Obama with unusual message to Israel
In a rare comment on an ongoing foreign policy crisis, former U.S. President Barack Obama warns that Israel’s actions in Gaza could end up backfiring. “The Israeli government’s decision to cut off a trapped Palestinian population from food, water and electricity risks not only exacerbating a growing humanitarian crisis; it can also harden Palestinian attitudes for generations, erode international support for Israel, benefit Israel’s enemies, and undermine long-standing efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region,” Obama wrote in a lengthy post on Facebook.
Israel has carried out heavy bombardments on Gaza since Hamas carried out an attack on Israel on October 7. According to Israel, the attack claimed the lives of 1,400 people. Air strikes from Israel have killed at least 5,000 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian health authorities in Gaza.
Obama condemns Hamas’s attacks and reiterates his support for Israel’s right to defend itself. It is not clear whether the statement was coordinated with President Joe Biden, who was Obama’s vice president for eight years. /ritzau/