Hasan Piker Compares Israel's Right to Exist to Nazi Germany in Saturday Interview
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 31
Hasan Piker Compares Israel's Right to Exist to Nazi Germany in Saturday Interview
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 31
Summary
Hasan Piker said on "The Breakfast Club" that Israel "in its current formation" has no right to exist, likening that question to whether Nazi Germany, apartheid South Africa or Rhodesia had a right to exist.
The streamer argued Israel is a "settler colonial operation" and "apartheid state," and said the phrase "does Israel have a right to exist" is used to deflect from Palestinian suffering and portray critics as calling for Jews' extermination.
Piker also equated Zionism with fascism and said Israel's rightward shift stems from that ideology, while insisting his position does not advocate violence against Jews, Israelis or Republicans.
UCLA professor Benjamin Radd rejected Piker's claims as historically ignorant, saying Jews have legitimate indigenous ties to the land even if Israel's current leadership can be criticized.
The remarks add to scrutiny around Piker's role in Democratic politics, after Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed recently stressed that only he and campaign spokespeople speak for his campaign.