HBO’s “Real Time” host Bill Maher — a stalwart of the political left — is apparently bewildered by those in his own camp who are aligning themselves with Hamas, the terrorist group controlling Gaza.
“It’s just amazing to me that the American left — so much of it — throws their lot in with people whose values I hope they don’t share,” he said during the latest episode of his talk show. “But let’s go through them, because values and customs make a difference, OK?”
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He added, “[B]y the way, if the Israelis did get rid of Hamas, they’d be doing a giant favor to the people of Gaza, who hate Hamas, too.”
The 67-year-old comedian and political commentator pointed out that, culturally, Israelis value many of the same ideological principles as Americans, referring to things like freedom of speech, autonomy, and religious liberty.
“Religious tolerance: that doesn’t exist in Gaza,” he said. “You’re either a Muslim or an infidel, and you’d better be a Muslim. Female freedom. Free and fair elections. Free speech. Gay rights.”
One of Maher’s guests, writer James Kirchick, likened those on the left supporting Hamas to black people endorsing the Ku Klux Klan.
“By the way, I’m a gay man; I’ve lived in Berlin,: Kirchick added. “This is a level of masochism that even I cannot comprehend.”
Maher continued, “Can I just finish my list? Pedophilia: I’ll put that under ‘Don’t ask.’ Child brides and so forth. Equality of the sexes. I’ll categorize that under ‘Don’t make me [expletive] laugh.’ The fact that these people think that this is where they should be aligned with? These are the values that you support?”
Watch a portion of Maher’s comments below (Content warning for language):
If the Israelis did get rid of Hamas, they'd be doing a giant favor to the people of Gaza. pic.twitter.com/f2R9TUsLDR
— Bill Maher (@billmaher) October 17, 2023
This is not a new position for Maher.
In 2018, Maher said on “Real Time” he agreed with then-President Donald Trump’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a shift several former commanders-in-chief said they supported in principle but never actually initiated. Palestinians consider Jerusalem — at least in part — to belong to them, which is why the U.S. kept its embassy in Tel Aviv for so long, so as not to appear squarely on the side of Israel.
The HBO host’s comments about Hamas come as college groups around the U.S. have embraced the terrorist organization and its deadly attack on Israel earlier this month.
Dr. Donald Sweeting, chancellor of Colorado Christian University, recently spoke with CBN Digital bout why he believes so many young college students have been duped into supporting Hamas and condemning Israel.
“We’re seeing this in university campuses around the country,” he said. “There’s this celebration of Hamas on the one hand, and then the administrators are quiet about it. The [college] presidents generally aren’t speaking out about it. And this, to me, it’s unconscionable, but it also reveals that we’ve been teaching stuff and promoting things in the universities that are bearing a bitter fruit.”
Many higher education institutions, Sweeting added, have abandoned even secular liberalism in favor of “neo-Marxist worldview,” a philosophy that divides the world into two segments: victims of oppression and oppressors.
You can watch our full conversation with Sweeting below:
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