Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States, recently shared his thoughts on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and the failed Oslo Accords, expressing deep regret over missed opportunities for peace in the Middle East.
Speaking about his new memoir, “Citizen: My Life After the White House,” at an event with actor Billy Crystal at the Beacon Theater in New York City on Tuesday, Clinton offered a nuanced perspective on the situation in Gaza and its historical context.
Clinton, 78, described the failure of the Oslo Accords as “heartbreaking,” saying that he thinks about it every day. The peace process, which aimed to establish a two-state solution, collapsed just weeks before the end of Clinton’s presidency. He recounted a pivotal moment when Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat visited the Oval Office, promising to sign an agreement that would have given Palestinians a state in 96% of Judea and Samaria and 4% of Green Line Israel, along with an international airport and seaport. However, Arafat never followed through.
Addressing the current war in Gaza, Clinton emphasized the importance of understanding its triggers. He pointed to the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, in which Gazans killed some 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages to the Strip.
Clinton said, “When Hamas decided to do what they did and made a deal with Iran, Hezbollah and the Houthis, it was like all bets are off. While I do not agree with Mr. Netanyahu’s policy—I don’t think we can kill our way out of this — it’s no accident that the most devastated area in Israel on October 7 were the kibbutzim along the border. That’s where Israelis were more likely to favor a Palestinian state like the one we had offered when I was president.”
In a previous speech made as part of Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential election campaign, Clinton spoke about the historical presence of Jews in the region, noting that they were there “before their [Hamas’s] faith came into existence.”
The former president said Hamas had made a deal with Iran, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, aiming not to create a Palestinian state but rather to kill every Jew in Israel and blame Israel for it, effectively nullifying previous progress toward peace. “Essentially, we’re going to have to start the peace process again,” Clinton said during the speech in Michigan.
