Wednesday, 20 November 2024

HBO Host John Oliver Slammed for ‘Comparing Israel to Nazis’ in ‘Shameful’ Monologue

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HBO Host John Oliver Slammed for ‘Comparing Israel to Nazis’ in ‘Shameful’ Monologue
LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS -- Episode 488 -- Pictured: (l-r) ‘Last Week Tonight’ host,Lloyd Bishop/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Left-wing HBO comedian John Oliver is facing backlash for “comparing Israel to the Nazis” while criticizing the Jewish State and its policies during a “shameful” rant.

During his Last Week Tonight show on Sunday, Oliver criticized Israel and its supposedly selective use of the “never again” slogan in current policies.

At one point during the segment, the longtime host highlighted a frequently cited slogan associated with with the Jewish State, stating, “A phrase that gets brought up a lot with regard to Israel is ‘never again’, an anti-genocide slogan often invoked in memory of the Holocaust and it has always been open to two interpretations.”

According to Oliver, who has been described as “the king of liberal late night,” one reading means “this must never again happen to the Jewish people,” while the other means “this must never again happen to any people anywhere.”

Pointing to Israel’s current situation, the British-American comedian remarked that “In the West Bank, as in Gaza right now, it’s pretty clear which one the Israeli government has favored.”

Oliver went on to criticize Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who he accused of planning to do “what he and the worst people around him” desire to.

The talk show host failed to mention the surge in Netanyahu’s domestic support, which can be largely attributed to his stance against Hamas and a Palestinian state despite U.S. and domestic pressures.

He also ignored the widespread anti-Jewish sentiment among Palestinians, who overwhelmingly support both Hamas and the October 7 massacre it perpetrated. 

Hamas’ massacre, the deadliest against Jewish people since the Nazi Holocaust, received broad support from Palestinian factions across the board, with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad participating in it, the “moderate” Fatah’s student movement expressing support, and the official Palestinian Authority (PA) pledging to pay nearly $3 million to the families of slain terrorists who executed the massacre

As Breitbart News reported, immediately after news of the October 7 massacre broke, Palestinians at home and abroad were seen celebrating jubilantly, greeting the returning executioners as heroes, burning seized Israeli cars, distributing sweets, and firing guns in the air.

Describing Israeli “settlements” as both “illegal” and “immoral,” the HBO host failed to note that groups like Hamas and Hezbollah view all Israeli cities as illegitimate “settlements.” Refusing to recognize the entire state of Israel, they consider its establishment and existence as criminal, and regard any city or town within its borders as part of “occupied” Palestinian territory.

Oliver’s take sparked a backlash. Many quickly responded to it.

“In a disgusting display of antisemitism (& ignorance), [John Oliver] compares Israel’s actions to eradicate terrorists in Gaza & the West Bank that LITERALLY call for the genocide of Jews (and have acted on it) to the behavior of Nazis during the Holocaust,” stated the watchdog group Canary Mission in a post.

Calling out his “one-sided anti-Israel hit piece,” media watchdog Honest Reporting was stunned over Oliver’s take, and wondered if he was “really comparing Israel to the Nazis?”

One user called Oliver out for discussing the “horror of the Separation Wall” in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), while failing to mention “why Israel built it.” 

“He finds it extremely easy to just skip over two Intifadas: thousands of TERROR ATTACKS,” the user added.

“How profoundly disappointing to see [Oliver] compare the Holocaust, the ethnic cleansing of 6 million Jews, to Israel’s attempt to destroy Hamas, a terrorist organization whose mission is to destroy Israel and kill Jews,” wrote another user. “John Oliver’s propaganda has victims.”

During Israel’s war on Hamas in 2021, Oliver criticized the Israeli response to thousands of rockets being fired by Palestinian Hamas terrorists. Falsely accusing Israel of war crimes, he argued that because Israel has the Iron Dome missile defense system, and it can aim more precisely at Palestinians and that there is a “massive imbalance.”

The commentary prompted a ten-year-old girl from Kfar Azza, an Israeli town near the border with the Gaza Strip which would later become “Ground Zero” of Hamas’s October 7 massacre, to respond.  

Renana Botzer Swissa, who more recently survived the October 7 massacre, pointed out that which is obvious to most Israelis — that because Palestinian terrorists target civilians, every rocket is a threat.

“Every siren makes me cry and feel sad. Just so you know, my army is strong. However, this does not protect me from being afraid,” she said, adding that she just wanted peace and a normal childhood, “for me and for all the children in Gaza.”

On October 7 last year, Renana, who is now 13 years old, was at home when Hamas launched a multi-pronged October attack which saw roughly 3,000 terrorists infiltrate Israel, resulting in nearly 1,200 deaths, over 4,800 injuries, and at least 241 hostages taken, with most victims being civilians, including dozens of Americans.

She described waking up to continuous sirens, unaware of what was happening until learning about a terrorist infiltration. She and her family locked all the doors and stayed in the safe room for many hours, whispering and praying, before eventually being evacuated.

She also described the fear and the loss of many friends, including those missing and murdered.

Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.


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