Obama calls conflict in Middle East a ‘moral reckoning for all of us’ 

Former President Obama on Friday said the current conflict in the Middle East is a “moral reckoning for all of us.”

“[A]ll of this is taking place against the backdrop of decades of failure to achieve a durable peace for both Israelis and Palestinians,” the former president said at the Obama Foundation’s “Democracy Forum” Friday. “One that is based on genuine security for Israel, a recognition of its right to exist, and a peace that is based on an end of the occupation and the creation of a viable state and self-determination for the Palestinian people.”

“Now, I will admit, it is impossible to be dispassionate in the face of this carnage,” Obama continued. “It is hard to feel hopeful. The images of families mourning, of bodies being pulled from rubble, force a moral reckoning on all of us.”

The current conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas began with a Hamas attack on Israel in early October that left more than 1,400 people dead. Israeli air campaigns and a recent ground offensive in response have more than 9,200 Palestinians dead, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. 

President Biden called for a humanitarian “pause” in the fighting Wednesday after the White House said it would consider one for aid to be allowed into Gaza. However, the administration has also pushed back against a cease-fire. A group of 14 senators also called for a short-term “cessation of hostilities” Thursday. 

“The failure to adequately protect non-combatant civilians risks dramatic escalation of the conflict in the region and imposes severe damage on prospects for peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians,” reads a statement released late Thursday by senators including Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).