A two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a defeat for Hamas, US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew told The Jerusalem Post as the Biden administration is advancing a Saudi deal that includes a pathway for Palestinian statehood.

“I don’t think Hamas wants two states,” Lew said. “The only time they indicate they want two states is when they’re trying to put a little bit of a patina of legitimacy around their real strategy, which is the elimination of the State of Israel.”