Jon Stewart Compares Israel To The Tucson Mass Shooter
The Israeli government’s assault on Gaza has left the besieged Jewish state even shorter on friends than usual, but when an influential pop culture icon like Jon Stewart is comparing you to the Tucson mass shooter, you know something has gone really wrong.
Israel’s military operations against Gaza, in response to Hamas rocket and terror-tunnel attacks, have claimed more than 1,400 Palestinian lives to date, mostly civilians, while Hamas attacks have killed three Israeli civilians. Revulsion at the innocent deaths has eroded sympathy for Israel, as even the usually unconditionally supportive U.S. government condemned Israel for the shelling of a United Nations school that killed 16. On Thursday night’s The Daily Show, host Jon Stewart stepped up his own critique of Israel’s actions when, in reporting on a ceasefire that collapsed shortly after the episode aired, he made an unmistakable comparison.
“Maybe what happened is the diplomats tackled Israel while they were reloading.“
As Stewart, and others, have noted, expression of anything but unwavering support for Israel’s actions is often characterized as being anti-Israel or worse, but when the United States began to gently suggest that Israel might be able to do more to uphold their incredibly strict and rigorous efforts not to kill civilians, while totally having the right to defend themselves, they were being more of a friend to Israel than those who blindly cheerlead, but not nearly as much of a friend as Israel needs. Maybe when we ship weapons to Israel, we should also ship some sighting equipment, because when the death toll is that lopsided, something ain’t right.
Better yet…READ MORE
m2old4bs August 1st, 2014 at 7:12 pm
I much prefer we spend the billions we send to Israel on our children here in the U.S. Israel is quite capable of handling its own finances.
Roctuna August 1st, 2014 at 7:47 pm
You have seen the videos of Israeli reprisals right? They “knock” on a rooftop with a light rocket then 3-4 minutes later the building disappears. They don’t need sighting technology. They need to get off their moral high-horse and get a shred of humanity.
burqa August 1st, 2014 at 9:24 pm
Hamas knows what the response will be. That is why they put rockets on rooftops and put targets in the middle of densely populated areas. They want to trick the gullible who only look at part of the story.
The strategy of Hamas is to bring as much death and destruction on the Palestinians to gain sympathy as they go about their greater goal of extirminating Israel and establishing an Islamic state based on Hamas’ version of sharia law. Hamas has never had any interest in peace and their leaders have consistently claimed that everything they do is for the purpose of the 2 goals I gave, above.
Roctuna August 2nd, 2014 at 10:09 am
Israel also knows what the Hamas response will be. Grant everything you say about Hamas is true, IMO the actions of Israel in dealing with Palestinians since the wars in the 70’s tells me that they want to drive them out of their borders, if not worse. It wasn’t a Palestinian who assassinated Yitzak Rabin, who was trying to be a peacemaker. The killer was from the Israeli extreme right wing. Israel maintains a repressive police state within its own borders and shows no interest in changing the status quo. Neither side has any moral high ground IMO. Both sides are locked in this death-struggle with such intensity they cannot break free.
The story suggested Israel needed sighting equipment to reduce civilian deaths and I responded that their “sight” is just fine. I think their judgement is in question.
Always Right August 1st, 2014 at 8:34 pm
It can all end if Hamas would stop firing rockets into Israel. It is sad that so many innocent people are being killed in Gaza, but if Hamas had more capability, it would be the same in Israel. This video explains what is really happening in the middle east.
http://www.israelvideonetwork.com/the-most-important-video-about-israel-ever-made
Anomaly 100 August 1st, 2014 at 9:13 pm
I agree that Hamas is culpable but disregarding Netanyahu’s complicity is disingenuous.
Always Right August 1st, 2014 at 10:09 pm
Well, today President Obama said Israel has every right to protect their people.
He condemned Hamas for breaking the cease fire.
http://www.timesofisrael.com/day-25-us-slams-indefensible-israeli-strike-pa-could-press-war-crimes-charges/
fancypants August 2nd, 2014 at 12:18 am
because we all know Israel tells it like it is from both sides ?
burqa August 1st, 2014 at 9:19 pm
OP: “… but when an influential pop culture icon like Jon Stewart is comparing you to the Tucson mass shooter, you know something has gone really wrong.”
Yeah.
What has gone wrong is Stewart has showed we don’t all bowl perfect scores and even someone as smart as Stewart can be a nitwit at times.
thornsoftristan August 2nd, 2014 at 1:58 am
Too funny…the US blames Hamas for the IDF’s crimes, while supplying the murderous IDF with more ammunition to kill innocents…oh, I’m sorry: I meant “human shields.”
Apologists for ethnic cleansing develop their own dog-whistle lexicon, it seems. It’s never the fault of the self-policing, most-moral-army-in-the-world, no! It’s always “someone else’s” fault. While the US acts as both Israel’s “drug sponsor,” (“Hey, Israel: your behavior isn’t ‘helping things.'”) and its drug enabler (“You want some helicopters to go with those missiles, Israel? We gotta special today on choppers!”)
It’s so sleazy: and more than a little bipolar.
But you IDF supporters ask yourself one thing…at the end of the day, when all is said and done…will this bombing/invasion campaign against Hamas end the fighting? Will it guarantee that Hamas will NEVER rocket Israeli’s, again?
Be honest, now. And if the answer is “no:” then why are you supporting a murderous campaign that is only doomed to failure, and can only hurt Israel in the long run?