Biden might travel to Israel; administration urging restraint on assault

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is considering a trip to Israel in the coming days but no travel has been finalized, a senior administration official said Sunday.

Biden has staunchly proclaimed his support for Israel, and a trip there would be the firmest signal yet.

But Biden also made his strongest public effort yet to restrain Israel after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas terrorists that killed more than 1,300 people including at least 30 U.S. citizens, warning in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday that Israel should not reoccupy Gaza.

“I think it’d be a big mistake,” Biden said. “Look, what happened in Gaza, in my view, is Hamas, and the extreme elements of Hamas don’t represent all the Palestinian people. And I think that it would be a mistake for Israel to occupy Gaza again.”

Still, he said, “taking out the extremists … is a necessary requirement.”

A Biden visit to Israel would come amid heightening fears that a looming Israeli move into Gaza could spark a wider war with devastating humanitarian consequences.

The official could not publicly discuss internal deliberations about the potential presidential travel and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has already been traveling around the Mideast this past week trying to prevent the war with Hamas from igniting a broader regional conflict.

Biden and his administration officials have refused to criticize Israel or its bombing campaign that has killed civilians in Gaza. But they’ve urged Israel, Egypt and other nations to allow for humanitarian aid and supplies into the worsening conflict zone.

“I’m confident that Israel is going to act under the rules of war,” Biden said in the interview. “There’s standards that democratic institutions and countries go by. And I’m confident that there’s going to be an ability for the innocents in Gaza to be able to have access to medicine and food and water.”