Left-wing commentator and online streamer Hasan Piker used a nationally syndicated radio platform this week to once again deny the legitimacy of the state of Israel and liken it to some of historys most evil regimes.
During an appearance on The Breakfast Club, Piker was pressed by host Charlamagne tha God about activists who insist Israel has no right to exist, according to Western Journal. I hear people that are anti-Israel, theyll say Israel doesnt have a right to [exist], Charlamagne said, opening the door for Piker to reiterate his long-standing hostility toward the Jewish state.
Piker responded by framing Israel as an inherently illegitimate project rooted in alleged colonialism and oppression. I think Israel, in its current formation, given that its a settler-colonial operation thats seeking out the expulsion or complete extermination of the indigenous population, as an apartheid state, does not have a right to exist, he said.
He then escalated his rhetoric by explicitly comparing Israel to Nazi Germany and other disgraced regimes that the civilized world rightly rejected. Its like, for me, its like saying, does Nazi Germany have a right to exist, or does apartheid South Africa have a right to exist? Piker continued.
Does Rhodesia have a right to exist? No, of course not, he added, equating the modern democratic homeland of the Jewish people with racist dictatorships of the past. Piker then attempted to soften his stance by drawing a distinction between the state and its citizens.
People have a right to exist, people do exist, Israel currently exists, he said, before returning to the familiar language of international tribunals often weaponized against U.S. allies. Its just a matter of are they following international humanitarian laws? he said. And they certainly are not. And I want to change that.
Pikers remarks carry weight on the left, as he is not a marginal figure but one of the most influential progressive streamers, with a sizable audience and a long record of inflammatory commentary. His extremism has become so pronounced that even some Democrats have publicly rebuked him.
In a letter posted on his official House website, Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York labeled Piker the poster child for the post-October 7th outbreak of antisemitism in America. Torres further noted Piker was an apologist for the sexual violence and savage rapes of October 7th, underscoring how far some online personalities have strayed from basic moral clarity after Hamas atrocities.
Pikers history of radical statements extends beyond Israel, as he has also previously said that America deserved 9/11, a remark that reflects a broader contempt for the United States and its allies that has become disturbingly common in certain corners of the left. For many Americans who still believe in Western civilization, national sovereignty and the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state, Pikers growing prominence is less a sign of healthy debate than of a cultural drift that excuses hatred so long as it is cloaked in fashionable ideological language.
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