Former President Bill Clinton has taken the unusual step of criticizing the Israeli government's handling of peace negotiations with the Palestinians, agreeing with a suggestion that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "not the guy" to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East.
"If we don't force him to make peace, we will not have peace," Clinton added while speaking in a conversation at a Democratic fundraiser in Iowa this weekend, according to the U.K.'s
Guardian newspaper.
The exchange was recorded by C-SPAN and covered by the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz.
The comments stood in direct contrast to messages from his wife, former secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has been publicly supportive of Netanyahu's handling of the conflict in Gaza, in keeping with other leading Democrats.
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"Whether Bill Clinton's comments reflect the private thinking of these other leading Democrats is impossible to tell," the newspaper said.
"But they also serve as a reminder that should Hillary Clinton run for president, the presence of a vocal and very opinionated spouse on the campaign trail creates added opportunity for embarrassment and even inadvertent policy shifts," the newspaper said.