Netanyahu to Obama: Israel didn't steal land, it's our homeland

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video on Friday on his X account, sharply rejecting claims made several days earlier that "Israel is stealing land and losing its moral advantage." The video came in response to remarks by former US President Barack Obama during a public appearance in Ireland.

"I heard a distressing statement a few days ago that supposedly 'Israel is stealing land and losing its moral advantage,'" Netanyahu opened. "The Jewish people is not a foreign occupier in the land of our fathers. Our history is not a colonial enterprise. We did not steal this land - this is our homeland."

He emphasized the deep historical connection of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel. "It's called Judea, that's where the Jews come from, and we've been connected to it for thousands of years," he said. "We're not the Dutch in Indonesia, we're not the Belgians in the Congo. We're Jews in Judea."

Netanyahu pointed the finger of blame in an entirely different direction. According to him, the real obstacle to peace is not Israel's struggle for its right to exist, but rather the refusal of its enemies to recognize a Jewish state within any borders. "The obstacle is the refusal of our enemies, America's enemies, to recognize the right of the Jewish people to a state of its own," he clarified.

He recalled the chants of "Death to Israel" and "Death to America" heard from Israel's enemies. In a direct appeal to American citizens, he added: "We're the 'Little Satan,' you're the 'Great Satan.' And we are defending our shared values."

Netanyahu warned against arrangements not based on regional reality. "A peace based on illusions will shatter on the rocks of Middle Eastern reality," he said. According to him, Israel will not gamble with its survival in order to please those who refuse to recognize its right to exist or who seek to appease terror.

"The right of the Jewish people to a state of its own in its historic homeland is not up for negotiation," the prime minister emphasized. "We certainly will not do so, and we never will," Netanyahu concluded.

The video was released following remarks Obama made Tuesday evening at the O2 Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland. During a conversation with journalist and author Susan McKay, the former US president said that "the Jewish people, for thousands of years, were oppressed, discriminated against, and killed," but added that "you also can't deny that they took land from people and overdid it."

Obama's remarks drew criticism from commentators and pro-Israel figures, who argued that the description presents a partial picture of Jewish history in the Land of Israel. Netanyahu's video serves as a direct response to those statements, while emphasizing the historical right of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.