President Joe Biden said Wednesday that an all-out war is possible in the Middle East but that there is also the possibility of a settlement in Israel's conflicts in Gaza and with the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
"An all-out war is possible, but I think there's also the opportunity — we're still in play to have a settlement that can fundamentally change the whole region," Biden said on ABC's "The View."
Biden, in New York this week for U.N. General Assembly meetings, has been working to calm tensions as the nearly yearlong war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in the Gaza Strip threatens to engulf Lebanon. Israel widened its airstrikes in Lebanon on Wednesday and shot down a missile Hezbollah said it fired at the Mossad spy agency near Tel Aviv.
Biden, a staunch ally of Israel, has pushed for a two-state solution in the Israel-Palestinian conflict and said he has openly disagreed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the issue.
"I don't agree with his position. There needs to be a two-state solution," Biden said.
Biden said that after cease-fires are secured with Hezbollah and in Gaza, attention can be turned to the West Bank.
"It's possible, and I'm using every bit of energy I have ... to get this done. There's a desire to see change," he said.
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