Bill Clinton: Biden/Harris fulfil duty to Israel through unconditional military support

𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 '𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭'
𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐔𝐒 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥 "𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝” 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐜𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬

Former US President Bill Clinton has sparked criticism among Muslim and Arab American communities following remarks defending Israel’s military actions in Gaza and suggesting that Israelis were in the Holy Land before Palestinians.

Speaking at a Michigan rally for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, Clinton’s statements have intensified discontent within these communities, whose support Democrats are vying for in the upcoming November 5 election.

At the event, Clinton addressed the ongoing Gaza conflict, asserting that Israel has been “forced” to inflict civilian casualties, which he attributed to Hamas’s alleged use of civilian shields. “Hamas makes sure that they’re shielded,” Clinton said, adding, “They’ll force you to kill civilians if you want to defend yourself.”

He later expressed a desire for a ceasefire but reiterated his stance on Israel's actions: “I’m going to do everything I can to convince people they cannot murder their way out of this, either side.”

Clinton further stoked controversy with a statement asserting Israel’s historical claim to the Holy Land, commenting, “Israelis were there first, before [the Palestinian] faith existed,” a reference some viewed as disregarding the experiences of Palestinians displaced in 1948.

Prominent Arab and Muslim American leaders were quick to condemn Clinton’s remarks, accusing him of undermining efforts to address Palestinian concerns.

Yousef Munayyer, director of the Palestine/Israel program at the Arab Center Washington DC, criticised Clinton’s comments on social media, saying, “Hard to think of a more counterproductive way to send this message.”

Robert S McCaw, director of government affairs at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, issued a statement condemning Clinton’s comments, calling them “as insulting as they were Islamophobic.”

This latest episode has compounded frustrations within the Arab American community over US policy on Gaza. Many Arab Americans, traditionally Democratic voters, are now reconsidering their support due to the Biden administration’s stance on Gaza, which they feel has shown an unwavering alignment with Israel.

A recent poll indicates that Arab American support is increasingly shifting toward Republican candidate Donald Trump over Harris, particularly in key swing states like Michigan. Clinton’s statements underscore broader challenges the Democratic Party faces in securing Arab and Muslim American votes.

Abdullah Hammoud, mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, the first US city with an Arab-majority population, criticised Democratic leaders’ approach to his community, saying on social media, “Stop sending surrogates who have no respect or regard for this community. You’re only inflicting more damage.”

Democratic leaders have largely focused campaign messaging on warning of a potential Trump return, rather than taking a strong stance on Middle Eastern conflicts. This approach has led to accusations of being “tone-deaf” regarding Palestinian issues, which could prove a decisive factor in Michigan’s tight race.

-

𝐂𝐀𝐈𝐑 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐧𝐬 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐧’𝐬 ‘𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐜’ 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐚𝐳𝐚 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-condemns-bill-clintons-insulting-and-islamophobic-justification-of-gaza-genocide/

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today strongly condemned former President Bill Clinton’s “insulting and Islamophobic” attempt to justify the Israeli government’s ongoing attacks on Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert S. McCaw said:

“Bill Clinton’s callous and dishonest attempt to justify the Israeli government’s attacks on civilians in Gaza was as insulting as it was Islamophobic. It is completely unacceptable to dismissively reference Islam and falsely claim that every Palestinian man, woman and child killed by Israel was a human shield. Even President Biden admitted months ago that the Israeli government has engaged in indiscriminate bombing in Gaza. Prominent leaders like Bill Clinton should be upholding Palestinian human rights, not rationalizing war crimes against Palestinian civilians.”

BACKGROUNDER:

While in Michigan, Clinton criticized Palestinian and Arab-Americans who oppose the Biden-Harris Administration’s support for Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed at least that 43,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and rendered much of Gaza uninhabitable.

In a speech yesterday, Clinton argued that Israel was justified in not keeping “score” of civilian casualty counts in Gaza due to Hamas’ October 7th attack. He also claimed civilians have been killed because they were used as human shields despite the fact the Israeli government has engaged in what even President Biden admitted was “indiscriminate” bombing, destroying mosques, churches, schools, hospitals, and refugee camps.

He also justified Biden administration’s support for the Israeli government’s genocide in Gaza by arguing that Israelis had lived near Gaza since “before [Islam] existed,” citing King David and referring to the Holy Land as “Judea and Samaria,” a term used by far-right Israelis who oppose a Palestinian state. Clinton stated that President Biden was fulfilling his “duty” to Israel by providing unconditional military support.

NOTE: As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, CAIR does not endorse or oppose candidates for office and makes no claims as to the favorability of one candidate being elected over another.

END

CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell [at] cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper [at] cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison [at] cair.com