Benjamin Netanyahu slammed former President Barack Obama on Friday, rejecting Obama’s assertion that Israel stole land from its original inhabitants.
Netanyahu’s Rejection
Netanyahu posted a video on X declaring, “The Jewish people are not foreign occupiers in the land of our forefathers. Our history is not a colonial enterprise. Our land is not stolen land.”
He added, “This is our homeland; it’s called Judea. That’s where Jews come from. We’ve been attached to it for thousands of years.”
Obama’s Comments
Obama made the remarks Tuesday during a paid onstage interview with Irish journalist Susan McKay at Belfast’s O2 Arena, before a crowd of roughly 7,000, according to the New York Post.
He acknowledged that Jews had suffered persecution for millennia, especially in Europe, and said they had “good reason to seek refuge.”
Obama then argued, “What is also undeniable is that they took land off people and they were excessive. And those people understandably said, ‘This is injustice and I want my land back.’”
Netanyahu’s Counter
Netanyahu called Obama’s statements “regrettable” but did not name him directly.
He insisted Israel is not the obstacle to peace, blaming “our enemies, and America’s enemies” for refusing to accept a Jewish state “in any boundaries.”
Historical Context
The clash revives a feud that defined both leaders’ tenures. In 2011, Netanyahu warned Obama against using Israel’s pre‑1967 borders as a negotiation baseline.
In 2015, Netanyahu addressed Congress to oppose the Iran nuclear deal Obama was pursuing.
He also condemned the administration’s decision in December 2016 to allow a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements to pass.
Election Stakes
The latest dispute arrives ten days before Israelis vote in an October 27 election widely viewed as a referendum on Netanyahu’s leadership.
