Jerry Seinfeld needed only four words to ignite a fresh round of outrage on the left when a social media activist tried to drag him into the Free Palestine sloganeering at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.
According to Western Journal, the New York Knicks had just wrapped up a win over the San Antonio Spurs when a New York City influencer turned his camera on the Jewish comedian, hoping to extract a celebrity sound bite in the style of Hollywoods progressive elite. Can we get a free Palestine? Seinfeld was asked, according to a video posted to X. It doesnt exist, Seinfeld replied dryly, delivering the line without breaking stride as he exited the arena.
The offhand remark instantly triggered Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, one of Congress most outspoken critics of Israel and a leading voice of the progressive Squad. Cornered by TMZ, Omar lashed out at the comedian, declaring, I think Jerry Seinfeld has been a really horrific human being and an example when it comes to talking about the reality of the genocide that Israel has carried out, doubling down on the lefts inflammatory rhetoric against the Jewish state.
Seinfeld, however, has made no secret of his contempt for the Free Palestine chant and the broader push to delegitimize Israel since the Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians in October 2023. As noted by the New York Post, he has repeatedly rejected the notion of a Palestinian state, and in February 2025, when an influencer tried to score a viral moment by saying Free Palestine during a selfie, Seinfeld coolly responded, I dont care about Palestine.
The comedian has also refused to bow to intimidation from anti-Israel activists who have followed him around the globe. In May 2025, when a protester filmed himself accusing Seinfeld of supporting the genocide of babies in Gaza, the comic shot back, Only you, before walking away, turning the smear into a punchline rather than an apology.
Campus activists have fared no better in their attempts to shame him into silence. In May 2024, Seinfeld was met with boos and a walkout at Duke Universitys commencement, yet by 2025 he was back on campus delivering a blunt assessment of the Free Palestine slogan, saying, Free Palestine is, to me, just youre free to say you dont like Jews. Just say you dont like Jews, according to the Duke Chronicle.
He went further, arguing that the slogan masks raw bigotry behind a veneer of social justice rhetoric. By saying Free Palestine, youre not admitting what you really think, he said. So its actually compared to the Ku Klux Klan, Im actually thinking the Klan is actually a little better here, because they can come right out and say, We dont like Blacks, we dont like Jews. OK, thats honest, he added, underscoring his view that todays anti-Israel activism is simply old-fashioned hatred in a new costume.
The backlash has followed him overseas as well, with Seinfeld being heckled during a 2024 show in Australia, as reported by the Jerusalem Post. He answered the disruption with trademark sarcasm, telling the crowd, We have a genius, ladies and gentlemen. He solved the Middle East, and adding, Its the Jewish comedians; thats what we have to get.
Seinfelds stance is rooted not in abstract politics but in firsthand experience of Israels trauma after Hamas atrocities. In December 2023, he traveled to Israel, toured communities ravaged by terrorists, and later said he was proud to be an ambassador for spreading the truth throughout the world, a posture that stands in sharp contrast to celebrity activists who chant slogans from the safety of red carpets and social media feeds.
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