Israel 'took the land' from Palestinians, has 'ceded moral ground,' Obama tells Belfast crowd

In a conversation with journalist Susan McKay, Obama said that the hostility toward Israel after the October 7 massacre was an indication that a "genuine cessation" was needed.

Former US president Barack Obama said on Tuesday that Israel "took land off people and they were excessive," in reference to Israel's treatment of the Palestinian people throughout the history of the nation.

Obama made his comments while visiting Belfast, Northern Ireland, to receive an honorary doctorate from Queen's University Belfast.

In a conversation with journalist Susan McKay, the former president referred to the Palestinians' reaction to the Jewish people's exerting cultural and military control over the State of Israel by explaining that "those people understandably said, 'This is injustice, and I want my land back.'"

McKay asked Obama about the current state of the conflict in the Middle East surrounding the State of Israel. The hostility toward Israel after the October 7 massacre was an indication that a "genuine cessation" was needed in order for long-term solutions to be implemented, the former president responded.

'You have ceded moral ground if that is the position you take'

"The fact is," Obama explained, "that the Jewish people, for millennia, were oppressed, discriminated against, killed. Europe was responsible for much of it. They understandably sought a refuge."

“If the attitude of Israel is, now that we are the strongest, the most technologically advanced in the region, then our security will depend on us simply doing whatever we need and taking whatever we want, and not making any concessions to anyone," Obama continued. “That may work short-term... but you have ceded moral ground if that is the position you take."

A report from The Irish Times noted that Obama did introduce nuance into the conversation, saying that the millions of Jews and Palestinians in the region "aren't going anywhere."

"The citizenry of Israel has to rethink, to reimagine, how your children and grandchildren are going to live in this region. Are you just going to be behind walls and wipe out everybody around you, or are you going to find some just way of defending yourself while still acting in an ethical, moral way?" the former president said.

The Palestinians, he said, have to understand that they will not "outkill" or "outweaponize the Israelis...We have to look to other examples of how change comes about," he said, pointing toward "nonviolent strategies."

"That's going to take some time," the former president acknowledged.