Top Biden official: Israel’s ‘total victory’ over Hamas not ‘likely or possible’

A top Biden official said Monday the U.S. does not believe Israel’s “total victory” over the militant group Hamas is “likely or possible.”

Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell spoke about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas during the NATO Youth Summit in Miami just days after the Biden administration paused certain arms shipments to Israel.

“I think in some respects, we are struggling over what the theory of victory is. Sometimes when we listen closely to Israeli leaders, they talked about mostly the idea of some sort of sweeping victory on the battlefield, total victory,” Campbell said.

“I don’t think we believe that that is likely or possible,” he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to pursue an “absolute victory” over Hamas, which attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The Israeli military has moved into Rafah in recent days, where more than 1 million Palestinians were at one point seeking refuge from the war.

Campbell explained that the U.S. believes there needs to be “more of a political solution” to the war.

“I will say what’s different from the past is that in that sense, many countries want to move towards a political solution in which the rights of Palestinians are more respected,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s ever been more difficult than right now, but I still believe that the commitment is there. And we’re hearing that more and more from countries in the region as well.”

His comments come after President Biden said last week he’ll stop sending offensive weapons to Israel if it invades Rafah, where the Biden administration has repeatedly warned against invading.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that the U.S. has not seen any Israeli plans to protect civilians or for the future of Gaza after the war.

“We believe two things. One, you have to have a clear, credible plan to protect civilians, which we haven’t seen. Second, we also need to see a plan for what happens after this conflict in Gaza … is over,” he said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

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