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.

  • tias@discuss.tchncs.de
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    1 year ago

    There are complex issues to solve, sure, but there’s nothing complicated about the fact that we need to let humanitarian aid in and stop killing children, right this fucking minute. There are no excuses for what is happening right now.

    • ParsnipWitch@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      “Stop killing children” should be enforced in both countries, though. It’s not like Hamas is protecting the children in Gaza. Quite the opposite really.

    • Five@slrpnk.net
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      1 year ago

      I’m not saying the details of it are not complicated.

      History is always complicated

      Present events are always complicated

      But the way this is reported in the western media is as though one needs a PhD in Middle Eastern studies to understand the basic morality of holding a people in a situation in which they don’t have basic rights including the right that we treasure most the franchise the right to vote and then declaring that state a democracy

      is actually not that hard to understand.

      Ta-Nehisi Coates

      • tias@discuss.tchncs.de
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        1 year ago

        I’m actually not sure which country you are talking about now. I don’t know of anyone who calls Palestine a democracy. I think the reason people call Israel a democracy is that Israeli citizens have free elections and are not oppressed. I don’t think they factor in oppression of other countries when they call something a democracy. If they did, the US and UK wouldn’t count as democracies either.

        • dustyData@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          If they did, the US and UK wouldn’t count as democracies either

          Most political experts agree that they barely classify. The US has a rather unique electoral college system. The UK is most literally a constitutional monarchy. At best, they’re hybrid systems.

        • stella@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          holding a people in a situation in which they don’t have basic rights

          I’m actually not sure which country you are talking about now.

          If the options are Palestine and Israel, which country do you think it is?

          Come on, use your brain.

          • tias@discuss.tchncs.de
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            1 year ago

            No need to be condescending. With how polarizing this issue is, you are surely aware that there might be people on the Internet who would stand by these claims for either of the two countries. What I use my brain to conclude isn’t relevant, the question is what you used your brain to conclude.

            • ASeriesOfPoorChoices@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Stella has been all over Lemmy with this BS. They aren’t really worth the effort. Speak to people who might be reading the thread, not to that troll.

          • HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            holding a people in a situation in which they don’t have basic rights

            Hamas holding their own population as human shields and failing to provide basic infrastructure, or Israel blocking their own borders that stops Palestine civilians from access to necessity of life.

            Im with the other poster, and if you didn’t see both there is already a bias in your head that no reasonable and open discussion of facts would ever overcome.

            • stella@lemm.ee
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              1 year ago

              Lol, what? You’re buying into Israeli propaganda talking points to justify bombing civilians. I’m not going to entertain your bias.

              Hamas isn’t denying Gazans basic human rights. Israel is. This isn’t up for debate.

              • ASeriesOfPoorChoices@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                Hamas wasn’t stealing water pipes to make weapons?

                (I’m not saying Israel hasn’t done bad things, and I’m not saying one is worse than the other. But Hamas HAS been denying “their people” access to basic human rights in the process of “fighting for their people”.)

    • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      Well there are 240 hostages that are held captive in an underground lair by some psychopaths. The PM of Israel may not want to keep those people there any longer than necessary.

      Perhaps Hamas should release the hostages so there’s no longer a reason for Israel to deny calls for a ceasefire?

      Odd that no one is calling on Hamas to do this, isn’t it? It’s almost like everyone knows Hamas is evil and will continue to keep those people imprisoned. But if we’re demanding Israel to do things we know they won’t do, why not also demand Hamas to do things we know they won’t do?

      • tias@discuss.tchncs.de
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        1 year ago

        Jesus man, open your eyes and ears. Nobody is saying Hamas should do that. Listen to what Obama is saying in the video, for the love of God.

        • cogman@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Except apparently Israel because they are bombing the event living shit out of Gaza. Hostages aren’t bomb proof, so tell me, how does Israel know they’ve not killed some when they kill 30 civilians to kill a Hamas leader (whose name slips them at the moment)