Biden feels Palestinians’ hurt as hope of own state ‘can seem so far away’

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and US President Joe Biden shake hands in the West Bank town of Bethlehem (Evan Vucci/AP)

President Joe Biden has acknowledged that an independent state for Palestinians “can seem so far away” as he confronted hopelessness about the stagnant peace process during a visit to the West Bank.

“The Palestinian people are hurting now. You can just feel it. Your grief and frustration. In the United States, we can feel it,” Mr Biden said during a joint appearance in Bethlehem with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.