LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Some former world leaders have come together in the interests of a peaceful end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Two are near the Egyptian border with Gaza today. One of them spoke with our cohost Steve Inskeep.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
She is Mary Robinson, who served as Ireland's president in the 1990s. She's informal when you talk with her.
I am inclined to call someone in your position Madam President, but I am told you prefer Mary. Is that really true?
MARY ROBINSON: That's true. Maybe Madam President once just to show I am a former president, but I'm Mary.
(LAUGHTER)
INSKEEP: What is your role?
ROBINSON: My role is as part of the Elders, a group of former leaders that Nelson Mandela brought together in 2007. And from the very beginning he said to us, try to help to bring about a fair and just peace in the Israeli-Palestine conflict.
INSKEEP: With other former presidents and prime ministers, Mary Robinson has visited the Middle East for years, including in the middle of 2023.
ROBINSON: We were horrified by what we saw on the West Bank. The settlers were so much more empowered by a very extremist government. We want peace for the Israelis, peace for the Palestinians, based on a proper two-state solution.
INSKEEP: But it sounds like you had grave concerns about the direction of the Israeli government. Were your views complicated at all a little bit after that visit when the October 7 attack by Hamas struck Israel?
ROBINSON: I was horrified, obviously, as everybody was, by the attacks and particularly also the taking of hostages and the continuing taking and now starving of some of those hostages, horrified. But quite honestly, I now fear for the Israeli people. Their eyes are opening slowly. We've seen the leading former military, former diplomatic who are now pleading with President Trump, stop this terrible war, put the pressure on Netanyahu. The interesting thing is President Biden didn't know how to put the pressure on Netanyahu. He had no idea. Trump knows how to do it, but so far won't do it.
INSKEEP: The Israeli government's point of view will be to blame Hamas, to say that Hamas attacked first, that Hamas still holds hostages, that Hamas is not negotiating in good faith. But do you see Israel as the country that can make a move now, that could, for example, alleviate hunger in Gaza?
ROBINSON: I see Israel as led by a very extremist government which is not trying to alleviate the suffering, which is deliberately starving the Palestinian people. Israel is an incredible country in its potential, for anything it wants to do, it can do it. If Israel wanted the food to get into Gaza, there would be no doubt about it. Think of this legacy for the Israeli people. This is going to be so terrible for them. I feel an incredible empathy because they're traumatized. They're not able, somehow, to see what is happening in their name.
INSKEEP: So you're heading, as I understand it, to Egypt, to the border with Gaza. What's your objective?
ROBINSON: Our objective, as always as the Elders, is to tell truth to power. We will try to see the amount of food that is piled up, the amount of trucks that are blocked, the very small amount of aid that's really getting in and the problems with that. And we will tell the truth as elders as best we can. That's all we can do.
INSKEEP: What can you hope for?
ROBINSON: I would hope that President Trump would realize he can't pay full attention at the moment to President Putin. He must stop the war now. He has the power to do it. All he has to do is say to Netanyahu, no more armaments. I'm stopping it now. He's very good at that, very good at the instant decision, and he needs to do it.
INSKEEP: Well, Madam President, or as you suggested, Mary, thank you very much for your time.
ROBINSON: A pleasure. Thank you.
INSKEEP: Mary Robinson is the former president of Ireland, now one of the Elders, former leaders who seek peace in the Middle East. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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