Bill Maher Says Israel Has “Moral High Ground” In Gaza Conflict On ‘Real Time’

Last night on Real Time with Bill Maher, the HBO host spoke about this week’s terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel, which is being referred to as Israel’s 9/11.

The horrific attack—which saw more than 1,200 Israelis killed—was applauded by some, which Maher is taking serious issue with.

“Mostly what I saw this week was a shocking amount of support, even at the moment of the rampage or right after when they’re still counting the bodies,” said Maher. “That was shocking to me.”

He added: “Even at its best, I feel most of the people who you would read in the media, the attitude is sort of like, ‘This is very complicated. I don’t really study it. I don’t really know the facts. So, I’m just going to go with a kind of they’re both guilty equally and a moral equivalency.’ Which I would like to take issue with tonight. I think the Israelis have always had the moral high ground, and I think they still do.”

He pleaded with Israel, however, not to “lose the moral high ground” as the country’s retaliatory siege, which has been going on for 6 days, has left thousands of innocent Palestinians without food, water or medicine.

Maher then criticized a substantial portion of the American left that supports people and groups whose values he hopes they don’t share. He explained how basically everything Hamas stands for goes against all liberal principles.

“Religious tolerance. That doesn’t exist in Gaza. You’re either a Muslim or an infidel, and you better be a Muslim,” Maher said.

He then blasted American college students for supporting Hamas this week. “I don’t think it’s a minority on elite college campuses, which is the mouth of the river this nonsense flows. And, they’re very influential, and those are the people who graduate and become the a**holes in society,” he explained.

“The idea that these are the young people who should truly be on the left instead of where they are with this, and I think it’s because they’re anti-Semitic,” he said. “I think it’s because they want to be social justice warriors. It’s not about the issue. It’s about them.”

He continued, “These kids, they don’t know anything. They learn it from Instagram. Or the colleges…they are indoctrinated in these colleges. It’s true. These elite colleges put out a bunch of America-hating ahistorical hysterics.”

You can watch Maher’s discussion with James Kirchick and Matt Duss above and catch new episodes of Real Time with Bill Maher on Fridays at 10 p.m. ET.