Former U.S. President Barack Obama in a rare move criticized Israel’s recent actions in the conflict with Hamas, particularly the decision to cut off essential necessities to Gaza, voicing concerns that these actions could have long-lasting negative consequences on Palestinian attitudes toward and international support for Israel, and warning that the strategy could “ultimately backfire.”
“The Israeli government’s decision to cut off food, water, and electricity to a captive civilian population [in Gaza] threatens not only to worsen a growing humanitarian crisis; it could further harden Palestinian attitudes for generations, erode global support for Israel, play into the hands of Israel’s enemies, and undermine long-term efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region,” Obama wrote in a comment entitled “Thoughts on Israel and Gaza,” posted yesterday on Medium, a social publishing platform.
Israel’s war on Hamas has escalated over the last two weeks, with heavy airstrikes causing casualties on both sides. While Obama condemned Hamas’ attack and supported Israel’s right to defend itself, he cautioned against disregarding the human costs of war, emphasizing the importance of abiding by international law.
“The world is watching closely,” he said. “How Israel prosecutes this fight against Hamas matters.”
While it is not clear whether Obama’s comments were made in coordination with President Joe Biden (who served as Obama’s vice president), a question raised by multiple news outlets, they are consistent with Obama’s statements while president. During his presidency, Obama often supported Israel’s right to self-defense at the start of conflicts with Hamas but called for restraint as civilian casualties increased.
Obama’s extraordinary statement addressed burning questions about the ongoing conflict’s ramifications particularly with regard to any path to peace for the region, that, to many, as he put it may seem “more distant than ever.”
But he effectively called upon “all of the key actors in the region to engage with those Palestinian leaders and organizations that recognize Israel’s right to exist to begin articulating a viable pathway for Palestinians to achieve their legitimate aspirations for self-determination.”
He also called upon individuals to rely upon their “best values,” not their “worst fears” in talking about the issue“That means actively opposing anti-semitism in all its forms, everywhere . . . . It means rejecting anti-Muslim, anti-Arab or anti-Palestinian sentiment. It means refusing to lump all Palestinians with Hamas or other terrorist groups. It means guarding against dehumanizing language.”