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Obama receives honorary doctorate in Belfast before heading to Glasgow, calling Good Friday Agreement a peace template

Barack Obama accepted an honorary doctorate from Queen's University Belfast on his first visit to the city since 2013, calling the Good Friday Agreement a model for Gaza peace.
Barack Obama accepted an honorary doctorate from Queen's University Belfast on his first visit to the city since 2013, calling the Good Friday Agreement a model for Gaza peace.
Barack Obama addresses a packed O2 Arena in Belfast, telling the crowd: "I'm going to insist that we can do better than we're doing right now.
Barack Obama addresses a packed O2 Arena in Belfast, telling the crowd: "I'm going to insist that we can do better than we're doing right now.

Barack Obama was awarded an honorary doctorate by Queen's University Belfast before moving on to his next UK speaking engagement in Glasgow, having told a packed Belfast O2 Arena that the current Israeli government had surrendered moral authority by taking "whatever we want" from Palestinians, adding that seven million Israelis and seven million Palestinians "are not going anywhere" and must learn to live alongside each other. He demanded an immediate ceasefire, an end to West Bank encroachment, and reconstruction aid for Gaza, while cautioning Palestinians that armed resistance against a militarily superior Israel had no future. He praised the Good Friday Agreement as a template for resolving the conflict, and his UK speaking tour continues with dates in Glasgow and Manchester.

Obama said Hamas's October 7 attack set back the Palestinian cause, telling Belfast crowds it 'could not have been designed' to be more damaging.

He warned that 'peace and democracy are not inevitable' and must be 'chosen again and again' — a remark widely read as an implicit dig at Trump's America.

Despite audience hopes he would 'tear into' Trump, Obama kept his criticism of the incumbent subtle throughout the evening.

MoreThe TelegraphObama tells Belfast: Good Friday Agreement is ‘shining example’ of how to resolve Israel-Hamas warThe ScotsmanBarack Obama: World is at risk of repeating the mistakes of the pastDaily RecordBarack Obama given doctorate at Belfast university ahead of Glasgow Hydro eventIrish TimesObama tells Belfast event ‘democracy not inevitable’ but keeps Trump criticism subtleBelfast Live‘We can do better than we’re doing right now’: Barack Obama tells Belfast crowdEvening StandardObama tells Belfast crowd ‘we can do better than we’re doing right now’
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