Former President Barack Obama initially called for Israel to “dismantle” Hamas but has since criticized Israel for its approach to dealing with the Palestinian terror organization.
In a statement issued on Monday, Obama reiterated his support for Israel’s right to defend its citizens against violence and backed President Biden’s call for U.S. support in targeting Hamas, dismantling its military capabilities, and ensuring the safe return of hostages to their families. However, he also stressed the importance of how Israel conducts its operations against Hamas.
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He noted that while the world closely watches events in the region, any Israeli military strategy that overlooks the human costs could have negative consequences. Thousands of Palestinians, including children, have already lost their lives in the Gaza bombings, and many have been displaced from their homes. Obama expressed concern over Israel’s decision to cut off essential supplies to a captive civilian population, fearing that it could worsen the humanitarian crisis, harden Palestinian attitudes, erode global support for Israel, play into the hands of Israel’s enemies, and hinder long-term efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region.
Obama mentioned that a siege of Gaza would be lawful under international law, and Israel’s ceremonial president, Isaac Herzog, stated that Gaza only receives a small portion of its water from Israel.
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The former president also faced criticism for his approach to terrorism during his time in office. It was argued that he sometimes erred towards idealism and wishful thinking, which hindered efforts to combat the terrorist threat. Additionally, his administration’s foreign policy decisions were connected to the rise of ISIS, despite his initial characterization of the group as the “JV team.”
There are concerns among Democrats about a potential backlash from Arab-American voters in swing states like Michigan, who are upset that most elected Democrats have supported Israel against Hamas, although there are notable exceptions.
In a statement Monday, Obama wrote:
As I stated in an earlier post, Israel has a right to defend its citizens against such wanton violence, and I fully support President Biden’s call for the United States to support our long-time ally in going after Hamas, dismantling its military capabilities, and facilitating the safe return of hundreds of hostages to their families.
But even as we support Israel, we should also be clear that how Israel prosecutes this fight against Hamas matters.
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Still, the world is watching closely as events in the region unfold, and any Israeli military strategy that ignores the human costs could ultimately backfire. Already, thousands of Palestinians have been killed in the bombing of Gaza, many of them children. Hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes. The Israeli government’s decision to cut off food, water and electricity to a captive civilian population 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.
