Former President Bill Clinton urged President Donald Trump to "defuse" the current conflict between Israel and Iran and end the "outright constant killing of civilians."
During an appearance on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" on Tuesday night, Clinton blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the hostilities.
"Mr. Netanyahu has long wanted to fight Iran because that way he can stay in office forever and ever. I mean, he's been there most of the last 20 years," said the Democrat former president, who appeared with author James Patterson.
"But I think we should be trying to defuse it, and I hope President Trump will do that."
Clinton said Trump "apparently agrees" with Netanyahu that the Palestinians "shouldn't have a state."
"First of all — they're not talking about negotiating peace in the Middle East because the Israelis have no intention of... under Prime Minister Netanyahu, of giving the Palestinians a state," Clinton said.
"And now, they're too divided and crushed to organize themselves to achieve it."
Clinton did not mention that Iran's leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have vowed to eliminate Israel. Nor did the former president explain that Israeli air strikes primarily are aimed at nuclear facilities and military leaders, while Iranian missiles are targeting cities and towns.
While saying the U.S. needs to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, Clinton stressed the importance of saving innocent lives.
"Do I think that we have to try to stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon? I do," he said. "But we don't have to have all this outright constant killing of civilians who can't defend themselves, and they just want a chance to live."
The former president suggested the U.S. must show restraint in the region.
"We've got to convince our friends in the Middle East that we'll stand with them and try to protect them," Clinton said.
"But choosing undeclared wars in which the primary victims are civilians, who are not politically involved, one way or the other, who just want to live decent lives, is not a very good solution."
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Trump told senior aides that he approved attack plans for Iran but has withheld a final order to see if Tehran would abandon its nuclear program.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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