In a rare public comment on current events, former president George W. Bush called for the United States to support Israel “no ands, ifs, or buts,” ahead of its impending invasion of the Gaza Strip.
The brutal Hamas attack on Israeli communities has drawn comparisons to 9/11 and framed Bush’s response. “These people [Hamas] have . . . played their cards,” Bush continued. “They want to kill as many Israelis as they can. And negotiating with killers is not an option for the elected government of Israel. And so, we’re just going to have to remain steadfast.”
“It’s going to be ugly for a while,” the former president elaborated. “Going into the neighborhoods of Gaza is going to be tough.”
“And to the extent they’ll be put in harm’s way, it’s going to be awfully difficult on the [Israeli] prime minister. But he’s got to do what he’s got to do.”
Bush did not mince his words when discussing the incursion. “My view is: One side is guilty. And it’s not Israel,” the former president said in a video clip first obtained by Axios. “You can make all kinds of excuses why they are, but they are.”
“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,'” Bush told a private audience during a conversation with Mark Updegrove, CEO of the LBJ Foundation, on Tuesday.
The former president also commended Joe Biden’s rousing speech expressing America’s unwavering support for Israel earlier this week. Biden “started off on the right foot, it seems to me. Pretty bold statement, and that’s good,” the former president told the audience in Santa Barbara, California.
The “immediate future doesn’t look very bright, particularly if you’re on the Hamas side,” Bush added. “It’s going to be chaotic.”
“In a democracy, the people’s voices matter, and there’s going to be a weariness. You watch, the world’s going to be: ‘OK, let’s negotiate.’ You know, ‘Israel’s got to negotiate.’ They’re not going to negotiate.”
Earlier Tuesday, Biden spoke about the events of October 7 and echoed calls to support Israel following Hamas’ deadly invasion, which has left thousands dead, most of whom were civilians.
“There are moments in this life,” Biden opened his speech, “when pure, unadulterated evil is unleashed on this world.” “The people of Israel lived through one such moment this weekend. The bloody hands of the terrorist organization Hamas — a group whose stated purpose for being is to kill Jews. This was an act of sheer evil.”
“If the United States experienced what Israel is experiencing, our response would be swift, decisive, and overwhelming,” Biden told Benjamin Netanyahu in a private phone call the same day.