Former President Barack Obama issued a statement about the Hamas terror attacks on Israel 72 hours after they first occurred.
Early Monday evening, a statement was released on Obama’s X (formerly Twitter) account condemning the violence that has left some 900 Israelis dead and thousands injured.
‘All Americans should be horrified and outraged by the brazen terrorist attacks on Israel and the slaughter of innocent civilians,’ wrote the 44th president.
‘We grieve for those who died, pray for the safe return of those who’ve been held hostage, and stand squarely alongside our ally, Israel, as it dismantles Hamas.
‘As we support Israel’s right to defend itself against terror, we must keep striving for a just and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike,’ he concluded.
The Obama Administration had an infamously rocky relationship with the US’s closest ally. President Obama himself and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were not close, and there was tension over the brokerage of the Iran nuclear deal – a passion project of Obama’s team.
Former President Barack Obama issued a statement about the Hamas terror attacks on Israel 72 hours after they first occurred
In 2015, Netanyahu delivered a speech to the Republican-controlled House, criticizing the Obama-designed nuclear agreement.
Shortly after Obama released his statement, former President Bill Clinton also released a message, days after the barbaric attacks on Israel began.
In a post to his X page, Clinton said: ‘I condemn the horrific terrorist assault carried out by Hamas in Israel, and mourn the senseless loss of life. My heart is with all those affected by the violence, including American families. Now is a time for the world to rally against terrorism and to support Israeli democracy.’
‘I stand with the government of Israel and all Israelis, and urge them to stand together. This is a moment to focus on purpose over politics.’
Clinton had a much closer relationship with Israel and its leaders than Obama. In the mid-90s he helped broker the ultimately unsuccessful Oslo Accords between Palestinian leadership and the Israeli government.
President Joe Biden released a written statement about the terror attacks on Monday as well, though he had previously issued a statement through the White House
Statements from the two most recent Republican Presidents – George W. Bush and Donald Trump – were issued over the weekend, as was a statement from the Carter Center on behalf of 99-year-old former President Jimmy Carter.
Trump, whose administration oversaw the signing of the Abraham Accords – bilateral agreements on Arab-Israeli normalization signed by Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates – called the attacks a ‘disgrace’ and encouraged Israel to defend itself with ‘overwhelming force.’
In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump wrote: ‘These Hamas attacks are a disgrace and Israel has every right to defend itself with overwhelming force. Sadly, American taxpayer dollars helped fund these attacks, which many reports are saying came from the Biden Administration.’
‘We brought so much peace to the Middle East through the Abraham Accords, only to see Biden whittle it away at a far more rapid pace than anyone thought possible. Here we go again.’
He later said that, like the war between Russia and Ukraine, the current conflict between Israel and the Palestinians would not have happened were he the president.
SEI*175333158 Smoke rises after the Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip on Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. Israel’s military battled to drive Hamas fighters out of southern towns and seal its borders Monday as it pounded the Gaza Strip
Israelis inspect a damaged residential building after it was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, Israel, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton touches the flag-draped coffin of former Israeli President Shimon Peres, after eulogizing him during his funeral ceremony at Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem, Israel in 2016
The George W. Bush Presidential Center also issued a statement following the attack that condemned in no uncertain terms Hamas’ brutal attack.
‘We urge the United States and our allies to stand unequivocally with Israel, its government and people, and support Israel’s right to defend itself against these threats,’ read the statement.
‘Attacks on free and democratic states anywhere are attacks on all of us, whether in Israel, Ukraine, or elsewhere.’
Hamas’ surprise attack on Saturday morning came just one day after the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Yom Kippur War, which saw Israel battle existential threats from hostile neighbors led by Egypt and Syria.
Israeli firefighters extinguish fire at a site struck by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023
The mother of Israeli Col. Roi Levy cries during her son’s funeral at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. Col. Roi Levy was killed after Hamas militants stormed from the blockaded Gaza Strip into nearby Israeli towns
Israeli soldiers and civilians fought Hamas militants on the streets of southern Israel following a barrage of 2,000 rockets sent over the border by the Palestinian terrorists, in addition to a savage ground assault.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately declared a state of war and has since promised ‘mighty vengeance’ on Israel’s attackers that will end in victory for his country.
Israeli Defense Forces have begun bombarding key Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip and issued warnings to civilians in certain regions before a wave of retaliatory attacks began Monday morning.
Along with the 900 Israelis who have been killed so far by the brutal Hamas attacks, at least 11 Americans died in the weekend ambush, and several have likely been taken captive along with the scores of Israelis who are being held hostage by Palestinian terrorists.
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