Jon Stewart and Peter Beinart have sharply criticized Israel’s current approach to Gaza, warning that the policies are not only morally abhorrent but also pose an existential threat to the Jewish state. On ‘The Daily Show,’ Stewart called the ongoing conflict ‘self-evidently inhumennial and horrific,’ denouncing pro-Israel commentators for denying that the situation constitutes genocide.
Stewart argued that the Israeli government’s actions, particularly under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are placing the Jewish state at greater risk than any criticism of those policies, suggesting that if Netanyahu were to adopt the definition of antisemitism used against him, he would have to ‘bomb himself.’
Beinart, for his part, suggested that the recent Hamas attacks were made possible by the perceived failure of non-violent protest, asserting that the U.S. have historically marginalized efforts to organize peaceful demonstrations, thereby enabling more extreme actions.
The discussion took place amid a backdrop of international tensions, with the United Nations commission accusing Israel of ‘extermination’ in a controversial report, which Stewart described as ‘something self-evidently inhumane and horrific’ that he feels like a ‘crazy person’ to witness.
The argument continues to be a focal point of debate within the Jewish community, with many condemning Stewart as a ‘bad Jew’ for speaking out, while others view his criticism as a necessary reckoning with the ethical implications of Israel’s policies.