Democrats in Congress have called for a cease-fire and questioned the Israeli offensive, Biden has remained adamant that Israel is exercising its right to self-defense and has instead supported humanitarian pauses.

These pauses, which were implemented last week, are designed to allow Palestinians to flee the hostilities and seek out food and medical care.

Biden said he was “heartbroken” by the thousands of civilian deaths in Gaza and blamed Hamas for using Palestinian civilians as human shields. The “road to peace,” the president wrote, must lead to a two-state solution.

“Our goal should not be simply to stop the war for today — it should be to end the war forever, break the cycle of unceasing violence, and build something stronger in Gaza and across the Middle East so that history does not keep repeating itself,” Biden said.

Biden discusses framework for Israel-Hamas in Washington Post op-ed.

President Biden penned an op-ed in The Washington Post where he discussed his framework for the Israel-Hamas war, saying the United States is “prepared to take our own steps” on the issue.

Biden said a two-state solution would be the road to peace for Israel and the civilians of Gaza, adding they must have equal measures of freedom, opportunity and dignity. He called out Israeli settlers who have reportedly attacked Palestinians in the West Bank since the war began and outlined several recommendations he has on how to move forward.

“I have been emphatic with Israel’s leaders that extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank must stop and that those committing the violence must be held accountable,” he wrote. “The United States is prepared to take our own steps, including issuing visa bans against extremists attacking civilians in the West Bank.”

He proposed several principles for how to move forward, including suggesting Gaza must never again be used as “a platform for terrorism.” He said that after the war, the voices of the Palestinian people must be at the center of the post-crisis governance.

Gaza and the West Bank should be “reunited under a single governance structure,” Biden said. The international community must provide resources to support the people of Gaza in the immediate aftermath and meet civilians’ long-term needs, he suggested.

The conflict in the Middle East began in early October when the Palestinian militant group Hamas entered Israel in a brutal surprise attack that killed 1,200 people. In the weeks following the initial attack, Israel has launched an air and ground counteroffensive that has killed more than 11,000 people, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry has reported.

“Both Putin and Hamas are fighting to wipe a neighboring democracy off the map. And both Putin and Hamas hope to collapse broader regional stability and integration and take advantage of the ensuing disorder,” Biden wrote. “America cannot, and will not, let that happen. For our own national security interests – and for the good of the entire world.”

Biden also reiterated his previous comments on a cease-fire, saying that as long as Hamas clings to its ideology of destruction, a cease-fire is not a peace solution.

Instead of calling for a cease-fire, which several former campaign staffers and an increasing number of members of Congress have urged him to do, Biden has worked with Israeli leaders to negotiate pauses in the fighting to allow for deliveries of humanitarian aid to be made to the civilians in Gaza. He held firm in his previous statements, saying that he stands with the Israeli people “as they defend themselves against the murderous nihilism of Hamas.”

Biden recently spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about potential pauses in the fighting to allow for more humanitarian aid to be sent to the civilians of Gaza. Biden also wrote that he is “heartbroken by the images” coming out of Gaza.

Both Biden and Netanyahu have said that a cease-fire would not happen until the more than 200 hostages taken in the Oct. 7 attack are released. Biden said his team is doing everything they can to get the hostages out.

“Our goal should not be simply to stop the war for today – it should be to end the war forever, break the cycle of unceasing violence, and build something stronger in Gaza and across the Middle East so that history does not keep repeating itself,” Biden wrote.

With the conflict taking a toll on the U.S., with protests breaking out across the country and antisemitism on the rise, Biden said the country has to work harder to hold on to the values that make America what it is. A nation with freedom of religion and expression, we have the ability to debate and disagree but with a rise in antisemitism, Biden said hate and bias must be denounced.

“In recent years, too much hate has been given too much oxygen, fueling racism and an alarming rise in antisemitism in America,” Biden’s op-ed said.

In his closing remarks, the president said in moments of violence and suffering, it can be difficult to imagine that something different is possible.

“We must not lose our resolve to pursue those goals, because now is when clear vision, big ideas and political courage are needed most,” he wrote. “That is the strategy that my administration will continue to lead – in the Middle East, Europe and around the globe.”

President Biden on Saturday called for a two-state solution for Israel and Palestinians in the Middle East, but one that is "free from Hamas" as he put forward his plan for peace in the region in the wake of the Hamas terror attack against Israel.

"The Palestinian people deserve a state of their own and a future free from Hamas," he said.

Biden used the op-ed in The Washington Post to argue that the world faces "an inflection point" in the Middle East, and stressed that the U.S. stands with Israel in the face of the atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists.

But he also said he was "heartbroken" by the images out of Gaza in the wake of the Israeli military response as it seeks to wipe out Hamas. Biden said the goal should now be to "break the cycle of unceasing violence."

"This much is clear: A two-state solution is the only way to ensure the long-term security of both the Israeli and Palestinian people. Though right now it may seem like that future has never been further away, this crisis has made it more imperative than ever," he said.

"A two-state solution — two peoples living side by side with equal measures of freedom, opportunity and dignity — is where the road to peace must lead. Reaching it will take commitments from Israelis and Palestinians, as well as from the United States and our allies and partners," he said. "That work must start now."

He says that in order to achieve that, there must be certain principles as a foundation — including that Gaza cannot be used as a platform for terrorism, there can be no forcible displacement, no "reoccupation" or blockade and no reduction in the territory.

"As we strive for peace, Gaza and the West Bank should be reunited under a single governance structure, ultimately under a revitalized Palestinian Authority, as we all work toward a two-state solution," he said. "I have been emphatic with Israel’s leaders that extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank must stop and that those committing the violence must be held accountable. The United States is prepared to take our own steps, including issuing visa bans against extremists attacking civilians in the West Bank."

In the meantime, Biden rejected the idea of a cease-fire, saying that to Hamas "every cease-fire is time they exploit to rebuild their stockpile of rockets, reposition fighters and restart the killing by attacking innocents again."

"An outcome that leaves Hamas in control of Gaza would once more perpetuate its hate and deny Palestinian civilians the chance to build something better for themselves," he said.

Biden has been facing pressure from the left of his party for his pro-Israel support, with a number of Democrats demanding calls for a cease-fire.

Biden on Wednesday, however, said that Israel's military operation in Gaza will stop when Hamas "no longer maintains the capacity to murder, abuse, and do horrific things to the Israelis."

President Joe Biden presented his vision of a two-state solution at the conclusion of the Israel-Hamas war as he crystallised his position that “a ceasefire is not peace”.

“As long as Hamas clings to its ideology of destruction, a ceasefire is not peace,” the president wrote in a Saturday op-ed for the Washington Post. “An outcome that leaves Hamas in control of Gaza would once more perpetuate its hate and deny Palestinian civilians the chance to build something better for themselves.”

He explained his position. To members of Hamas, the president wrote, a ceasefire gives “to rebuild their stockpile of rockets, reposition fighters and restart the killing by attacking innocents again.” He emphasised, “An outcome that leaves Hamas in control of Gaza would once more perpetuate its hate and deny Palestinian civilians the chance to build something better for themselves.”

“If Hamas cared at all for Palestinian lives, it would release all the hostages, give up arms, and surrender the leaders and those responsible” for the 7 October attacks, Mr Biden wrote.

While reiterating his position that he believes Israel has the right to defend itself after the deadly attacks, President Biden also criticised Israel’s actions.

“My administration has called for respecting international humanitarian law, minimizing the loss of innocent lives and prioritizing the protection of civilians,” Mr Biden said, before outlining Israel’s decision to cut down aid to Gaza and limit its access to food, water and medicine. He also mentioned his advocacy for the humanitarian pauses.

Still, he wrote, Israel’s tactics come in “stark opposition to Hamas’s terrorist strategy,” which includes hiding among Palestinian civilians and maximising the death and suffering of innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians.

Mr Biden announced a firm mission. “Our goal should not be simply to stop the war for today — it should be to end the war forever,” he wrote. A two-state solution “is the only way to ensure the long-term security of both the Israeli and Palestinian people,” the president continued.

To accomplish this, it would require “commitments from Israelis and Palestinians, as well as from the United States and our allies and partners,” he wrote. “That work must start now.”

He laid out initial steps to take to achieve this goal.

To start, Mr Biden said, “There must be no forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, no reoccupation, no siege or blockade, and no reduction in territory.”

The president called for the restructuring of Palestine: “Gaza and the West Bank should be reunited under a single governance structure, ultimately under a revitalized Palestinian Authority.”

On top of this, President Biden said he has been “emphatic” with Israeli leaders that it must “stop” any “extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.” The US is “prepared” to issue visa bans “against extremists attacking civilians in the West Bank,” he threatened.

The president also called for the international community to commit to supporting “the people of Gaza in the immediate aftermath of this crisis, including interim security measures, and establish a reconstruction mechanism to sustainably meet Gaza’s long-term needs.”

Mr Biden linked the actions of Hamas to those of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine, vowing to protect democracy from such assaults.

“Both Putin and Hamas are fighting to wipe a neighboring democracy off the map,” he wrote. “And both Putin and Hamas hope to collapse broader regional stability and integration and take advantage of the ensuing disorder. America cannot, and will not, let that happen. For our own national security interests — and for the good of the entire world.”

He also called for peace at home during a time of heightened tension in the US: “We must renounce violence and vitriol and see each other not as enemies but as fellow Americans.”