Netanyahu Rejects Obama's Land Claims, Citing Jewish Homeland

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sharply refuted claims that Israel steals land and is losing its moral edge, in a video posted to X on Friday. The statement was a direct response to remarks made by former U.S. President Barack Obama during a public conversation in Ireland earlier in the week.

"I heard a regrettable statement a few days ago that 'Israel steals land and loses its moral edge'," Netanyahu began in the video. "The Jewish people are not foreign occupiers in the land of our ancestors. Our history is not a colonial enterprise, we did not steal this land, this is our homeland." He emphasized the deep historical connection of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel, stating, "We are not the Dutch in Indonesia, we are not the Belgians in the Congo, we are Jews in Judea."

Netanyahu pointed to the refusal of Israel's enemies to recognize a Jewish state as the primary obstacle to peace. "The obstacle is the refusal of our enemies, the enemies of America, to recognize the right of the Jewish people to their own state," he stated, referencing chants of "Death to Israel" and "Death to America." He warned that peace based on illusions would shatter against the realities of the Middle East, asserting that Israel would not gamble its survival to appease those who deny its right to exist or seek to appease terror.

Obama's comments were made on Tuesday evening at the O2 arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, during a conversation with journalist and author Susan McKay. He had said that while the Jewish people have been oppressed for millennia, "it cannot be denied that they have taken land from people and have exceeded." These remarks drew criticism from pro-Israel commentators who argued they presented a partial picture of Jewish history in the region. Netanyahu concluded his video by stating, "The right of the Jewish people to their own state in their historic homeland is not up for negotiation. We certainly will not do so, and we will never do so."