At this point, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to believe “The View” actually enjoys being told off by guests.
In a segment posted to YouTube on Tuesday, guest Bill Maher joined the panel in promotion of his new book, “What This Comedian Said Will Shock You.” Among other topics discussed was the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, which included — as any discussion will — a dialogue about the contemptible actions of Hamas terrorists.
In talking about stopping the war and the deaths of innocent people, Maher offered the solution unequivocally: “Stop attacking Israel.” His statement was met with applause by the audience, while only two women on the panel joined in.
Maher’s remark came at the end of an exchange with Sunny Hostin, in which she asked, “Are you at all concerned about the innocent civilians that have been collectively punished and murdered, largely children and women? Are you at all concerned about the fact that the International Criminal Court just today issued a subpoena for Bibi [Benjamin] Netanyahu?”
Maher responded, “It’s a war, and they were attacked, and they’re defending themselves.”
Hostin reasoned that, because innocent lives have been lost in this terrible ongoing conflict, Maher’s position for Israel and against Hamas is invalidated.
By that token, the Allied powers were in the wrong during World War II, considering that their actions in defeating Nazi Germany resulted in civilian deaths.
War is a terrible thing that nobody should wish for. The deaths of innocent people should not be brushed aside.
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Yet, as Maher reminded the all-female panel, Hamas is no champion of rights and equality worthy of support.
“Let me tell you, if you’re for Hamas, just live in Gaza for a day — and I’m not talking about while the war is on, I mean before the war. Trust me, you would go running and screaming and begging to live in Tel Aviv, a place that has your values.”
Another telling remark came from Joy Behar after the audience applauded Maher for his comment about Israel being attacked.
Behar said, “They’re [Hamas] calling for the annihilation of the Jews, and so you can’t really defend that on the other side very easily.” When the shot panned out, you could see from Whoopi Goldberg and Hostin’s expressions they were less than thrilled with Behar’s declaration.
It’s not as if Behar said something disputable. This is an espoused position by Hamas, and a horrifying one at that.
How could anyone with a moral compass express disdain or indifference toward Behar’s statement that Hamas wants to kill all Jews?
This dialogue with Maher highlighted what is the strangest alliance in modern political discourse. That is, the left and broadly speaking, Islam.
As Maher points out, western values are totally at odds with the society Muslim-majority countries look to build, a Hamas-led Palestine included.
To reiterate, war is a terrible thing that we should all loathe. However, Hostin’s view concerning innocent lives lost doesn’t mean we should all go running into the arms of terrorists.
As evidenced by the rest of the discussion, Maher is not a conservative, stepping in to — once again — make “The View’s” panel look foolish. He’s a self-proclaimed liberal.
Surely if the left is going to listen to reason when it comes to disavowing terrorism, it will be from one of their own.