Obama Disappointed Bill Maher With ‘Moral Equivalency’ On Israel and Hamas: ‘Enough!’

Bill Maher said Friday that former president Barack Obama disappointed him with comments in response to the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

On Friday night’s edition of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, the comic’s panel guests were author and podcast host Jordan Peterson and New York Times opinion columnist Pamela Paul. As they discussed President Joe Biden’s prospects in 2024, the subject of the Israel-Hamas War obviously came up, and Maher mentioned the former president’s comments.

Obama said on a podcast this week that “nobody’s hands are clean” in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. “What Hamas did was horrific and there’s no justification for it. And what is also true is that the occupation and what’s happening to Palestinians is unbearable,” said Obama, equating the horrific terror attack of October 7 that targeted civilian families for murder, torture and rape with Israel’s military response to that attack.

Maher brought up Obama’s comments, saying that the “moral equivalency” is disappointing.

“I must say I am struggling with people’s moral equivalency, still,” said Maher. “I mean, Barack Obama, who has rarely disappointed me, did so this week.”

He described Obama’s remarks as “not horrible” but not “helpful,” and then explained why the moral equivalence is false.

“First of all, the attack was only a month ago, a more savage attack than we’ve ever seen in reverse. There’s a big difference in collateral damage and what Hamas did,” he said as the audience applauded.

“Secondly, okay, the Israelis are now allowing a four-hour pause for people to get out,” he continued. “So people say, oh, wow, big of them. Okay. But it is a war that the other side started.”

“So interesting, when they fire at Israel, it’s a war. When Israel fires back, it’s a war crime. A little crazy,” he pointed out. “Also, would Hamas do that? Would they give four-hour pause? No. No pausing.”

“Enough with the moral equivalencies, please,” said Maher.

Guests Jordan Peterson and Pamela Paul agreed with Paul saying that Hamas “very deliberately set out to kill civilians” in their terror attack, “Whereas, as you pointed out, Israel is trying not to kill civilians.”

MAHER: Yeah. I must say I am struggling with people’s moral equivalency, still. I mean, Barack Obama, who has rarely disappointed me, did so this week. I mean, 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 to give you two examples where this is, I don’t think, a helpful statement at this moment.

First of all, the attack was only a month ago, a more savage attack than we’ve ever seen in reverse. There’s a big difference in collateral damage and what Hamas did.

Second — Secondly, okay. The Israelis are now allowing a four-hour pause for people to get out. So people say, oh, wow, big of them. Okay. But it is a war that the other side started. So interesting when they fire at Israel, it’s a war when Israel fires back, it’s a war crime. A little crazy. So and also, would Hamas do that? Would they give four hour pause? No. No pausing. And then Israel’s Heritage Minister was asked in an interview about using a nuke on Gaza, and he said that’s one of the possibilities. He was fired. Not allowed in the cabinet meeting him or disavowed by the prime minister. Would that happen in reverse? So enough with the moral equivalencies, please.

PAUL: I think the only moral equivalency you can make there is that there are civilian deaths on both sides, and that’s tragic. And no one wants civilian deaths in this scenario except for Hamas.

PETERSON: Iran probably wants them too.

MAHER: Yes.

PAUL: But who very deliberately set out to kill civilians, Whereas, as you pointed out, Israel is trying not to kill civilians.

MAHER: But yes, and also because — and this minister said one thing that was true, I don’t think his nuclear comment was very smart — but, he said you can’t scare them with death. That’s a big difference with this conflict, and–.

PETERSON: Especially with other people’s death.

MAHER: With or but with their own.

PAUL: With their own.

MAHER: People don’t care about other people in wars, but they do often mostly care about their own. I think we are forgetting a little bit of the Islamic fanaticism part of this, because you’re not supposed to talk about that anymore, because if you do, even how, no matter how realistic it is, it becomes Islamophobia. But it’s true. The people in Hamas who kill their own people think they’re doing them a favor because they’re becoming martyrs. That’s a, that’s a different kind of situation. I have to deal with that Israel has that most people don’t.

Watch the clip above via Real Time With Bill Maher on HBO.