US elections 2024: Bill Clinton’s Gaza comments draw outrage on social media

 Arab Americans say former president's condescending comments during a Michigan event for Kamala Harris were 'tone-deaf'

Former US President Bill Clinton speaks at Mount Zion Baptist Church as he campaigns for Vice President Kamala Harris in Albany, Georgia, on 13 October 2024 (Logan Cyrus/AFP)

By Ayah El-Khaldi

Published date: 31 October 2024 17:48 GMT | Last update: 5 hours 51 mins ago

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Former US President Bill Clinton has sparked backlash online after saying the Palestinian group Hamas “forces" Israel to kill Palestinian civilians.

Clinton addressed an audience in Michigan on Wednesday to rally support for Democratic Party candidate Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the 5 November US presidential elections, with a speech that discussed Israel's ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.

Michigan is a key battleground state where former President Donald Trump and Harris are neck and neck in the polls. Historically, the state is pivotal to winning the White House and is home to the largest Arab and Muslim community in the US.

"The hardest issue here in Michigan is the Middle East. I understand why young Palestinian and Arab Americans in Michigan think too many people have died. I get that," he said.

"But if you lived in one of those kibbutzim in Israel right next to Gaza, where the people there were the most pro-friendship with Palestine, most pro-two-state solution of any of the Israeli communities - were right next to Gaza. And Hamas butchered them."

He then said that criticism of Israel’s disproportionate response was misguided.

"That all sounds nice until you realise what would you do if it was your family and you hadn't done anything but support a homeland for the Palestinians and one day they come for you and slaughter the people in your village.

"You would say, 'Well you'll have to forgive me, I'm not keeping score that way  - it isn't how many we've had to kill' - because Hamas makes sure that they're shielded by civilians, they'll force you to kill civilians if you want to defend yourself."

Since Israel's war on Gaza began nearly 13 months ago after the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, Israeli forces have killed more than 43,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 100,000 others, the majority of them civilians. More than 10,000 are missing and presumed dead under the rubble.

Israel is also facing accusations of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes before international courts.

Clinton blamed Hamas for the high Palestinian civilian death toll, adding that the group “wanted to kill Israelis and make Israel uninhabitable”.

He also said, "They (Jewish people) were there first before there was their faith," invoking names like Judea and Samaria, which Israelis often use to refer to the occupied West Bank.

'Clueless and tone deaf'

Clinton’s remarks drew intense criticism online, especially among Arab and Muslim communities, with many interpreting his statements as ahistorical, "racist, genocidal, white supremacist" and ultimately dismissive of Palestinian suffering. 

"Clueless and tone deaf," responded journalist Ghida Fakhry. "Clinton’s comments hit all the wrong notes. He’s not addressing the genuine grief and outrage; he’s pushing a narrative proven false, showing his audience he’s not there for them but for someone else’s approval."

Numerous people pointed to what they perceive as being the Democratic Party’s double standard regarding their stance on racial injustice and violence. 

“This captures the essence of the Democratic Party: a party that engages in the same racism, injustice, violence, and oppression as the Republican Party, but in a polished way,” wrote one person on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Others expressed disbelief at the Harris campaign’s approach to Michigan voters, given the state’s large Arab and Muslim population. 

“It’s almost as if the Democratic establishment wants to lose this election with their tone-deaf views on Arab Americans,” one critic argued. 

Journalist Mehdi Hasan questioned the decision to send Clinton to Michigan, where he appeared “to lecture Muslims on how it’s all Hamas’s fault that Israel is massacring kids”, adding, “At this point, the [Democratics] deserve to lose Michigan.”

Other critics took aim at the Democratic Party's perceived Islamophobia, pointing to recent instances involving Michigan Muslims being ostracised from the campaign. “First, Ritchie Torres antagonized voters, then a Muslim leader was removed from a rally, and now Clinton is here lecturing on how Zionism predates Islam,” one person said.

However, some voices emerged in support of Clinton’s stance. “I am not a fan of Bill Clinton, but this is based… He is right on this one,” one social media user wrote. 

A pro-Israeli commentator cited Clinton’s role in the 2000 Camp David Summit, during which Clinton met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to broker a peace deal, stating that “Clinton knows their game & agrees with Israel.”

The summit ended in deadlock, with Clinton later attributing its failure to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s unwillingness to compromise. 

However, critics online called this view hypocritical, arguing that Clinton was heavily biased in favour of the Israeli perspective - both during his presidency and today. Robert Malley, a part of the Clinton administration and present at the summit, wrote a New York Times opinion article one year after the summit, dispelling the "myths" about Palestinian responsibility for the summit's failure. 

One social media user referenced a conversation with Dr Saeb Erekat, a prominent Palestinian negotiator, who stated that Clinton “gave the Israelis everything they wanted, then blamed the Palestinians for the failure".

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