Iran Press/ America: “If I may quote the riskiest thing you could possibly say on a first date, let’s talk about Israel,” he said at the opening of the segment, which he delivered in his traditional monologue style on Last Week Tonight.
Oliver criticized what he called the 'sanitized terms' in some of the media coverage surrounding the conflict.
Asked about the situation last week, US President Joe Biden stated that “Israel has a right to defend itself,” and said he hoped the violence would end soon.
“[Biden’s] administration’s response this week has been deeply underwhelming,” Oliver said, calling the president’s statement 'generic', adding: “It’s the exact same line that Obama said and that Bush said before him.”
He added: “There is a real tendency, particularly in America, to ‘both sides’ this situation, and I’m not saying that there aren’t some areas where that’s warranted, but it’s important to recognize there are also areas where it’s simply not.”
For over a week, Israeli forces have bombarded the Gaza Strip, a densely populated Palestinian territory controlled by Hamas. Israel has said its strikes are intended to stop indiscriminate rocket fire - itself a war crime - that has killed 10 of its citizens, including two children.
At least 212 Palestinians have been killed, including 61 children and 36 women, according to Gaza health authorities, prompting widespread criticism that the Israeli response has been disproportionate.
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