Bennett slams John Oliver, Trevor Noah, Bella Hadid on Israel criticism
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Israel just wants to live in peace with its neighbors, “but what we won’t do is commit suicide so you can make your snarky comedy bits.”
By AARON REICH, ZACHARY KEYSER
Yamina leader Naftali Bennett addressed criticism against Israel from iconic pop culture figures Bella Hadid, Trevor Noah and John Oliver in a YouTube video Thursday.
Oliver, Noah and Hadid had been among many celebrities in recent days to heavily criticize Israel for its conduct in Gaza during Operation Guardian of the Walls. Many of these criticisms stemmed from the idea that there is a significant disparity in casualties, with Hamas suffering far more casualties than Israel, due in part to the Iron Dome defense system.
But Bennett sought to set the record straight for who he sarcastically called “The ‘great philosophers’ of our age.”
In the video, Bennett, former defense minister, gave numerous examples of important Gazan facilities such as Shifa hospital and the Ayyobiya Boys School, both of which are also Hamas facilities that are used to help plan attacks on Israel or store weapons.
He also gave the example of the al-Jalaa building, where several media outlets like Al Jazeera and the Associated Press had offices. But, as he explained, it also housed a Hamas military intelligence base.
“So Bella, John and Noah, help me out here,” he said. “If a terror organization like Hamas called to murder your families and launched thousands of missiles at your children while they’re hiding inside hospitals, schools and media offices, what would you do?”
Israel, Bennett explained, has two options. Do nothing and die, or respond.
“I don’t know about you all, but we’re gonna go with number two,” Bennett explained.
If celebrities like Noah, Oliver and Hadid want to help end this war, then they should be using their platforms to demand Hamas stop hiding behind innocent civilians, he said.
“Maybe you should ask Hamas operator, Fathi Hamad, to stop bragging that ‘Palestinian women and children make the best human shields,'” he continued, adding that “Yes, that’s exactly what he said.”
He concluded his short video saying that Israel, just like them, just wants to live in peace with its neighbors, “but what we won’t do is commit suicide so you can make your snarky comedy bits.”
Bennett’s remarks follow other responses to the comments made by Hadid, Oliver and Noah.
On May 16, the Israel Twitter account responded to Hadid, who along with her sister Gigi Hadid had shared multiple pro-Palestinian messages on social media, many of which were controversial.
“When celebrities like @BellaHadid advocate for throwing Jews into the sea, they are advocating for the elimination of the Jewish State,” the Israel Twitter account wrote.
“This shouldn’t be an Israeli-Palestinian issue. This should be a human issue. Shame on you.”
Noah, on an episode of The Daily Show, had given Israel criticism for its actions, though he tried to be somewhat impartial. Ultimately, his argument focused on the disproportionality of the casualties and capabilities between Israel and Hamas, saying in the episode “If you are in a fight where the other person cannot beat you, how hard should you retaliate when they try to hurt you?”
This was criticized by National Jewish Advocacy Center Mark Goldfeder as being “logically flawed and incredibly dangerous.”
Writing in an op-ed in The Jerusalem Post, Goldfeder explained that it is unfair to fault Israel for technological advantage or disparity in casualties due to Hamas’s use of human shields, with this type of methodology essentially rewarding Hamas for doing so. And regardless, Goldfeder explains,” as Noah ironically notes, Israel has the ability to completely destroy the other side, but they have shown great restraint in not doing so.
On his show Last Week Tonight, Oliver also emphasized the disproportionate nature of the casualty figures on both sides and accused Israel of war crimes.
“Destroying a civilian residence sure seems like a war crime,” Oliver claimed. “Regardless if you send a courtesy heads up text,” he added, alluding to the IDF’s tactics of roof knocking and evacuating civilians from buildings before targeting these sites with airstrikes.
“Both sides are firing rockets, but one side has one of the most advanced militaries in the world,” Oliver said. “Both sides are suffering heartbreaking casualties, but one side is suffering them exponentially… if you believe Israel’s actions are warranted and proportionate this week, you’re welcome to try and make that argument.”
Responding to Oliver, Renana, a 10-year-old girl from Kfar Azza, a Gaza border community where rocket sirens have been ringing day and night for the past week and a half, recorded a video slamming the talk show host.
“Every siren makes me cry and feel sad,” Renana said, speaking well beyond her years. “Just so you know, my army is strong. However, this does not protect me from being afraid.”
“Israel was founded to protect the Jewish nation,” she continued. “We will not be sorry for [Israel] being a strong country.”
