Hillary Clinton: ‘People who call for ceasefire do not understand Hamas’
During a panel discussion at Baker Institute’s 30th anniversary, Hillary Clinton said it is not possible for Hamas to ceasefire. (Credit: Baker Institute)
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for Hamas' elimination in an op-ed for The Atlantic published on Tuesday and said that President Biden was right not to pursue a full cease-fire.
Clinton detailed her experience with the conflict in the Middle East as Secretary of State under the Obama administration and noted that Hamas violated a cease-fire agreement she brokered in the region in 2014.
"So the Biden administration is correct not to seek a full cease-fire at this moment, which would give Hamas a chance to re-arm and perpetuate the cycle of violence. Hamas would claim that it had won and it would remain a key part of Iran’s so-called axis of resistance," she wrote. "Cease-fires freeze conflicts rather than resolve them."
Clinton told a group of activists at an event in October that a cease-fire would be a "gift" to Hamas.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in an op-ed for The Atlantic that Hamas was to blame for violence in Gaza. (1) Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images 2)Yousef Masoud/Majority World/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
"First, October 7 made clear that this bloody cycle must end and that Hamas cannot be allowed to once again retrench, re-arm, and launch new attacks—while continuing to use people in Gaza as expendable human shields," she wrote.
She added, a "full cease-fire" that leaves Hamas in power would be a "mistake."
"That is why I am convinced Hamas must go. On October 7, these terrorists killed babies, raped women, and kidnapped innocent civilians. They continue to hold more than 200 hostages. They have proved again and again that they will not abide by cease-fires, will sabotage any efforts to forge a lasting peace, and will never stop attacking Israel," Clinton wrote.
The former Secretary of State also wrote that she supported the "humanitarian pauses" that the Biden administration was advocating for would save lives without "rewarding Hamas."
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Clinton also wrote that Hamas doesn't speak for Palestinians.
"Hamas deliberately places military installations in and below hospitals and refugee camps because it is trying to maximize, not minimize, the impact on Palestinian civilians for its own propaganda purposes. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is heartbreaking—and every death means more blood on Hamas’s hands," she continued.
Clinton told the hosts of "The View" in a recent appearance that she supports humanitarian pauses but reiterated that Hamas was a terrorist organization that has historically broken cease-fires.
"A cease-fire done prematurely benefits those who do not abide by any laws, by any rules, by any human character value about the value of life," she said.
The US Capitol is seen in the distance as thousands of anti-Israel protestors fill Freedom Plaza and the surrounding streets for rally and march calling for an end to the Israel - Hamas war, in Washington, DC on Saturday, November 4, 2023. (Rod Lamkey/CNP for Fox News Digital)
"For now, Israel should focus on freeing the hostages, increasing humanitarian aid, protecting civilians, and ensuring that Hamas terrorists can no longer murder families, abduct children, exploit civilians as human shields, or start new wars," Clinton wrote in the Atlantic.
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