Hillary Clinton: 'People who call for ceasefire do not understand Hamas'

Former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton agreed that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas, during a bipartisan panel discussion at the 30th anniversary celebration for Baker Institute on Thursday evening.They discussed the situation worldwide, including the Israel-Hamas war.

When discussing the call for a ceasefire, Clinton stated: “People who are calling for a ceasefire now, don’t understand Hamas... It would be such a gift to Hamas because they would spend whatever time [that] there was a ceasefire in effect rebuilding their armaments... to be able to fend off an eventual assault by the Israelis.”

WATCH: @NorahODonnell moderated a bipartisan discussion Thursday with former U.S. Secretaries of State James A. Baker III and @HillaryClinton.On the Israel-Hamas war, @HillaryClinton said, “People who are calling for a ceasefire now do not understand Hamas. That is not… pic.twitter.com/WUWYRW6uOz

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) October 29, 2023

Clinton defended Israel in the past

During the 2014 war, Clinton blasted Hamas and expressed support for  Israel’s campaign.

“They’re trapped by their leadership, unfortunately,” Clinton said of the Palestinians during an interview with Jon Stewart of The Daily Show.

“It’s a two-pronged trapping. They have leadership that is committed to resistance and violence. Their actions are geared towards getting newer and better missiles to launch at Israel instead of saying, ‘Hey, let’s try to figure out how we’re going to make your lives better.’”

Clinton also appeared on Charlie Rose’s talk show, which airs on PBS. She told Rose that the Israeli response to the rocket fire was appropriate.

“The Israelis are absolutely right in saying that they can’t just sit there and let rockets rain down,” Clinton told Rose.

“They have a missile defense system which is working well but that can’t be certain. Now there are drones being launched from Gaza.”