Bill Maher has once again gone where few on the left are willing to go when it comes to Israel, saying in an 8-minute monologue drawing plenty of attention that it’s hard to negotiate when one side’s position is “you all die and disappear.”
“I know it’s supposed to be that magical time of year, but maybe what we all really need right now is a good dose of realism,” the HBO Real Time host said in his New Rules segment.
Taking on the phrase “From the River to the Sea,” Maher pointed out that Bethlehem is now a Muslim-majority city in the Palestinian-controlled West Bank to say things change over time. Offering a history lesson, he acknowledged that the Palestinian people are unwilling to negotiate for peace by calling for the removal of Jews from Israel, which is what the phrase above means.
“I mean, where do you think Israel is going? Spoiler alert: Nowhere,” Maher said. “It’s one of the most powerful countries in the world with a $500 billion economy, the world’s second-largest tech sector after Silicon Valley, and nuclear weapons.”
“They’re here, they like their bagel with a schmear, get used to it,” he added.
All wars end with negotiation, but it’s hard to negotiate when the other side’s bargaining position is “you all die and disappear.” pic.twitter.com/x72h9Zlqjy — Bill Maher (@billmaher) December 16, 2023
Refusing to ignore the media’s pro-Palestine stance, Maher did not mince words while agreeing that what’s happening in Gaza is “horrible.”
“But wars end in negotiation,” he said. “But what the media glosses over is it’s hard to negotiate when the other side’s bargaining position is you all die and disappear.”
In reality, it’s a call for genocide, but Maher was willing to entertain the alternative for the sake of argument — with a heavy dose of skepticism.
“If I give you the benefit of the doubt and say your plan for a completely Jew-less Palestine isn’t that all the Jews should die,” he said. “What is the only other option? They move. You move all the Jews.”
“Okay, I got to warn you, there’s going to be some kvetching,” Maher continued. “You move all the Jews, and we do this with what? A fleet of trucks called Jew-Haul? And to where are we moving this entire country? Texas? Sure they have room, and I guess we could put the Wailing Wall on the border and kill two birds with one stone.”
“Or we could just get serious,” he concluded.
Here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story, as seen on X:
That was a good one and anyone under 25 yrs old listening probably got more of a history lesson here then they ever did in school! Thank you, loads of truth in humor… @billmaher — Alex Austin (@Alextxfl) December 16, 2023
Best case for Israel’s side of the dispute I have seen articulated yet. Amazing it comes from a comedian. — Nick Dranias (@NickDranias) December 16, 2023
Sad that an 8-minute Bill Maher monologue gives you a more objective and factual overview of Middle Eastern history than you’d get from 8 years of high school and college… https://t.co/VayIdLA2PY — Rocky Mountain High (@subsix848) December 16, 2023