Middle East
Former US President: It is difficult to be neutral because Israel has the right to exist and Palestine has the right to an independent and livable state
Former US President Barack Obama has called for an end to the Israeli occupation, and the former president described the conflict between Israel and Hamas as a “moral reckoning for all of us” at an event hosted by his foundation on Friday .
Obama spoke at the Obama Foundation’s Democracy Forum, where he called for a two-state solution and an end to the “occupation,” without clarifying what he meant by occupation.
“All of this is happening because of decades of failure to achieve lasting peace for both Israelis and Palestinians,” the former president told the forum audience.
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He continued: “A solution based on real security for Israel, on recognition of its right to exist and on peace based on the end of the occupation and the creation of a viable state with self-determination for the Palestinian people.”
“I now admit that it is impossible to remain neutral in the face of this massacre,” Obama said. “It is difficult to have hope. The images of grieving families and bodies recovered from the rubble force a moral reckoning on all of us.”
Obama admitted that the war revealed differences within the Obama Foundation.
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“We needed to resolve our hurt, anger, fears and differences over these issues,” he said. “I had a conversation with a group of you about this issue, and you were passionate and pushed me to get around some of the public statements I made.”
The former president continued: “The issue is not a desire for different outcomes, but rather different assessments of the path we need to follow to achieve this goal.”
Hamas launched a major attack on Israel on October 7, killing more than 1,400 Israeli citizens.
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Since then, Israel has killed more than 9,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, as Israeli occupation forces continue their ground incursion into the area.
The United States does not officially support the ceasefire, as President Biden has repeatedly emphasized Israel’s right to defend itself from Hamas. Biden recently changed his tune, amid pressure from progressive groups and world leaders, to express his support for a humanitarian “truce.”