Netanyahu Rejects Obama’s Account of Israel’s Founding

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected former U.S. President Barack Obama’s account of land-taking during Israel’s establishment, saying in a video response that Jewish people are not foreign occupiers and that their homeland is not stolen land. Netanyahu’s video, posted on October 16, followed remarks Obama made in Belfast on October 13. Obama said that during Israel’s establishment, land was taken from people who were displaced and understandably regarded the loss as an injustice. He also acknowledged that persecution in Europe drove Jews to seek refuge in the Middle East. The remarks were reported at a paid event with Irish journalist Susan McKay; Obama received an honorary doctorate at a separate ceremony at Queen’s University Belfast that day. Netanyahu described the land as the Jewish homeland, referring to it as Judea, and said Jewish people had been attached to it for thousands of years. He rejected describing Israel’s history as colonial and said its land was not stolen. His response emphasized Jewish historical ties rather than addressing each part of Obama’s account of Palestinian displacement. Obama also warned that relying on military and...