Bill Maher criticized pro-Palestinian extremists who spread the “myth” that Israel could be wiped out in war with Hamas, arguing that “things change throughout history.”
After the conflict erupted on October 7, inflammatory shouts “from the river to the sea” were heard at protests across the West, seen by many as a call for the total annihilation of the nation of Israel.
But Maher, 67, who is Jewish but describes himself as an atheist, said the chant ignored “reality” and suggested the Palestinians would “come to an agreement” to end the decade-long crisis in the Middle East, like other societies have always done it.
He began by saying that Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christianity, was “86 percent Christian” in 1950 but is now “overwhelmingly Muslim.”
“That’s my point tonight: things are changing.”
Bill Maher, 67, criticized the pro-Palestine movement for the “myth” that Israel could be wiped out in a war with Hamas
“For 2.3 billion Christians, there is no place holier than the place where their Savior was born, but they no longer have him.” And yet no Crusader army has prepared to retake it,” Maher continued.
“Things change – countries, borders, empires.”
Maher suggested that Palestine, where more than 19,000 people have died since Israel's retaliatory sieges in response to the Hamas attack on October 7, has already been affected by dramatic geopolitical fluctuations in the past.
“Palestine was under the Ottoman Empire for 400 years,” he said. “But today an ottoman is something you put under your feet.”
Maher felt that “everyone will come to an agreement at some point, except the Palestinians,” and said that the hostile scenes and violent anti-Semitism seen in pro-Palestinian circles were misplaced given the situation in the country is “not rare”.
“Was it unfair that even a single Arab family was forced to move when the Jewish state was founded?” “Yes, but it’s not rare either,” he said. “Happens throughout history all over the world.” And most importantly, people make the most of it.”
He noted that after World War II, 12 million Germans were expelled from Russia, Poland and Czechoslovakia “because Germany had somehow become unpopular.”
Maher also cited a million Greeks expelled from Turkey in 1923, a million Ghanaians expelled from Nigeria in 1983, almost a million French people expelled from Algeria in 1962 and almost a million Syrian refugees who moved to Germany eight years ago, and asked the question, 'Was this a perfect fit?'
Maher's opposition to the “River to Sea” chant comes as its use during protests has drawn increasing backlash. Palestinian supporter and Democratic commentator Cenk Uygur recently deemed it “counterproductive” for the movement.
Maher argued that the Jewish population has been the most oppressed group in Arab countries in recent history and used a graph showing population decline as he pointed out that “no one knows more about being expelled from the land than the Jews”.
Maher used a chart showing the dramatic decline in Jewish populations in Arab countries to argue that “no one knows more about being driven from the land than the Jews.”
The comedian said hostile movements across the West were being fueled by “useful idiots” while criticizing “TikTok fans” for a lack of information
The HBO host emphasized that “history is brutal and people are not good people,” adding, “Yes, TikTok fans, ethnic cleansing happened both ways.”
“History is sad and full of mistakes, but you can't undo it because a paraglider is not a time machine,” he continued.
“People are being relocated and, yes, colonized.” No one was a greater colonizer than the Muslim army that broke out of the Arabian desert and conquered much of the world in a single century. And they didn't do it by asking.”
“There is a reason why the flag of Saudi Arabia is a sword.” Kosovo was the cradle of Christian Serbia, then it became Muslim. In the 90s they waged a war about it, but stopped. They didn't last for 75 years.'
Maher emphasized that struggling societies throughout history “got by,” comparing him to the Jewish family in “Fiddler on the Roof” who repeatedly fled pogroms.
Protests broke out across the West, with demonstrators demanding that Israel and Hamas agree to an urgent ceasefire.
But Maher appeared to blame Palestine and its leaders for the decade-long crisis in the Middle East for rejecting peace deals with Israel, and he also tried to target embattled university presidents.
“The Palestinian people should know that your leaders and the useful idiots on college campuses who are their allies are doing a disservice by keeping the river-to-sea myth alive,” he said.
“I mean, where do you think Israel is going? Spoiler alert: nowhere.
“It's one of the most powerful countries in the world, with a $500 billion economy and the second largest technology sector in the world after Silicon Valley and nuclear weapons.” “They're here, they like their bagel with a flavor to it, they're getting used to it.”
He concluded that “every war ends through negotiations,” and said the conflict would not end as long as Palestine takes the position: “They will die and disappear.”
“What is happening to the Palestinians today is terrible.” And not just in Gaza, but also in the West Bank,” he added.
The comedian brought out a card to make his final point in the “River to Sea” chant, pointing from both sides: “Here is the river, here is the sea.”
“Oh I understand. It means you get everything. Not just the West Bank, which was essentially the original UN partition agreement that you rejected because you wanted it all and always wanted it, even though it is also undeniably the ancestral homeland of the Jews.
“So you attacked and lost.” And attacked again and lost. And attacked again and lost.'
Maher pointed out that Palestine could go the way of Mexico, which previously had a border all the way to the tip of California until it “got real” and “chose a different path” until it is now the world's 14th largest economy.
“If I give the benefit of the doubt and say that your plan for a completely Jewless Palestine is not for all the Jews to die, then what is the only other option?” They move. They move all Jews.
“Where are we moving all this country, Texas?” Surely they have room. I think we could build the Western Wall on the border and kill two birds with one stone. Or we could just get serious.'