Obama warns some of Israel's actions in Gaza may backfire
World
Obama condemned Hamas' attack and cautioned about risks to civilians in such wars
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Some of Israel's actions in its war against Hamas, like cutting off food and water for Gaza, could "harden Palestinian attitudes for generations" and weaken international support for Israel, former US president Barack Obama said on Monday.
In rare comments on an active foreign policy crisis, Obama 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," Obama said.
Israel has heavily bombarded Gaza with air strikes since Hamas' Oct. 7 assault on Israel left over 1,400 people dead. Israel's air strikes have killed more than 5,000 Palestinians, Gaza officials say.
Obama condemned Hamas' attack and reiterated his support for Israel's right to defend itself, while cautioning about risks to civilians in such wars.
It was not clear whether Obama had coordinated his statement with US President Joe Biden, who served as his vice president for eight years.
During his presidency, Obama often backed Israel's right to self-defense at the start of conflicts with Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, but quickly called for Israeli restraint once Palestinian casualties mounted from airstrikes.
Gaza, a 45 km-long (25-mile) strip of land that is home to 2.3 million people, has been ruled politically since 2007 by Hamas, an Iran-backed Islamist group, but faces a blockade from Israel.
The Obama administration sought, but ultimately failed to broker, a peace deal in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Since taking office in early 2021, Biden has not tried to resume long-stalled talks, saying that leaders on both sides were too intransigent and the climate was not right.
Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a testy relationship when Obama was in office, including when Obama's administration was negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran.
Biden, as Obama's vice president, often acted as a mediator between the two men.
In his statement on Monday, Obama acknowledged that the US had itself "fallen short of our higher values when engaged in war," especially after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Mistakes after 9/11
In the statement published on Monday, the former US president also warned Israel against making the same mistakes Washington did after it launched a number of wars following the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
"America itself has at times fallen short of our higher values when engaged in war, and in the aftermath of 9/11, the US government wasn't interested in heeding the advice of even our allies when it came to the steps we took to protect ourselves against Al-Qaeda," he said.
After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, in which 3,000 people were killed when hijackers flew commercial planes into the Twin Towers in New York City, the US launched an invasion of Afghanistan, accusing the country of harbouring the al-Qaeda group responsible for the attacks.
It also later launched an invasion of Iraq, and began rounding up men in CIA black sites and later in the then-newly formed Guantanamo Bay detention centre. The US ended up engaging in numerous human rights violations, including using torture against detainees at black sites, Guantanamo and the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
And when Obama came into office, he oversaw more air strikes in his first year than his predecessor George W. Bush carried out in his entire presidency.
A total of 563 air strikes, mostly by drones, targeted Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen during Obama's eight years in office, compared to 57 under Bush, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
Obama's administration also carried out hundreds of strikes in Libya and Syria. The Council of Foreign Relations estimates that 3,797 people were killed in drone strikes during Obama's tenure, including 324 civilians, a number that is disputed.
Those drone strikes also killed US citizen Anwar al-Awlaki and his 16-year-old son Abdulrahman.
