Obama Finally Tells the Truth About Israel. So Why Did He Arm It?

Overview

Owen Jones argues that Barack Obama’s recent comments in Belfast—acknowledging both the Jewish people’s long history of persecution and Palestinians’ dispossession—were significant but overdue. Jones contrasts them with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response, which rejects describing Israel as a colonial project and identifies refusal to recognize Israel’s right to exist as the main obstacle to peace.

Zionism and Palestinian Displacement

Jones places the remarks in the history of Zionism and Palestinian displacement. He characterizes Zionism as a colonial movement, citing early Zionist statements and the British Mandate period. In his account, Palestinians bore the cost of European persecution of Jews through mass displacement.

He refers to the Nakba, the continuing occupation and settlement expansion, and present-day abuses, which he describes as apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide.

Obama’s Record in Office

The video’s central criticism is that Obama’s remarks about Palestinian rights and nonviolent change conflict with his record in office. Jones says Obama initially called the situation for Palestinians intolerable and sought a temporary settlement freeze, but later allowed that effort to lapse.

Jones also cites the Obama administration’s:

• Veto of a 2011 UN Security Council resolution on settlements.
• Opposition to Palestinian initiatives at the UN and International Criminal Court.
• Opposition to boycotts and divestment.
• Supply of US arms during Israel’s 2014 Gaza offensive.

He also points to the $38 billion, 10-year military-aid agreement Obama signed in 2016.

Jones’s Argument

Drawing on Palestinian writer Ali Abunimah’s account, Jones describes Obama as having expressed sympathy for Palestinians earlier in his career, then moving toward strongly pro-Israel positions while pursuing national office.

Jones argues that US military and diplomatic support helped give Israel impunity. He says Obama’s calls for Palestinians to pursue peaceful strategies rang hollow because his administration opposed some of those strategies. Jones’s conclusion is that Obama should be held accountable rather than allowed to recast his legacy.

Participants

• Presenter: Owen Jones
• Featured speakers in clips: Barack Obama, Benjamin Netanyahu