Obama's comments about "Jews who took land", and the criticism: "Erased 3,000 years of Jewish history"

Former US President Barack Obama said during a visit to Belfast that Jews who fled persecution in Europe "took land from people" and "acted excessively." His remarks drew sharp criticism from pro-Israeli right-wing sources, including The Daily Wire and HonestReporting, who accused him of erasing 3,000 years of Jewish history and presenting a revisionist picture of Israel's establishment.

Former US President Barack Obama faced sharp criticism from pro-Israeli right-wing sources following comments made during a visit to Belfast, Northern Ireland. In an interview with author Susan McKay, Obama said that the Jewish people were persecuted for thousands of years and understandably sought refuge, but upon arriving in the Land of Israel "took land from people and acted excessively." He added that the Palestinians, understandably, said this was an injustice and wanted their land back. The remarks drew an immediate response from conservative media outlets and pro-Israeli organizations. The Daily Wire, co-founded by Ben Shapiro, accused Obama of "erasing more than 3,000 years of Jewish history" and painting a "revisionist picture" of the establishment of the State of Israel. HonestReporting argued that Obama ignored the Jewish people's millennia-old connection to the Land of Israel and centuries of continuous Jewish presence there. Additional critics raised that Obama ignored that Jews legally purchased land from Arab landowners for decades, as documented in British government records. Obama himself criticized both sides in the conflict, calling for an end to violence and a halt to expansion in the West Bank, alongside aid for rebuilding Gaza.

Obama's comments about "Jews who took land", and the criticism: "Erased 3,000 years of Jewish history"