Former President George Bush said that “negotiating with killers is not an option for Israel” in the aftermath of Hamas’s terrorist attacks last weekend, according to video obtained by Axios.
Axios published the footage Friday, in which Bush spoke with Mark Updegrove, president and CEO of the LBJ Foundation, and shared his personal support for Israel, though he expects things to get “ugly” as the country responds to the attacks.
“My thoughts were that we need to support Israel – no ands, ifs, or buts,” Bush said of his initial reaction to the attack. “This is an unprovoked attack by terrorist people willing to kill innocent people to achieve an objective.”
“Hamas is a political organization. They do not reflect the majority of the Palestinians, and don’t be surprised if Israel takes whatever action is necessary, defend herself, and it’s gonna be ugly for a while,” he added.
The death toll of Israelis has surpassed 1,300, and more than 3,000 were wounded as of Thursday, while another 150 Israelis were abducted by Hamas. On Friday, Israel launched “localized raids” on Gaza after providing notice of the move to Northern Gaza residents, urging them to evacuate the area on Thursday. Hamas was reportedly preventing civilians from evacuating the northern Gaza Strip, as Breitbart News noted.
Graphic content / Israeli artillery unit fire towards the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on October 13, 2023, as battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement continue for the seveth consecutive day. Thousands of people, both Israeli and Palestinians have died since October 7, 2023, after Palestinian Hamas militants entered Israel in a surprise attack leading Israel to declare war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip enclave on October 8. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP) (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)
“You know, going in the neighborhoods of Gaza is gonna be tough. And you know, [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyau], he’s got a very seasoned military, but they just called up 300,000 reservists. Most of them probably can’t fire a rifle,” Bush contended before stating that putting them “in harm’s way” would be “awfully difficult for the prime minister.”
“But he’s got to do what he’s got to do,” Bush told Updegrove. “You’re dealing with cold-blooded killers. And you can make all kinds of excuses why they are, but they are, and his job is to protect his country, and anyway, we’ll find out what he’s made out of.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (not pictured) speak to the media following talks at the Chancellery on March 16, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. Netanyahu’s one-day visit to Berlin is being accompanied by protests, including both by people angry over Israel’s policies towards Palestinians as well as those critical of possible new legislation in Israel supported by Netanyahu that would undermine the independence and the power of Israel’s Supreme Court, effectively curtailing democracy in Israel. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Asked by Updegrove what he predicts will be the “immediate future for Israel,” Bush said it “doesn’t look very bright, particularly if you’re on the Hamas side” and contended that pushes for peace in the region will come in short order, but Israel will remain steadfast in not negotiating with Hamas and has an obligation not to:
There’s going to be a weariness, you watch. The world is going to be, ‘Okay, let’s negotiate!’ You know, ‘Israel’s gotta negotiate.’ They’re not going to negotiate. These people have played played their cards. 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 gonna have to remain steadfast, but it’s not going to take long before ‘This is going on too long. Surely, there’s a way to settle this to negotiations. Both sides are guilty.’ My view is one side is guilty and its not Israel.
The attacks have been likened to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which occurred under Bush’s administration and took 2,977 lives in the deadliest foreign attack on American soil. Notably, on the 22nd anniversary of the attacks in September, it was revealed the Biden administration had agreed to unfreeze $6 billion in humanitarian aid to Iran in exchange for American hostages. Iran reportedly aided Hamas in devising the attack on Israel over recent months, per the Wall Street Journal.
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 14: U.S. President George W. Bush speaks to rescue workers, firefighters and police officers from the rubble of Ground Zero September 14, 2001 in New York City. Standing with Bush is retired firefighter Bob Beckwith and at (R) is New York Governor George Pataki. (Photo by Eric Draper/White House/Getty Images)
Secretary of State Antony Blinken asserted to CNN’s State of the Union last weekend that “not a single dollar has been spent from the account” and that “it could only be used for things like food, medicine, medical equipment.”
He added the Biden administration had “not yet seen evidence that Iran directed or was behind this particular attack, but there’s certainly a long relationship.”
Blinken argued Thursday that the United States “retain[s] the right to freeze that account,” but Iran has insisted it already has control of the funds, as Breitbart News noted.
When Updegrove appeared as though he was about to ask Bush about potential Iranian involvement, the 43rd president interjected, “I don’t get the intelligence anymore.”
“Their stated objective is the destruction of Israel. That’s what the leaders say, and in this world, you got to take what they say seriously,” he said. “Iran has been pretty good at using surrogate terrorist groups.”
“These are the kind of people, if you show softness, they will take advantage of it,” Bush went on to add, sharing his philosophy that the U.S. should never “accommodate Iran.”