This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Former US President Barack Obama has criticized Israel’s handling of the Middle East conflict, warning that military strength cannot guarantee lasting security and that refusing concessions to Palestinians risks undermining its moral standing, Anadolu reports.
The former president made the remarks on Tuesday during a discussion with award-winning writer and journalist Susan McKay at Belfast, northern Ireland, according to the Belfast Telegraph.
Speaking about the Israeli war on Gaza, Obama said the violence should “pain everybody”, describing it as a destructive cycle driven by historical grievances, hardened attitudes and deep divisions.
He acknowledged the long history of persecution faced by Jewish people in Europe. However, he also stressed that Palestinians had suffered injustice through the loss of their land.
“That is undeniable. What is also undeniable is that they took land off people and they were excessive. And those people understandably said: ‘This is injustice and I want my land back,’” he said.
Obama argued that the stronger side carries a greater responsibility to help break the cycle of violence, rather than relying solely on its military and technological superiority.
READ: Gaza’s future is not Washington’s to decide, says rights chief
“If the attitude of Israel is, now that we are the strongest, the most technologically advanced in the region, then our security will depend on us simply doing whatever we need and taking whatever we want, and not making any concessions to anyone,” he said.
“That may work short-term… but you have ceded moral ground if that is the position you take.”
He said the current Israeli government appeared to have adopted that approach and urged it to recognize that millions of Palestinians would remain in the region.
“I would say the current Israeli government appears to have taken that. It is incumbent on them to recognise that 7 million Palestinians are not going anywhere,” Obama said.
“It is not sustainable to press upon them a condition that no-one would accept for themselves.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Obama received an honorary doctorate from Queen’s University Belfast.
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
- Israeli firm weaponized digital ad network for spyware attacks, research shows
- Lebanon presses US to push Israel for halt to attacks
- Sisi says he repeatedly told Netanyahu that Palestinian state would bring ‘lasting peace’
- UN says more than 230,000 displaced by fighting in Yemen since August
- UN official sounds alarm about Gaza, West Bank year after ceasefire
- Gaza government denies imposing fees on trucks, demands entry of 600 daily
- Iran reports another oil tanker fire in restricted area east of Strait of Hormuz
- 19 killed, 364 injured in Houthi attacks on Saudi airports: Saudi-led coalition
- The Gulf needs a security order that Washington cannot switch off
- 2nd week of Rafah crossing closure worsens crisis for patients: Gaza Health Ministry
- The international community does not object to permanent forced displacement
- Obama says Israel has ‘ceded moral ground’ in Middle East conflict
- London Protest to Oppose Hijab Restrictions in Azerbaijani Schools This Friday
- From underground wealth to diplomatic power: Azerbaijan’s energy strategy
- Trump could lose Congress and still expand the US war on Iran
- Secret meeting held between US ambassador, opposition leader ahead of Israeli elections: Report
- Gaza’s future is not Washington’s to decide, says rights chief
- Egypt, Qatar stress need to halt hostilities against Saudi Arabia
- US considering using ‘mother of all bombs’ against Iran: Report
- Don’t let Britain shelve Sally Rooney
- Trump says Qatar offered to gift 747 jet to US after he asked to ‘borrow’ it for Air Force One
- Israeli Spy Pollard stole the files, today’s it’s delivered through official channels
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warn US would ‘regret’ any new attack
- A protest against the detention of Tunisian activists from the Sumud Flotilla
- Second commercial vessel sinks near Strait of Hormuz within 24 hours
- Yemeni premier calls Houthi attacks, siege of Taiz ‘war crime’
- Former Shin Bet chief sues Netanyahu for defamation, says he warned him more than 20 times about Hamas
- Palestinian Prisoners’ Club says Israel has detained over 2,000 children since October 2023
- The policing of Muslim women’s bodies, from West Asia to Europe and beyond
- Egypt, Kuwait and Arab League condemn Colombian Embassy opening in Jerusalem
- Israeli airstrike kills Gaza mother as three-year-old daughter survives fire
- What does the Green Party’s historic anti-Zionist motion mean for Palestine?
- Podcast by Jasim Al-Azzawi with Kelley Beaucar Vlahos: Target Locked: Is Trump’s Iran Brinkmanship Psy-Op or a Trap?
- Sudanese army advances in West Darfur, recaptures areas from RSF
- Houthis renew attacks on King Khalid airport in Riyadh and Aramco facilities
- Israel arrests Palestinian man wanted for nearly 10 years in occupied West Bank
- Dutch parliament backs move to protect ICC from US sanctions
- Palestinian journalists’ union warns of systematic targeting in West Bank, Jerusalem
- The ceasefire that keeps killing children: Gaza one year on
- Egypt has ‘no hidden agendas,’ ambitions against anyone: President
- Saudi football league postpones 3 matches after Houthi attacks
- Indonesia slams Israel for discriminating against one of its pilots
- 4 Palestinians killed, several others injured in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza despite ceasefire
- Lebanese president, top Iranian diplomat stress diplomatic solutions to regional conflicts
- Yemeni army claims 1,250 Houthis ‘neutralized’ in ‘Dawn of Yemen’ operation
- Palestine says Colombia’s opening of embassy in West Jerusalem violates international law
- Pakistan reiterates ‘unwavering’ commitment to Saudi Arabia’s protection under Makkah defense pact
- Iran says container ship sank after striking naval mine in Strait of Hormuz
- Israel’s elections: Netanyahu wants more than victory; he wants to stop others from governing
- Israeli army opens fire on water tanker, drives away shepherds in southwestern Syria
