Former US President Obama calls on Israel to act ethically — Jerusalem Post

Former US President Barack Obama, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, said that Israeli citizens should rethink the future of their children in the region and seek a fair way to defend themselves while acting ethically.

Conversation in Belfast

Obama visited Belfast to receive an honorary doctorate from Queen’s University. During a conversation with journalist Susan McKay, he spoke about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Jerusalem Post reports.

According to Obama, the Jewish people have faced oppression, discrimination and killings for thousands of years, and Europe bears a significant share of responsibility for this. Therefore, in his view, the desire of Jews to find a safe refuge was understandable.

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Security and moral high ground

Obama said that if Israel, as the strongest and most technologically advanced country in the region, believes that its security depends on being able to do everything necessary, take everything it wants and make no concessions, this may work in the short term. At the same time, he said, such an approach would mean losing the moral high ground.

The former president also stressed that millions of Jews and Palestinians in the region will not disappear anywhere. He said that Palestinians should realize that it is impossible to surpass Israelis in killings or weaponry and seek change through nonviolent strategies.

Answering a question about the situation in the Middle East, Obama said that hostility toward Israel after the October 7 massacre indicates the need for a genuine cessation that would make it possible to pursue long-term solutions. He added that this would take time.