Israel has ‘ceded moral ground’ in Middle East conflict: Obama

Former US President Barack Obama has criticised 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.

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.

“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.

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“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 recognise 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.