On Monday’s edition of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, Jon Stewart declared that Israel is not that different from Russia, which would make its American defenders hypocrites. Later, Stewart welcomed CNN/PBS’s Christiane Amanpour, where he further accused Israel of being a bad history student, but it was clear that it was Stewart who needed to reread his history books.
Stewart’s dishonest Israel-Russia comparison included a clip of White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemning Russia’s targeting of journalists, which led him to react by dishonestly reporting, “You hear that, Russia? We condemn, in no uncertain terms, any repression of a free press! I think you all know what's coming next. More journalists have been killed in Gaza in six months than anywhere else in the world and a new Israeli law says they can ban media outlets they consider a threat.”
An onscreen graphic of a CNN headline on the news made it clear that Stewart omitted the adjective “international.”
Attacking Jean-Pierre from the left, he then played a clip of her reacting to the Israeli law “So as it relates to Al Jazeera, specifically, we've seen the reports, if it is true, if it is true, a move like this is concerning.”
Al Jazeera is hostile, foreign propaganda. A more appropriate analogy for Israel would be Ukraine banning RT. Still, Stewart rolled along, “Oh, we're concerned again? How about, "If it's true, we condemn it"? And by the way, is it true? Feels like you can probably just call someone and be like, "Is this true?" And if they're like, "Yes," you can be like, "That's concerning! Not condemning, but concerning." Well, you know what, perhaps those are peripheral issues. What about the bedrock rule of international law, no taking land by force? When Russia does it, we're pretty clear!”
After a clip of President Biden denouncing Russia’s war on Ukraine, Stewart again compared Israel to Russia, “Ish, See, this is where Israel's actions get interesting. Because you might say Israel's war is different than Ukraine's. Israel is responding to an attack and a hostage crisis. But in the midst of that, they pulled a little something in the West Bank on March 22 that might be notable.”
Stewart then played a clip of a French reporter relaying the news that “the Israeli government announced that it was declaring state land, nearly 2,000 acres of land, in the occupied West Bank.”
The United States has never recognized the West Bank as sovereign Palestinian territory, so comparing it to unquestionably Ukrainian land is simply more bad analogy formulation.
Later, Stewart told Amanpour that Israel is not learning from its own history, “You were covering these types of events from 1983, we all remember that was the occupation in Southern Lebanon…then there was a Lebanese Civil War, the rise of Hezbollah in that occupation. There was the Islamic Revolution in Iran. We’re watching these stories play out redundantly.”
The Israeli invasion of Lebanon began in 1982, but that is a small error. Claiming the Iranian Revolution, which happened in 1979, was somehow tied to the war in Lebanon is a massive factual error.
Amanpour agreed, “Yeah, you know, there’s two things, obviously. One is that, you know, history is not always a great teacher but the other is that, you know, leadership matters and we are in a crisis of leadership around the world.”
She went on to argue that for all of its failures, at least the peace process existed in the 1990s, “there have been instances where peace can be forged, where both sides can come together and it depends on the leaders, you know.”
Here is a transcript for the April 8 show:
Comedy Central The Daily Show
4/9/2024
11:08 PM ET
STEWART: You hear that, Russia? We condemn, in no uncertain terms, any repression of a free press! I think you all know what's coming next. More journalists have been killed in Gaza in six months than anywhere else in the world and a new Israeli law says they can ban media outlets they consider a threat.
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: So as it relates to Al Jazeera, specifically, we've seen the reports, if it is true, if it is true, a move like this is concerning.
STEWART: Oh, we're concerned again? How about, "If it's true, we condemn it"? And by the way, is it true? Feels like you can probably just call someone and be like, "Is this true?" And if they're like, "Yes," you can be like, "That's concerning! Not condemning, but concerning." Well, you know what, perhaps those are peripheral issues. What about the bedrock rule of international law, no taking land by force? When Russia does it, we're pretty clear!
JOE BIDEN: The entire world has a stake in making sure that no nation, no aggressor, is allowed to take a neighbor's territory by force. The American people will never waver in our commitment to those values.
STEWART: Ish, See, this is where Israel's actions get interesting. Because you might say Israel's war is different than Ukraine's. Israel is responding to an attack and a hostage crisis. But in the midst of that, they pulled a little something in the West Bank on March 22 that might be notable.
FRANCE24 REPORTER: As the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his latest visit to Israel, the Israeli government announced that it was declaring state land, nearly 2,000 acres of land, in the occupied West Bank.
This latest Israeli appropriation is the largest land transfer since the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993.
STEWART: 1993 and that's not even Gaza! That's the West Bank. So you can't say it has anything to do with defending yourself against Hamas. Let's see if America upholds its rule against taking land!
…
STEWART: You were covering these types of events from 1983, we all remember that was the occupation in Southern Lebanon. It was right –
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: The Israelis invaded Beirut, they were after the PLO. They wanted to show Arafat out--
STEWART: Right, then there was a Lebanese Civil War, the rise of Hezbollah in that occupation. There was the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
AMANPOUR: Yeah.
STEWART: We’re watching these stories play out redundantly.
AMANPOUR: Yeah, you know, there’s two things, obviously. One is that, you know, history is not always a great teacher but the other is that, you know, leadership matters and we are in a crisis of leadership around the world, I genuinely believe and even as bad as it was in the 1990s, 1979, and the 1980s, all that, there is a period, let's say, in this part of the world, and the Middle East, in the '90s where there was an actual peace process. Now, we can poo poo it, we can laugh at it, we can say that it failed but it failed because the people responsible for enacting it didn’t do it and actually sabotaged it. So, there have been instances where peace can be forged, where both sides can come together—
STEWART: Right
AMANPOUR: -- and it depends on the leaders, you know.
