FORMER US PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA’S REMARKS ON ISRAEL-PALESTINE IN BELFAST SPARK STORM – NETANYAHU HITS BACK: “OUR LAND IS NOT STOLEN”

Former US President Barack Obama has triggered a major political controversy with his remarks on the history of Israel-Palestine conflict during his visit to Belfast, Northern Ireland on October 13, 2026.

Speaking at a public event at The O2 Belfast arena in front of around 7,000 people, in conversation with Northern Irish journalist Susan McKay, Obama said:

> *”The fact is that the Jewish people faced thousands of years of oppression, discrimination and murder. Europe was largely responsible for it. They understandably sought a safe haven [in a place where they had historic ties]. That is undeniable. What is also undeniable is that they took land from people and went too far. And those people understandably said ‘This is injustice and we want our land back’.”*

Earlier that day, Queen’s University Belfast had awarded him an honorary doctorate.

Obama further criticized the current Israeli government’s policy, saying:

> *”If Israel’s attitude is that now we are the strongest… our security depends on us doing whatever we want and taking whatever we want… that may work in the short term… but you have ceded moral ground.”*

He added that the current Israeli government has *”apparently ceded moral ground”* and must recognize that *7 million Palestinians are not going anywhere.*

*NETANYAHU’S STRONG RESPONSE:*

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded with a video statement on October 17, 2026, without naming Obama directly, calling the remarks “regrettable”.

Netanyahu said:

> *”The Jewish people are not foreign occupiers in the land of our ancestors. Our history is not a colonial enterprise. Our land is not stolen land. It is our homeland. It is called Judea.”*

*REACTIONS:*

– *Pro-Israel groups* like Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) criticized Obama, arguing that before 1948 most of the land was legally purchased from Ottoman and Arab landowners, often at inflated prices, and that he ignored continuous Jewish presence in Jerusalem, Hebron, Safed and Tiberias.

– *Pro-Palestine circles* welcomed Obama’s acknowledgment that Palestinians suffered injustice when land was taken.

*FACT-CHECK NOTE:*

The wording circulating on social media in a viral graphic – such as “Europe was responsible” and “they wanted a safe haven for themselves” – does capture the essence of Obama’s remarks in Belfast, but the exact words in the graphic are a summary, not verbatim. The verified quotes are as stated above from the Belfast event.

The remarks have come just 11 days before Israel’s general elections, adding political weight to the debate.