Ex-president says decision threatens to worsen humanitarian crisis, undermine peace effort and erode global support for Israel
Some of Israel’s decisions in its war against Hamas – including cutting off food and water for Gaza – could “harden Palestinian attitudes for generations” and weaken international support for Israel, Barack Obama said on Monday.
In rare comments on an active foreign policy crisis, the ex-US president said any Israeli military strategy that ignores the human costs of the war “could ultimately backfire”.
“The Israeli government’s decision to cut off food, water and electricity to a captive civilian population [in Gaza] 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,” said Obama.
It is easy to make these statements when you are no longer Prez as you don’t have to actually do anything.
If Obama was in the big chair now, would the USA’s actions and lack of action there be any different?
I seriously doubt it. Obama spoke a great game before he was elected. Once in power his foreign policy was no different than the president that preceded him.
While it is easier to armchair govern, at least he didn’t start an international conflict. Continue it, sure, but he didn’t start it.
He did massively increase the scale of the conflict and basically started the use of drone strikes.
For the USA, internally, there is a great difference between R and D.
For the rest of the world, the foreign policy is exactly the same.