Former president George W. Bush took aim at commentators who place blame on Israel after Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,300 Israeli citizens in last weekend's invasion.
"It's not going to take long for people [to say]: 'It's going on too long. Surely, there's a way to settle this through negotiations. Both sides are guilty,'" Bush said at a private California event on Tuesday. "My view is: One side is guilty—and it's not Israel."
Bush added that Israel's anticipated ground invasion of the Gaza Strip is "going to be ugly for a while."
Bush made clear the distinction between Hamas and Israelis. Hamas last weekend launched a surprise attack into Israel and killed more than 1,300 citizens in heinous attacks that included the murder of babies.
"You're dealing with cold-blooded killers," Bush said. "You can make all kinds of excuses why they are, but they are."
Former president Donald Trump this week took fire for his comments on Israel. The frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination called Israel's enemy Hezbollah "smart" and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being "not prepared" for the Hamas attack