On Sunday’s Final Week Tonight With John Oliver, the host cold-opened the present to briefly talk about the Israel-Hamas warfare whereas calling for peace.
Much like how Pete Davidson opened Saturday Night Live the day before, Oliver appeared on digital camera earlier than any form of music, lights or fanfare had begun to ship his message.
He identified the “horrible week” that has simply taken place with the “immense struggling” in Israel and Gaza being “sickening to observe.” However he mentioned that he wouldn’t be masking it throughout the primary portion of the present due to how “horrific” all of it is in nature, and since they taped the episode on Saturday afternoon and “loads might change” between then and Sunday evening or Monday morning.
With that mentioned, Oliver then delivered some “broad ideas” that he felt would nonetheless apply.
“They should do with sorrow, worry and anger,” he mentioned. “Sorrow is the primary and most overwhelming feeling. The pictures that we’ve seen this week from final Saturday onwards have been completely heartbreaking, 1000’s now lifeless in Israel and Gaza. It might be devastating, not simply to these within the area, however to diaspora communities the world over.”
He added that no matter ideas folks have in regards to the historical past or present state of affairs within the area — together with ideas he has shared earlier than on his present — “it needs to be not possible to see grieving households and never be moved.”
For “worry” he pointed to the potential of additional assaults in Israel together with these taken hostage and what’s but to return in Gaza. And talking of what’s to return, Oliver understands the sentiments of anger.
“I don’t know the place issues stand in Gaza as you watch this proper now. However all indicators appear to be pointed towards a humanitarian disaster. Israeli officers introduced plans to chop off meals, water, gasoline and energy. Hospitals are operating on mills. This has all of the appearances of collective punishment, which is a warfare crime. And I feel many Israelis and Palestinians are feeling justifiable anger proper now, not simply at Hamas, whose totally heinous terrorist acts set this week’s occasions in movement, but additionally on the zealots and extremists throughout the board who persistently thwarted makes an attempt at peace over time.”
Oliver additionally mentioned that Israelis and Palestinians have been repeatedly “let down” by their management and he doesn’t see the present leaders steering anybody “towards peace.”
“However I do nonetheless have some hope. As a result of the best factor to do on the planet after every week like that is interact in bloodthirsty rhetoric, and there has actually been loads of that from these in energy,” he mentioned. “However I’ll say that I’ve been struck by the various odd residents, each Israeli and Palestinian, who known as for restraint this week and never revenge.”
Oliver then performed a CNN interview with Noi Katzman, whose brother Chaim was killed final weekend within the Hamas terrorist assaults. Katzman’s closing sentiment was that he didn’t need his brother’s dying to “be used to kill harmless folks,” including, “I don’t need something to occur to folks in Gaza like what occurred to my brother, and I’m positive he wouldn’t have any both. In order that’s my name to my authorities to cease killing harmless folks. And that’s not the way in which that brings us peace and safety to folks in Israel.”
On that subject of peace, Oliver agreed with Katzman and expanded on what he thinks must occur.
“Folks need and are entitled to peace, and I’m not going to inform both aspect tips on how to get it — actually not on this [British] accent, which has frankly carried out sufficient injury in that individual area to final a f***ing lifetime,” Oliver mentioned. “However simply know in the long run, all of the individuals who wish to reside in that area are going to maintain residing there. So peace is just not elective and would require some robust selections. And I can’t say the place a peace course of ends, nevertheless it simply has to start out with that sort of capability to acknowledge our frequent humanity.”
Viewers reacted to Oliver’s statements on X, previously Twitter, with one individual calling it a “bold choice” and one other saying that Oliver represented their thoughts, to associate with different all-around reward.
John Oliver did a gap monologue about Palestine/Israel that was so good.
— Arturo Dominguez 🇨🇺🇺🇲 (@ExtremeArturo) October 16, 2023
John Oliver put collectively a superb and shifting assertion on the Isreal-Palestine scenario. Glad he talked about it earlier than the present.
— madpooper (@scoopacoop) October 16, 2023
After the chilly open, Oliver proceeded with the present as traditional and put most of his focus into the continuing struggles on Capitol Hill and the Republican celebration making an attempt to select a brand new speaker. After which additionally what was the primary story of the evening about meals security, aka the rationale some viewers are actually avoiding salad for the remainder of their lives.
Final Week Tonight With John Oliver airs Sundays at 11 p.m. on HBO.
