Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has responded to comments made by former US President Barack Obama regarding Israel's right to its land. Netanyahu stated that the Jewish people are not foreign occupiers in their ancestral homeland and that their history is not a colonial enterprise.
What happened
Obama had made remarks during a paid interview in Belfast, Northern Ireland, suggesting that Jews had taken land from others and had been excessive. He also stated that Israel had ceded moral ground by relying on its military edge instead of compromise. Netanyahu countered that Israel is not the obstacle to peace, but rather the refusal of its enemies to accept a Jewish state.
The exchange between the two leaders has revived a long-standing feud that dates back to their time in power. The latest clash comes just ten days before Israelis vote in an election that is widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu's leadership.
