Former President Barack Obama spoke out against Israel’s bombing of innocent civilians in Gaza following Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7 that took 1,400 lives.
More than 10,000 people have died in Gaza since Israel began its airstrikes, according to ABC News, and approximately 240 hostages were taken by Hamas — with four being released so far.
Obama was interviewed for the “Pod Save America” podcast for the Nov. 6 episode, and the former president said there was “no justification” for what happened on Oct. 7. However, Obama also noted that what is happening to the Palestinians “is unbearable.”
“If there’s any chance of us being able to act constructively, to do something, it will require an admission of complexity and maintaining what on the surface may seem contradictory ideas,” said Obama. “That what Hamas did was horrific, and there’s no justification for it. And what is also true is that the Occupation and what’s happening to Palestinians is unbearable.”
“And what is also true is that there is a history of the Jewish people that may be dismissed unless your grandparents or your great-grandparents or your uncle or your aunt tell you stories about the madness of anti-Semitism,” he continued. “And what is true is that there are people right now who are dying, who have nothing to do with what Hamas did, and what is true, right? I mean, we could go on for a while.”
Obama said that the problem with debating the issue on social media is that people often give opinions without speaking the entire truth.
“You can’t speak the truth,” he said. “You can pretend to speak the truth. You can speak one side of the truth. And in some cases, you can try to maintain your moral innocence, but that won’t solve the problem. And so, if you want to solve the problem, then you have to take in the whole truth. And you then have to admit nobody’s hands are clean. That all of us are complicit to some…
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