Bill Maher, the host of "Real Time," expressed his disappointment in former President Obama during his show on Friday, criticizing the ex-president's recent comments on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Obama's remarks were made during a conversation with Pod Save America, where he suggested that everyone shares some responsibility for the escalating violence in the Middle East, which has intensified since the attack on Israel on October 7.
Obama stated, "What Hamas did was horrific, and there is no justification for it. And what is also true is that the occupation, and whats happening to Palestinians, is unbearable. If you want to solve the problem, then you have to take in the whole truth. And then you have to admit nobody's hands are clean, that all of us are complicit to some degree."
Maher took issue with Obama's statement, accusing him of promoting a "moral equivalency" between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group. "I must say I am struggling with people's moral equivalency still," Maher said. "Barack Obama, who has rarely disappointed me, did so this week His statement, I mean, it's not a horrible statement, but he said, 'If you want to solve the problem, then you have to take in the whole truth and then you have to admit nobody's hands are clean.' Literally that's true, of course. But just giving two examples where this is I don't think a helpful statement at this moment."
Maher went on to highlight the differences between the actions of Israel and Hamas, pointing out that the Israelis had implemented a four-hour pause in the conflict to allow civilians to evacuate. He also noted the swift dismissal of Israel's heritage minister after he suggested the use of nuclear weapons on Gaza, questioning whether Hamas would show the same restraint.
Maher also cautioned against ignoring the "Islamic fanaticism" of Hamas, arguing that it was a significant factor in the conflict. "The people in Hamas who kill their own people think they're doing them a favor because they're becoming martyrs. That's a different kind of situation to have to deal with that Israel has that most people don't," Maher said.
In addition, Maher criticized an open letter signed by over 750 journalists, which called for newsrooms to use terms like "apartheid" and "genocide" when reporting on Israel's treatment of Palestinians.
"They couldn't be more pro-Hamas," Maher said. "They say they want the newsroom to adopt words such as apartheid. I hear it all the time anyway, It's wrong. And I hear genocide. Again, wrong. Israel is not trying to commit genocide. The other side- blatantly saying we would love to commit genocide on you."
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