Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has accused former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of being “quite dismissive of students’ concerns” when she criticized anti-Israel student protesters as being ignorant about Middle Eastern affairs. Clinton had said that protesters “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 our own country.” Specifically, she pointed to an offer her husband, former President Bill Clinton, made to then-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat when he was in office. “They don’t know that…an offer was made to Palestinians for a state on 96% of the existing territory occupied by the Palestinians,” Clinton said, “with 4% of Israel to be given to reach 100% of the amount of territory that was hoped for.”
Van Hollen appeared on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday morning, where he was asked about Clinton’s remarks from earlier in the week. “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,” he said. “Americans have the right to peacefully protest, and there is a need to ensure students feel safe on campus. 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.”
Van Hollen’s comments come as anti-Israel student protests have broken out at schools across the country following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military response. The protests have been met with both support and criticism, with some arguing that they are a legitimate expression of concern about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, while others have accused protesters of antisemitism and bias against Israel.
The Clinton Foundation did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter. Hillary Clinton has faced angry students directly, including when she was shouted down by pro-Palestinian protesters during a speech at Columbia University in February. “Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton, you are a war criminal!” a man shouted as the former Secretary of State walked onto a lecture hall stage at Columbia University in New York City.
