The Daily Show returned to Comedy Central on Monday and proceeded to blame seemingly everybody, but Hamas for the current war going on between it and Israel. Temp host Michael Kosta and Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer would blame everybody from Britain to the Arab states seeking normalization deals with Israel to Israel itself to the United States for the carnage, but Hamas itself was not.
During his opening monologue Kosta tried to play the role of the dumb comedy host who was being compelled by events to discuss things he knows nothing about, but wittingly or unwittingly, ended up blaming Israel’s existence for the problem, “And everyone has an opinion for who is responsible for it. It’s Israel, it is Palestine, it’s Netanyahu, it’s Hamas, everyone's taking a side, but everyone is wrong because I spent the weekend reading two lengthy Wikipedia articles and I think it is pretty clear who we can blame for all of this mess: the British.”
Kosta continued, “[Bleep] you, Britain, and your nursing-home king. They're the ones who barged into the Middle East 100 years ago and drew the borders that caused all this mess.”
Next to Kosta was an image of a map of the British Mandate for Palestine, which was created as a result of the British government’s Balfour Declaration in 1917 to recreate a Jewish homeland after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire. Saying the Mandate for Palestine was a mistake is saying Israel is a mistake.
The truth is that Kosta probably doesn’t realize what he just said, because Israel naturally views Britain implementing the Balfour Declaration as a good thing, as he suggested, “So maybe that's the best way we can find peace: Israel and Palestine, it's time to put your grievances aside, and join together to invade Britain. Now who's an idiot now?”
Later, Kosta welcomed Bremmer and more sincerely, asked, “How can you help me make sense of what’s happening right now? Why did Hamas attack right now and how can we make sense of this?”
After Bremmer compared the situation to the opposite of the proverbial frog dying in boiling water, he blamed Arab states seeking normalization deals with Israel for the situation:
Okay, I mean, what has happened over the past years is that Israel has gotten itself in a much stronger position. They're creating diplomatic deals with other countries around the region that want to work with them on investment and trade and tourism and even national security. And while that has been going on, the situation for the Palestinians has only gotten worse. So if you are sitting on the ground in the occupied territories, you feel like your friends in the region don't really care about you anymore.
Also on Bremmer’s list was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his judicial reforms, “I've been on TV a lot talking about Israel over the last year, no one has been asking about what’s going to happen with the Palestinians. They've been asking about all those demonstrations that have happened on the ground, the judicial reform.
Finally, Bremmer went after the United States, “So, the fact is that you’ve let an impossible situation, especially in Gaza, with over 2 million Palestinians who are living in atrocious conditions, and everyone has forgotten about them. That, by the way, includes here in the United States. So, was it going to happen, you know, this last two weeks or was it going to happen in another month or three months? You weren't going to keep this stable. The lesson we’ve learned is, it turns out, you can't actually forget about the Palestinians.”
Who governs Gaza? Maybe that’s why the living conditions are “atrocious.”
Here is a transcript for the October 16 show:
Comedy Central The Daily Show
10/16/2023
11:03 PM ET
MICHAEL KOSTA: And everyone has an opinion for who is responsible for it. It’s Israel, it is Palestine, it’s Netanyahu, it’s Hamas, everyone's taking a side, but everyone is wrong because I spent the weekend reading two lengthy Wikipedia articles and I think it is pretty clear who we can blame for all of this mess: the British. [Bleep] you, Britain, and your nursing-home king. They're the ones who barged into the Middle East 100 years ago and drew the borders that caused all this mess. And they did it all around the world, by the way! Like, how much of modern civilization is just undoing all of Britain's bad decisions? You want to know how bad they [bleep]ed up maps? They made Ireland two Irelands! It's an island! It didn't need borders, but the British were like, "Here you go!" So maybe that's the best way we can find peace: Israel and Palestine, it's time to put your grievances aside, and join together to invade Britain. Now who's an idiot now?
…
11:22 PM ET
KOSTA: How can you help me make sense of what’s happening right now? Why did Hamas attack right now and how can we make sense of this?
IAN BREMMER: So you know that story of the frog in the boiling pot?
KOSTA: Yes.
BREMMER: And you turn it up a little bit hotter and the frog doesn't move, doesn't jump out, just dies? Whoever came up with that story has never been to Gaza.
KOSTA: Okay.
BREMMER: Okay, I mean, what has happened over the past years is that Israel has gotten itself in a much stronger position.
KOSTA: Yeah.
BREMMER: They're creating diplomatic deals with other countries around the region—
KOSTA: Yeah.
BREMMER: -- that want to work with them on investment and trade and tourism and even national security. And while that has been going on, the situation for the Palestinians has only gotten worse. So if you are sitting on the ground in the occupied territories, you feel like your friends in the region don't really care about you anymore.
KOSTA: Yeah.
BREMMER: And, meanwhile, I got to tell you, I've been on TV a lot talking about Israel over the last year—
KOSTA: Yeah.
BREMMER: -- no one has been asking about what’s going to happen with the Palestinians. They've been asking about all those demonstrations—
KOSTA: Right.
BREMMER: -- that have happened on the ground.
KOSTA: Right.
BREMMER: The judicial reform.
KOSTA: Right.
BREMMER: So, the fact is that you’ve let an impossible situation, especially in Gaza, with over 2 million Palestinians who are living in atrocious conditions, and everyone has forgotten about them. That, by the way, includes here in the United States.
KOSTA: Right.
BREMMER: So, was it going to happen, you know, this last two weeks or was it going to happen in another month or three months? You weren't going to keep this stable. The lesson we’ve learned—
KOSTA: Yeah.
BREMMER: -- is, it turns out, you can't actually forget about the Palestinians.
