Some of Israel’s choices in its war versus Hamas – consistingof cutting off food and water for Gaza – might “harden Palestinian mindsets for generations” and deteriorate worldwide assistance for Israel, Barack Obama stated Monday.
In unusual remarks on an active foreign policy crisis, the ex-US president stated any Israeli military method that overlooks the human expenses of the war “could eventually backfire”.
“The Israeli federalgovernment’s choice to cut off food, water and electricalpower to a slave civilian population (in Gaza) threatens not just to aggravate a growing humanitarian crisis – it might evenmore harden Palestinian mindsets for generations, weardown worldwide assistance for Israel, play into the hands of Israel’s opponents, and weaken long-lasting efforts to accomplish peace and stability in the area,” stated Obama.
Israel has greatly bombarded Gaza with airstrikes giventhat Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel left more than 1,400 individuals dead. Israel’s strikes haveactually eliminated more than 5,000 Palestinians, Gaza authorities state.
Obama condemned Hamas’s attack and restated his assistance for Israel’s right to safeguard itself. But he warned about dangers to civilians in such wars.
It was not clear whether Obama hadactually collaborated his declaration with Joe Biden, who is running for a 2nd term as UnitedStates president next year. Biden was Obama’s vice-president for 8 years after they won the 2008 election.
During his presidency, Obama frequently backed Israel’s right to self-defense at the