Democrat Senator Blasts Hillary Clinton For ‘Dismissive’ Remarks About Campus Protesters

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) criticized former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over what he deemed a “dismissive” reaction to students’ concerns after she criticized anti-Israel student protesters for their ignorance over Middle Eastern affairs.

During an MSNBC interview on Thursday, Clinton said that her husband, former President Bill Clinton, had brokered a deal for Palestinians to get 96% of what they wanted. However, they rejected the deal, according to Clinton.

“First of all, I have had many conversations, as you have had, with a lot of young people over the last many months now. You are right. They don’t know very much at all about the history of the Middle East, or frankly about history in many areas of the world, including in our own country,” she said of the young campus protesters.

“With respect to the Middle East, they don’t know in the bringing together by my husband of, the then-Israel Prime Minister Ehud Barak, the then-head of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and then the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat. An offer was made to the Palestinians for a state on 96% of the existing territory occupied by the Palestinians with 4% of Israel to be given to reach 100% of the amount of territory that was hoped for,” she added.

Hillary Clinton ripped anti-Israel student protesters as ignorant on Middle Eastern affairs, especially involving the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. pic.twitter.com/c4WmTvZwY4

— Breaking News (@TheNewsTrending) May 12, 2024

Asked about Clinton’s remarks during an appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” Van Hollen said, “Well, I thought, Margaret, that Secretary Clinton’s comments, in that regard, were quite dismissive of students’ concerns about the awful humanitarian crisis and high civilian death toll in Gaza.”

Claiming that Americans have the right to peacefully protest, Van Hollen added that there is a need to “stamp out antisemitism and hate” and to ensure that students feel safe on campus.

However, he insisted that the student protesters understand what is going on in the Middle East.

In his words: “But I believe that the great majority of the students are protesting, are following very closely what’s happening in Gaza. They see what’s a very high civilian death toll. We can certainly revisit history and past negotiations, but I believe that the overwhelming majority of students, not all, and…there are some very bad elements that are involved, as well as on the counter protest side, but I believe that the students do understand what’s happening in Gaza with respect to the civilian casualties.”