ISRAEL VERSUS PALESTINE. AND I KNOW THAT EVEN SAYING THAT SENTENCE MEANS I’M LOSING FOLLOWERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA. THAT’S HOW CONTENTIOUS THIS TOPIC IS. BEFORE YOU EVEN FINISH THE SENTENCE, PEOPLE ARE LIKE, "YOU IDIOT! HOW DARE YOU! SHUT THE HELL UP!" BUT, GUYS, WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT, BECAUSE THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT STORIES THAT HAS EXISTED IN OUR LIFETIME. I MEAN, THERE ARE LOTS OF FIGHTS THAT SEEM LIKE THEY WILL NEVER COME TO AN END: INDIA VERSUS PAKISTAN, CHINA VERSUS TIBET, WHITE PEOPLE VERSUS RHYTHM. BUT ISRAEL VERSUS PALESTINE IS A 73-YEAR-OLD BEEF THAT HAS STUMPED EVERBODY. I MEAN, WHEN IT STUMPED JARED,
YOU KNEW THAT THIS THING WAS YOU KNEW THAT THIS THING WAS DIFFICULT. BUT THE PARODOX, THE PARODOX IS THAT BECAUSE ISRAEL AND PALESTINE HAS BEEN ONGOING FOR SO LONG, PEOPLE FORGET THAT IT IS ONGOING, UNTIL THERE ARE FLARE-UPS THAT THE WORLD CANNOT IGNORE, WHICH IS WHAT HAPPENED AGAIN THIS WEEK. >> OVERNIGHT, A DEADLY BARRAGE FROM ISRAELI FORCES LIGHTING UP THE SKIES OVER GAZA. ( SIRENS ) AND IN THE WEST BANK, WARNING SIRENS ECHOING THROUGH BETHLEHEM. EARLIER, PALESTINIAN MILITANT GROUPS FIRING MORE THAN 200 ROCKETS INTO ISRAEL, MOST OF THE HAMAS ROCKETS STOPPED BY ISRAEL’S MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM, OR THEY FELL SHORT. ISRAELI STRIKES REPORTEDLY KILLING AT LEAST 23 PEOPLE, INCLUDING NINE CHILDREN, ISRAEL SAYING THE DEAD WERE MILITANTS. AT LEAST SIX ISRAELIS WERE REPORTED INJURED. TENSIONS HAD BEEN ESCALATING OVER ISRAELI MOVES TO EVICT PALESTINIAN FAMILIES FROM THEIR HOMES IN EAST JERUSALEM. THEY BOILED OVER AS MORE THAN 100 WORSHIPPERS AND PROTESTERS WERE INJURED AS ISRAELI POLICE STORMED THE AL AQSA MOSQUE USING TEAR GAS AND RUBBER BULLETS. >> Trevor: YES, THIS WEEK, THE CONFLICT ESCALATED AGAIN, AND NOW DOZENS OF PEOPLE ARE DEAD. INCLUDING CHILDREN. AND, LOOK, MAN, WHAT MAKES ISRAEL-PALESTINE SUCH A DIFFICULT TOPIC TO EVEN BROCH IS ALL THE LAYERS PACKED UNDER IT. NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU TRY TO BREAK IT DOWN, PEOPLE WILL SAY YOU’RE LEAVING OUT SOME CRUCIAL PIECE OF CONTEXT, AND THEY’RE PROBABLY RIGHT. I MEAN, THERE’S THE HISTORY OF HOW ISRAEL BECAME A STATE AFTER NAZI GERMANY TRIED TO DESTROY THE JEWISH PEOPLE. BUT THERE’S ALSO THE HISTORY OF THE BRITISH TAKING THE LAND FROM THE PALESTINIANS, NOT TO MENTION THAT EVERY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE
REGION HAS ITS OWN ISSUES AND REGION HAS ITS OWN ISSUES AND ITS OWN AGENDAS. AND ON TOP OF ALL OF THAT, THERE’S RELIGION INVOLVED. AND RELIGION HAS NEVER CALMED ANY SITUATION WHERE THERE’S A CLASH. WHAT MAKES IT EVEN HARDER IS THE FACT THAT WHO’S RIGHT AND WHO’S WRONG ALWAYS SEEMS TO CHANGE, DEPENDING ON WHEN YOU START MEASURING FROM. THIS WEEK WAS THE PERFECT, PERFECT EXAMPLE OF IT. IF YOU START FROM "ISRAEL FIRED ROCKETS INTO GAZA," THEN ISRAEL IS THE BAD GUY, BECAUSE THEY’RE BOMBING GAZA. BUT THEN YOU TAKE A STEP BACK IN TIME, YOU GO, "WELL, BUT HAMAS FIRED ROCKETS AT ISRAEL." THEN HAMAS IS THE BAD GUY. BUT THEN YOU TAKE A STEP BACK, AND YOU GO, "BUT THE ISRAELI POLICE WENT IN AND STARTED BEATING PEOPLE UP IN A MOSQUE DURING RAMADAN, THE MOST HOLY TIME IN THE MUSLIM CALENDAR." WELL THEN, ISRAEL IS THE BAD GUY. BUT THEN YOU GO, "WELL THE PALESTINIANS WERE THROWING ROCKS..." "WELL, THE ISRAELIS WERE KICKING PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR HOMES..." "WELL, THE INTIFADA..." "WELL, ISRAEL KEEPS TAKING MORE AND MORE LAND..." "WELL, THE ARAB INVASION..." AND BACK AND BACK AND BACK, AMD WHO KNOWS HOW FAR. THE FIRST CAVEMEN WHO HIT EACH OTHER WITH CLUBS WERE PROBABLY ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN. I DON’T KNOW. AND, LOOK, I DON’T WANT TO HAVE THAT ARGUMENT. I DON’T WANT TO HAVE THE ARGUMENT AND THE NOISE THAT GOES BACK AND FORTH IN THIS THING, BECAUSE, HONESTLY, I DON’T THINK ANY TV SHOW IN 10 MINUTES IS GOING TO SOLVE ISRAEL-PALESTINE. TEN MINUTES ISN’T EVEN ENOUGH TIME TO EXPLAIN THE MORTAL KOMBAT" CONFLICT. SO I’M NOT EVEN TRYING TO COME IN AND DO THAT. THE PART WHERE WE SAY WHO’S GOOD AND WHO’S BAD, OR WHO STARTED IT-- LET’S STEP AWAY FROM THAT. INSTEAD LET’S ASK A DIFFERENT QUESTION. INSTEAD, LET’S LOOK AT WHO’S DEAD AND WHO’S ALIVE THIS WEEK. IN GAZA, ISRAELI AIR STRIKES HAVE REPORTEDLY KILLED 28 PEOPLE, INCLUDING 10 CHILDREN. OVER 150 PEOPOLE HAVE BEEN WOUNDED. IN ISRAEL, HAMAS ROCKETS HAVE KILLED TWO PEOPLE. AND THIS EXCHANGE OF FIRE COMES AFTER THE ISRAELI ASSAULT IN AND AROUND THE AL AQSA MOSQUE THAT LEFT MORE THAN 600 PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS, WORSHIPERS, AND CIVILIANS WOUNDED, AND A FEW DOZEN ISRAELI POLICE. NOW, PERSONALLY-- I’M NOT SAYING FOR YOU-- JUST PERSONALLY, I CANNOT WATCH THAT FOOTAGE AND HEAR THOSE NUMBERS, AND SEE A FAIR FIGHT. SET ASIDE MOTIVES AND INTENTIONS, AND JUST LOOK AT TECHNOLOGY, TECHNOLOGY ALONE. ISRAEL HAS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL MILITARIES IN THE WORLD. THEY CAN CRUSH GAZA LIKE TA. NOT TO MENTION ONE OF THE MOST ADVANCED DEFENSE SYSTEMS. YOU SHOOT A ROCKET AT THEM, IT’S PROBABLY NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING TO THEM BECAUSE OF THAT DEFENSE SYSTEM. RIGHT, THEY’VE GOT A GIANT MOTUMBO IN THE SKY, JUST KNOCKING THEM DOWN. AND I KNOW, I KNOW THIS IS CONTENTIOUS, AND I KNOW PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HATE ME FOR THIS. BUT I JUST WANT TO ASK AN HONEST QUESTION HERE: IF YOU ARE IN A FIGHT WHERE THE OTHER PERSON CANNOT KNET YOU, HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU RETALIATE WHEN THEY TRY TO HURT YOU? IT’S AN HONEST QUESTION. I ASK THIS QUESTION BECAUSE I THINK OF IT LIKE THIS: WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER, I WOULD ALWAYS GET INTO FIGHTS WITH MY LITTLE BROTHERS. AND LITTLE KIDS CAN BE VICIOUS. THEY’RE TRYING TO PUNCH YOU IN THE LEGS. THEY’RE TRYING TO PUNCH YOU IN THE NUTS. THEY DO THAT. BUT MY MOM WOULD SAY TO ME, "TREVOR, DON’T HIT THE KID BACK, BECAUSE THEY CAN’T HURT YOU.ñu3i IS FOUR." AND I WAS LIKE, "YEAH, BUT THE KID IS HITTING ME! HE COULD HURT ME!" BUT MY MOM SAID, "YES, BUT YOU’RE ALSO SO MUCH BIGGER THAN THE KID. YOU CAN CRUSH HIM IN AN INSTANT." AND PLEASE DON’T GET ME WRONG, BECAUSE I KNOW SOMEONE WILL WATCH THIS AND SAY YOU’RE COMPARING PALESTINIANS TO CHILDREN. I’M NOT DOING THAT. I’M TELLING A STORY ABOUT MYSELF, HONESTLY, I AM. WHAT MY MOM MADE ME UNDERSTAND IS, AS THE PERSON WHO HAS IMMENSELY MORE POWER, I HAD TO ASK MYSELF WHETHER MY RESPONSE TO THIS CHILD WAS JUST OR NECESSARY. COULD I FIND A DIFFERENT WAY TO DEAL WITH THIS? WHETHER I FELT AGGRIEVED OR NOT, OR WHETHER THEY WERE FIGHTING FAIR WAS ALMOST IRRELEVANT. WAS I EVEN ABLE TO ASK MYSELF THE QUESTION ABOUT WHY THEY WERE DOING WHAT THEY WERE DOING? WAS I WILLING TO ADMIT GUILT. THIS IS ALL PART OF THE QUESTION I HAD TO ASK MYSELF. BUT THE MAIN QUESTION I ASK IN THIS SITUATION IS ABOUT POWER. AGAIN, I KNOW, IT’S NOT A GREAT ANALOGY BECAUSE I’M NOT SAYING PALESTINIANS ARE CHILDREN. I’M NOT SAYING THEY’RE ALL CHILDREN. I’M NOT SAYING THEY’RE HARMLESS OR IRRATIONAL OR ACTING OUT. I’M NOT SAYING ANY OF THAT. I’M NOT. I’M TALKING ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE IN POWER, WHICH IS SOMETHING WE DO ALL THE TIME. THINK ABOUT POLICING. IF A MAN HAS A KNIFE, SHOULD THE COPS SHOOT HIM? IN MANY PARTS AROUND THE WORLD, LIKE IN THE U.K., THEY SAY, "WE’RE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING TO TRY AND NOT SHOOT THE PERSON, EVEN AT RISK TO OURSELVES," BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY BROUGHT A KNIFE TO A GUN FIGHT. SO WHAT’S THE RIGHT RESPONSE? EVERYONE HAS DIFFERENT ANSWERS TO THE QUESTION, AND I’M NOT TRYING TO ANSWER THE QUESTION NOR DO I THINK I’M SMART ENOUGH TO SOLVE IT. ALL I’M ASK IS WHEN YOU HAVE THIS MUCH POWER, WHAT IS YOUR
RESPONSIBILITY?
Finally a late night host is covering this. I’m not aware of anyone else even mentioning the conflict.
This was a simple brush off but showed the difficulty of having this conversation. https://youtu.be/zmCKZYKsiGM
I absolutely love trevor and he has earned more respect from me.
Aaaaaand he’s canceled lol