Former President Barack Obama said a way forward for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is only possible if people acknowledge the “complexity” of the situation.

“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 that what Hamas did was horrific, and there’s no justification for it. And … that the occupation and what’s happening to Palestinians is unbearable,” Obama said in an interview on the podcast “Pod Save America.”

The former president’s comments come as the Israeli military focuses its offensive against Hamas in Gaza City and northern parts of the enclave.

  • DreamerofDays@kbin.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    5
    ·
    1 year ago

    Forced migration, which this would be, is a bad idea, as has been born out repeatedly through history.

    • if it’s to many countries, it splinters communities.
    • if it’s to just one country, few are open to taking even small numbers of people in, let alone five and a half million.
    • if one was open to it, none have the infrastructure in place to receive so many people.
    • people get attached to land, and the idea of it.

    To that last point, that land is not interchangeable, and any assumption that it is is remaining ignorant of some of the desires of the parties involved.

    I could go on, but I don’t think that would add to discourse. This is a hard problem, renewed with every moment of violence. I don’t believe we should expect any of the grievances each side has stacked up to be let go of without honouring their non-violent desires.