The breakdown of the Oslo Accords continues to haunt former President Bill Clinton, who often reflects on the failed effort to advance peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The initiative, which sought to establish a two-state solution through negotiation, unraveled just six weeks before Clinton’s presidency concluded.
“It was heartbreaking. Every day I think about it,” Clinton said, seated in a brown leather wing chair on the stage of the iconic Beacon Theater, Times of Israel reports.
Clinton joined actor and comedian Billy Crystal to discuss his latest memoir, Citizen: My Life After the White House. While their discussion touched on lighthearted moments — such as Clinton recalling how strange it felt to leave the White House and walk into rooms without a band playing — it was primarily marked by a reflective and serious tone.
After introducing the former president, Crystal, with a concerned expression, asked him for his perspective on the recent presidential election.
“What happened? Where are we going?” Crystal inquired.
A heckler interrupted the event, shouting something unintelligible about nuclear war. After the crowd calmed down, Clinton addressed the question.
“First of all, all over the world incumbent governments are being voted out — right, left, and center. It doesn’t matter that Biden will leave the job with the largest number of new jobs in history… we’re in a rough patch regarding fuel, food, and housing,” Clinton said.
Clinton also praised Vice President Kamala Harris’s economic strategy but acknowledged the challenge of managing widespread frustration. “There is real discontent about inflation and the lag between feeling better. We’ve only just begun to reap the benefits from Biden’s three biggest legislative achievements,” he added.
Turning to Donald Trump, Clinton noted how he has capitalized on public fears, especially around immigration and “the chaos at the border.” “President Trump’s great gift is to get everyone excited and foaming at the mouth,” he remarked.
A second heckler soon erupted, shouting, “End the war in Gaza! Stop arming Ukraine!”
Clinton responded sharply, asking, “Where were you on October 7?” He continued, “It’s very easy to criticize Israel from the comfort of where we are tonight.”
Throughout the evening, Clinton frequently returned to the topic of the Israel-Palestine conflict. He described how the war in Gaza was ignited by Hamas’s violent assault on October 7, which resulted in the massacre of 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 251 hostages.
“When Hamas decided to do what they did and made a deal with Iran, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, it was like all bets are off. While I do not agree with Mr. Netanyahu’s policy — I don’t think we can kill our way out of this — it’s no accident that the most devastated area in Israel on October 7 were the kibbutzim along the border. That’s where Israelis were more likely to favor a Palestinian state like the one we had offered when I was president,” Clinton said.
He then revisited the details of the Oslo Accords, explaining how the proposal would have granted Palestinians a state comprising 96% of the West Bank, 4% of Israeli land of their choosing, as well as access to an airport and a seaport.
Six weeks before leaving office, Clinton recalled meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the Oval Office.
“I asked him if he was going to sign [the agreement] and he said, ‘Yes, I will sign.’ He never did. [Prime Minister Yitzchak] Rabin was killed, and it has just gone from bad to worse.
“We need to understand, everyone playing this game needs to understand, too many people have died. We need a ceasefire and to get the hostages home,” Clinton concluded.
{Matzav.com}