My position on Israel: David Baddiel

Why do the actions of Israel need to be apologised for and explained before a conversation about anti-Semitism can take place, when no other persecuted minorities are under the same obligations? Why can't David just tweet about his cats once in a while without being forced to defend a country that doesn't necessarily speak for him? UK comedy legend David Baddiel joins Josh Szeps for this week's uncomfortable conversation.

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[chrismalcomson]

I can understand where David is coming from but when the actions of Israel are done in his name as a jew he has to take a position on this, wether he likes it or not.. If he doesn't want to, thats an issue he has with Netanyahu and Israel, not people who identify him with whats going on over there. If somebody took issue with me as a brit about colonialism I'd feel obliged to take a position even though I have no interest or responsibility in it.. I live in Spain but I couldn't avoid the fallout from brexit even though I haven't lived in the UK for 15 years. We have to live with this s**t, like it or not..

[Hedgewisekat]

Well... I'm gobsmacked. Has he never noticed that Muslims do indeed get asked about human rights issues in faraway places whenever they try to talk about Islamophobia? Conversations about whether people in the UK should be banned from wearing certain clothing associated with their religious beliefs generally drift into the rights of women somehwere like Afghanistan and comparisons of every Muslim belief with the ideology of terrorist groups. Israelis, let alone Jews, are never questioned with the same level of personal negativity (more 'what do you think about the evidence that your third cousin beats his wife?' vs 'your third cousin has been accused of beating his wife so have you now stopped beating your wife, yes or no!')

[vestibulate]

Interesting. He feels connected to the State of Israel through the events of Oct. 7, but not- or at least less so- with regard to those of Oct. 8 and beyond, a genocide carried out by that same Jewish State. He's able at one and the same time to embrace and detach himself from the same state, the same government, the same cause, on the basis of whether it's seen as victim or perpetrator.

[Spohcsom]

How to avoid giving an answer to a question that completely undermines everything his wokism stands for...claim once again he is a victim.

[luckystarship]

The Rohinga are an illogical example, they are muslims being discriminated against by budhists. The persecution of Armenian Christians in Azerbaijan, a muslim state, is a a much better example.

[JuanCarlos-cvlg]

Wait, so… you can’t identify with Israel but you feel touched by the happening there, yet you don’t feel identified with?? 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅 mate, you’re very confused. You’d not be linked directly with the acts of a right wing Israeli government, which is good, but that government is doing atrocities on the name of your culture/past generations and their suffering. Can’t you see that connection?

[brian]

Made his money ruining the lives of black soccer players promoting and fermenting hate, creating racists chants as they played, now very sensitive about white racism as he makes money of that from channel 4.

[bayreuth]

It was a pogrom? Pogroms presuppose a power differential in which the one doing the pogrom is more powerful than the one suffering it. In this case Hamas is much less powerful than Israel. It was terrorism but not a pogrom. And Baddiel says nothing about the occupation and violence against the Palestinians that led indirectly to Hamas violence.