Former President George W. Bush said during a recent discussion that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must "protect his country" by delivering a strong response to the "cold-blooded killers" who recently attacked Israel.
"He's got to do what he's got to do," Bush said during an onstage conversation with presidential historian Mark Updegrove at a private event on Tuesday. Axios published a video and excerpts from the event on Friday.
On October 7, Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest ever airstrikes on Gaza. As of Friday, more than 1,300 people had been killed in Israel, the Associated Press reported. At least 1,799 people had been killed in Gaza, according to authorities there, the AP reported, citing the Gaza Health Ministry.
Netanyahu has said his country is "at war" and has cut off supplies of food, fuel, electricity and medicine into Gaza. Israel has called up 360,000 army reservists as it prepares for a likely ground offensive into the territory, which has an estimated population of around 2.3 million.
Multiple media figures have referred to the Hamas attack as a "9/11 moment," comparing the event to the 2001 terrorist attacks carried out by Al-Qaeda against the United States while Bush was president.
The George W. Bush Institute, speaking on behalf of the former president, condemned the Hamas attack on the day it occurred.
"We urge the United States and our allies to stand unequivocally with Israel, its government and people, and support Israel's right to defend itself against these threats," the institute's October 7 statement said. "Attacks on free and democratic states anywhere are attacks on all of us, whether in Israel, Ukraine, or elsewhere."
During Tuesday's event in California, Bush reiterated his support for Israel.
"It's not going to take long for people [to say]: 'It's gone on too long. Surely, there's a way to settle this through negotiations. Both sides are guilty,'" he said. "My view is: One side is guilty. And it's not Israel."
Newsweek reached out to Bush via email for further comment.
Bush went on to refer to those who attacked Israel as "cold-blooded killers," adding that "you can make all kinds of excuses why they are, but they are."
Continuing on with the thought, the former president said Netanyahu can't be "negotiating with killers."
"His job is to...protect his country," Bush said of the prime minister. "And anyway, we'll find out what he's made out of."
"Don't be surprised if Israel takes whatever actions necessary to defend herself," Bush added. "It's going to be ugly for a while. Going into the neighborhoods of Gaza is going to be tough...[Netanyahu's] got a very seasoned military. But they just called up 300,000 reservists...
"And to the extent they'll be put in harm's way, it's going to be awfully difficult on the prime minister. But he's got to do what he's got to do."
When Updegrove asked "to what extent is Iran responsible" for the Hamas attack, Bush answered by saying he doesn't receive intelligence on such matters anymore before adding he's "kind of a hardliner on all this stuff."
"I never thought we should try to accommodate Iran, any way, shape or form," he said. "These are the kind of people that if you show softness, they will take advantage of it."
The former president also emphasized that Hamas does "not reflect the majority of the Palestinians."
As for how the current American leader responded to the attack, Bush said President Joe Biden "started off on the right foot" by making a "pretty bold statement, and that's good."
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Jon Jackson is an Associate Editor at Newsweek based in New York. His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine ... Read more
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