Bill Clinton suggests seizing missed opportunities for peace in the Middle East

Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, recently shared his thoughts on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas 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 on Tuesday, Clinton offered a nuanced look at the situation in Gaza and its historical context.

Clinton, 78, called the failure of the Oslo accords “heartbreaking,” saying he thinks about it every day. The peace process, which sought to find a two-state solution, collapsed just weeks before the end of Clinton’s presidency. He recounted a turning point when Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat visited the Oval Office, promising to sign an agreement that would give the Palestinians a state of 96% of Judea and Samaria and 4% of Israel’s Green Line, as well as an international airport and seaport. However, Arafat never followed through.

Speaking about the current war in the Gaza Strip, Clinton emphasized the importance of understanding its causes. He pointed to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, in which the terrorists killed about 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages to Gaza.

Clinton said: “When Hamas decided to do what it did and made a deal with Iran, Hezbollah and the Houthis, it was like all bets were off. While I don’t agree with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s policies—I don’t think we can get out of this situation—it’s no coincidence that the most devastated area in Israel on October 7 was the kibbutzim along the border. This is where Israelis would be more likely to favor a Palestinian state like the one we proposed when I was president.”

In a previous speech given as part of Vice President Kamala HarrisDuring the presidential campaign, Clinton spoke of the historical presence of Jews in the region, noting that they were there “before their (Hamas) faith existed.”

The former president said Hamas made a deal with Iran, Hezbollah and the Houthis seeking not to create a Palestinian state, but rather to kill every Jew in Israel and blame it on Israel, effectively undoing previous progress toward peace. “We’re basically going to have to start the peace process again,” Clinton said during a speech in Michigan.