Comedian Bill Maher calls BDS 'a bulls**t purity test'

Maher has stated in the past that he is "more on the side of the Israelis" in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

AUGUST 17, 2019 21:32

Comedian Bill Maher speaks during ceremonies unveiling his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood (photo credit: FRED PROUSER/REUTERS) — Comedian Bill Maher speaks during ceremonies unveiling his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood

(photo credit: FRED PROUSER/REUTERS)

Comedian and Real Time host Bill Maher criticized the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement on his show on Friday, calling it a "bulls**t purity test."

Maher, who has openly endorsed Democrat Bernie Sanders since the 2016 US elections, asked his panel if BDS was a fair organization to support in light of the cancellation Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar’s visit to east Jerusalem and the West Bank. He soon enough took the matter into his own hands, however, and said he would answer the question himself.

“It’s a bulls**t purity test,” said Maher, who has said in the past that he is “more on the side of the Israelis” in regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “BDS is a bulls**t purity test by people who want to appear ‘woke’ but actually slept through history class.

“I think it’s very shallow thinking that the Jews in Israel are mostly white and Palestinians are mostly brown, so they must be innocent and correct and the Jews must be wrong,” he continued. “As if the occupation came right out of the blue, that this ‘completely peaceful people’ found themselves occupied. Forget about the intifadas and the suicide bombings and the rockets and how many wars.”

When discussing Omar and Tlaib’s planned trip, Maher presented different statements Omar has said about Israel in the past, including, “It’s all about the Benjamins” when referring to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), “Israel has hypnotized the world” and “May Allah awaken the people and help them see the evildoings of Israel.”

“I see why they don’t get a hero’s welcome,” Maher added.

Maher discovered as a teenager that he is Jewish on his mother’s side and has since openly identified as half-Jewish.