Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused anti-Israel student demonstrators of being ignorant about the situation in the Middle East, saying they were “totally ignoring the concerns of students.” ” he criticized.
“They don’t really know much about the history of the Middle East or, frankly, the history of many parts of the world, including our country,” Clinton said earlier this week.
Specifically, Clinton referred to an offer her husband, former President Bill Clinton, made to then-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat while in office.
“They don’t know…that a proposal was made to the Palestinians to establish a state on 96 percent of the existing territory occupied by the Palestinians,” Clinton said. area that was expected. ”
Hillary Clinton slams young anti-Israel protesters as ignorant about the Middle East: ‘They don’t know much’
BERLIN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 19: Speaking at “A Special Evening with Hillary Clinton” during the 74th Berlin International Film Festival at Theater des Westens on February 19, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. Hillary Clinton. (Photo by Franziska Krug/Getty Images) ((Photo credit: Franziska Krug/Getty Images))
The former secretary of state said his claims about the students were based on multiple conversations with young people over the past few months. Anti-Israel student protests have erupted in schools across the country in the wake of the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas and Israel’s subsequent military response.
Mr. Van Hollen appeared on CBS’s “Face the Nation” Sunday morning and was asked about Mr. Clinton’s comments earlier in the week.
“Well, Margaret, I thought Secretary Clinton’s comments on that point completely ignored students’ concerns about the terrible humanitarian crisis and high civilian death toll in Gaza,” he said. .
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Chris Van Hollen spoke to Margaret Brennan on Sunday about the White House’s position on Israel. (Screenshot/CBS)
Van Hollen said Americans have a right to peacefully protest and students need to be safe on campus.
He also said there was a need to “eradicate anti-Semitism and hatred” wherever it was seen.
“But I believe that the majority of students are protesting and are closely following what is happening in Gaza. They are witnessing a very high civilian death toll. There are,” Van Hollen said. “We can certainly re-examine history and past negotiations, but not all, but the vast majority of students, and…not just the anti-protest side, but some very bad elements… “We believe they are involved. We understand what is happening in Gaza in terms of civilian casualties.”
University of California, Berkeley graduate student prevents anti-Israel demonstration from starting
Anti-Israel demonstrators continue to rally in front of Columbia University on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York City. Columbia University announced that its campus will remain closed “until conditions permit” after students occupied Hamilton Hall early today. (Rashid Umar Abbasi, Fox News Digital)
“While I strongly support Americans’ right to peacefully protest, I also support the need for students to feel safe on campus,” Van Hollen told Fox News Digital. ” he said. “There is no place for anti-Semitism, hate speech, or violence of any kind anywhere in America.”
The Clinton Foundation did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on this story.
Hillary Clinton has faced angry students directly, including when she was a student. Shouted out Remarks by pro-Palestinian demonstrators during a speech at Columbia University in February.
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“Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton, you are a war criminal!” a man yelled as the former secretary of state took to the stage in an auditorium at Columbia University in New York City.
Fox News Digital’s Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report.
