Bill Maher has criticized former President Barack Obama for expressing disappointment over his comments on the current conflict between Israel and Hamas.
During Obama’s recent podcast, he noted that “nobody’s hands are clean,” which quickly drew criticism from Maher.
The talk show host said he found fault with what he considered a “moral equivalency” in Obama’s statement, describing his comments as “not terrible” but “unhelpful.”
Speaking on the Pod Save America podcast about the conflict, the former president suggested the war was a “moral reckoning for all of us.”
“If you want to solve the problem, you have to absorb the whole truth,” the president said.
“And then you have to admit that no one has clean hands, that we are all complicit to some degree,” the former president continued.
Bill Maher has expressed his disappointment over former President Barack Obama’s comments on the conflict between Israel and Hamas
Former President Obama said that ‘no one’s hands are clean’ during the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas
“What Hamas did was horrible and there is no justification for it. And what is also true is that the occupation and what is happening to the Palestinians is intolerable,” Obama said.
‘All this takes place against the backdrop of decades of inability to achieve lasting peace for both Israelis and Palestinians
“When I look at this, I think back, ‘What could I have done during my presidency to move this forward?’ no matter how hard I tried. I have the scars to prove it.
But such comments seemed to fall flat with Maher. ‘I must say that I still struggle with the moral equality of people. I mean, Barack Obama, who has rarely disappointed me, did so this week,” Maher began.
Maher argued against the use of moral equivalence when it came to the war between Israel and Hamas, citing the ferocious nature of the attack by Hamas and emphasizing the difference between collateral damage and deliberately targeting civilians.
“First of all, the attack was only a month ago, a more vicious attack than we have ever seen in reverse. There is a big difference in collateral damage and what Hamas has done,” Maher said to applause.
Speaking on the Pod Save America podcast about the conflict, the former president suggested the war was a “moral reckoning for all of us.”
An aerial view of a bomb crater after an Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian family as search and rescue efforts for those under the rubble continue in Khan Yunis, Gaza last month
Civil protection teams and residents launch a search and rescue operation around the buildings destroyed after the Israeli attacks in Gaza (file photo)
He then made clear that Israel’s efforts to allow civilians a four-hour break to evacuate were in stark contrast to Hamas’s actions, which provide no such accommodations.
“The Israelis are now allowing a four-hour break so people can go outside,” Maher continued. “So people say, oh, wow, big for them. Okay. But it’s a war the other side started.
‘So interesting: if they shoot at Israel, it’s war. If Israel fires back, it is a war crime. A little bit crazy. Would Hamas do that too? Would they give a four hour break? No. No break,” Maher continued.
‘The Israeli Minister of Heritage was asked in an interview about using a nuclear bomb on Gaza, and he said that is one of the possibilities. He was fired. The Cabinet is not allowed to meet him or be disowned by the Prime Minister. Would that happen the other way around?
“Enough with the moral equivalence, please,” Maher demanded.
The current conflict between Israel and Hamas began after the terrorist group attacked Israel in the early hours of October 7, killing more than 1,400 people.
During his presidency, Obama often supported Israel’s right to self-defense when conflict broke out with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, but quickly called for Israeli restraint once Palestinian casualties from airstrikes mounted.
During his presidency, Obama often supported Israel’s right to self-defense when conflict broke out with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza, but quickly called for Israeli restraint once Palestinian casualties from airstrikes mounted. Pictured, Obama meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in 2010
The Obama administration sought a peace deal in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, but ultimately failed. Obama and Netanyahu are pictured in DC in March 2012
Gaza, a 40-kilometer-long strip of land home to 2.3 million people, has been politically ruled by Hamas, an Iran-backed Islamist group, since 2007 but faces an Israeli blockade.
The Obama administration sought a peace deal in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, but ultimately failed.
Since taking office in early 2021, Biden has not tried to resume long-stalled talks, saying leaders on both sides were too intransigent and the environment was not good.
Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a difficult relationship when Obama was in power, including when the Obama administration negotiated a nuclear deal with Iran.
As Obama’s vice president, Biden often acted as a mediator between the two men. The couple was photographed in March 2010
As Obama’s vice president, Biden often acted as a mediator between the two men.
President Biden has strongly supported Israel in the war against Hamas and provided a significant amount of military aid.
But the government recently called for a humanitarian pause and has repeatedly warned against inflicting excessive harm on Palestinian civilians.
Former President Donald Trump, meanwhile, led an administration that was closely allied with Israel.
Trump initially criticized Netanyahu in the aftermath of the Hamas attack, saying he was “unprepared.” He even went so far as to praise Hezbollah, a regional militant group across the border in Lebanon, as “very smart.” Trump later retracted the comments.