Christopher Hitchens on Israel and Palestine
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- Опубликовано: 10 июн 2016
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Christopher Hitchens, renowned anti-theist and political essayist/author, has on many different occasions discussed his opinions on the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine. He contends that the creation of Israel in 1948 was unjust, idiotic, and would inevitably cause a conflict with the native Palestinian and other Arab populations. He believes however that as Israel is now de facto in existence, it cannot be removed. However, it must end it's claim and illegal occupation of lands outwith its borders. He also discusses the inevitable cruelty exacted upon the occupied Palestinians, and questions why US policy is so heavily skewed toward the Israeli position, and has done virtually nothing for the Palestinians. He argues that if the US were to treat the Palestinians as it does the Israelis, there would now be a peaceful resolution.
Hitchens co-authored the book 'Blaming the Victims' alongside Palestinian intellectual, Edward Said 
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Hitchens is one of those people that thinks and converses in paragraphs, not sentences. And it's absolutely wonderful to hear.
LMFTFY: _"Hitchens _*_WAS_*_ one of those people"_
Apart from that small error, the rest of your comment is spot-on! I could listen to him for hours on a variety of subjects, in fact, I _have!_ 😎👍
well, thought, he passed away.
"There's something kind of galling about a guy that speaks like he writes"
-Sam Harris- [In reference to Christopher Hitchens]
*It wasn't a put-down btw. He was talking about how much he respected 'Hitch' (as he calls him) and how he'd never want to be tasked with debating him on any subject.
Yeah he is long winded
The Palestinians have been offered their own country they refused the author you must study history before you try and report it
“If Jews born in Brooklyn have a right to a state in Palestine, Then Palestinians born in Jerusalem have a right to a state in Palestine.”
It was supposed to be that way until the Arabs rejected the UN partition plan (the Jews accepted it, by the way). What you have today is the result of war and virtually no agreements. The situation came be changed if...
@@danielabramson2464 Of course they rejected it. Who on Earth would accept that nearly a million foreigners can come to your land, many of them vicious racist terrorists who wage violence on your population, and then they demand a state splitting your land in two?
I’ll answer it for you, no one would accept that.
As Hitchens said, it guaranteed an injustice to the Palestinians.
Garbage. Jews have lived in the area of Israel for 3500 years. EVERY time Israel has agreed to peace and a Palestinian state the Arabs have refused.
@@kenperlman2204 Only a very small minority of world Jewry and their descendants have lived in Palestine continuously for thousands of years. The population of Palestine has been minority Jewish for 2000 years. The fact that a very small number of Jews lived in Palestine did not give the rest of the Jews worldwide the right to come and ethnically cleanse Palestine and thieve land.
The Israelis have never offered the Palestinians any deal which involves total Israeli withdrawal from all illegally occupied territory and allowing Palestine to operate as a sovereign state within secure borders. Why would the Palestinians accept anything less exactly?
@@Bucketheadhead The palistinians are not a distinct ethnicity.
Hitch would have perfectly fit and been top billing in the long-format podcast era. Fucking tragedy.
I feel physically sick whenever reminded of this. No man was better fit for the format or more desperately needed today. Such a shame.
Fuck that would've been amazing
This just broke my heart
@@Azzlad A lone voice, howling in the wind...
Like a Joe Rogan for the truth around our beliefs
I miss this giant of intellectualism. His rationality and discourse on religion is sorely missed. How right he was and still is.
He was very eloquent and charismatic but a Jew hating liberal just like those guys on CNN and MSNBC. Peter Hitchens always was and will be the better Hitchens. Christopher had some major psychological issues due to the circumstances in the death of his mother which he never was able to overcome.
@@cyberiankorninger1025 Peter doesn't even come close to Christopher's intellect,
@@vaibhavsati538 you are easily just blinded by a sexy man :)
It's based on decades-old situations though. You can't judge his statements from the 1990s based on current geopolitical situations
This is like 40 years ago
Ah yes, the recommended has brought us here again boys
Same! 🤣
Yup
Same
Yep
#metoo
I really miss Hitchens. We just don’t have people like him today and it’s sorely needed. Intelligence on various issues, social, political and otherwise. Even when I disagreed with him I loved hearing him talk.
We have peterson and rubin and all that- same type of kosher jewish controlled opposition. Lol!
Intellectual hack albeit a well spoken one
@@DragonZombie2000That's such a stupid opinion.
@@DragonZombie2000Elaborate or you’re simply regurgitating nonsense
Hitchens spoke freely before cancel culture.
It’s haunting to listen to this video. 90% of it could be re-played today and still be entirely accurate-even more true now than in Hitchens’ time.
Agreed. Can you tell me which 10% is inaccurate now? Thanks.
The idea of the message has been valid since 1948 already
@@cugal1613 I think his hopes for a 2 state solution have been essentially ruined and it’s hard to entertain that idea anymore. To the extent he addresses the settlement programs and Israeli aggression, both have become so much worse since his death that the debate on that issue has been more or less settled. An earnest argument for 2 state today would seem naive to me.
Christopher Hitchens, a missed voice.
@@riquelmeone don’t disagree at all. This issue is one of two or three where, even as a lawyer who reads and creates hard arguments all day long, I cannot understand the other side’s primary argument on Palestine (that Israel has a superior enough claim on the land to assert complete domination over the land).
The fact that he's addressing Pm Netanyahu 14 years ago tells you something about that governing party
Fashist are fashits, easy deal, And just because you didnt know them 14 years , doesnt mean you have to wonder now....
It’s amazing everything he states is still completely relevant today. “ if you don’t agree with that principle you are suspect “.
Indeed! Not only his comments on the subject are still relevant. They are profound and NECESSARY. Hitchens is very much missed.
He picks sides. *_Condemnation of BOTH sides of this conflict has to be the order of the day!_* Why? Well both sides have repeatedly failed to bridge their differences, it is not as if they haven't had sufficient time(David & Goliath, etal). Additionally the conflict is a consequence of both sides dogmatic hold to their respective irrelevant dated theocratic ideology, ideologies that inherently devalues human life, Islam being the worst offender.
Don't believe me, ask them poignant questions about what they believe, but most important HOW what is believed informs their morality & subsequently what they deem permissible acts. I did and the answers were terrifyingly disturbing. War by any metric is humanities greatest admission to failure to bridge differences!! Got to wonder how much both need to suffer before they voluntarily extricate themselves from respective barbaric religion.
@@veganath Spot on. Religion is always at the heart of bad things. Christianity and Islam particularly, base themselves on impossibilities- be that virgin birth or riding to heaven on a winged horse. If you can believe that to be true anything goes.
@@veganathAs long as they’re are theocracies; this will keep happening.
No surprise there given everything Hitchens says in this piece has always been relevant
I miss this guy so much. What a terrible loss for the world.
God gave him cancer to punish him
Same here, so much.. He was such an awesome force of sanity that provided crisp clear optics for the human condition.
I miss him more and more with each passing year. A man of unusual clarity and especially rhetorical skills. I didn't always agree with him but on this I think he's found a very morally defensible position in the middle of a argument that has historically devolved into extremist and genocidal rhetoric by both sides.
Unfortunately the events unfolding in recent weeks are the direct results of the extremists being in control of both the Israeli government and the Gaza Strip for a dangerous amount of time. It is very difficult to see any path to peace from here.
Israel is a democracy with a small but vocal fanatic minority, Hamas is an extreme Islamic terror organization with almost total control of the mind and hearts of its people. Israel is far from perfect, but there really it's misleading to assume that religious fanaticism is equal on both sides and serves the same purpose. An Israeli Arab (Muslim or Christian, doesn't play a role) can be voted to political power or serve as a high judge or work at any line of work it desires. A jew in Gaza will find his death faster than you took to read these lines. Don't immediately fall into the trap of seeing both sides as wrong therefore they deserve the same condemnation and responsibility for the current situation. Extreme religious Dogmas such as Hamas are a cancer that modern civilization needs to treat fast, as it leaves no place for peace, in Gaza or London.
@@jonizak-hj6mv Israel is an occupying army which has subjugated the Palestinian people for decades. Now Islamists being allowed into Western countries which is not something that I agree with is a totally different conversation. The Arab Israeli conflict did not start after the Hamas killings. It has been going on for decades and a hell of a lot more Palestinians have been killed than Israelis.
@@jonizak-hj6mvjews in Gaza found homes in Gaza that used to belong to Palestinians up until this week 😂 compare them until the end of time, because Zionism is just as scary as religious extremism especially when the Zionists are funded and supplied to the hilt.
@@jonizak-hj6mv ruclips.net/video/kBLmX8kWEqQ/видео.htmlsi=4bTTBApBtP6FNSsJ
"the fanatic minority" have ministers within the Netanyahu government, with settler ideologues and ministers whom even the IDF thought too radical and biased to serve within its ranks.@@jonizak-hj6mv
The magical algorithm bumped this to the top. Hitchens opinions are still relevant due to his clear mind and the fact that the conflict is practically unchanged since he was young.
@@user-ix9mr1qr3t I know, but he was young at some point.
Unchanged or worse?
@@Theocracy8 More visible
The problem is and always has been policies built on fantastical sky daddies. Ofc Hitchens didn't change.
I'm amazed at how much information Hitch just had to hand without notes.
Always impressive in that regard, although the best at it has always been Professor Noam Chomsky. His brain is an encyclopaedia.
@@Bucketheadhead I've heard Noam be horrendously wrong on some factual statements in the past
@@ericmanget4280 No one is infallible, but it can’t have been very often. In a debate I’ve never seen anyone regurgitate information on a whim as well as Noam Chomsky.
@@Bucketheadhead Had an immense amount of respect and admiration for each other at one point.
@@danrl9710 Indeed, and later where they drifted apart because of disagreements of Islamist extremism I still heard Hitchens say that Chomsky’s early work and in particular essays on Ariel Sharon was some of the best work he’d read.
"are you familiar with that"... "I think more than you are". I think I felt that Hitchslap
More of a hitch-tap.
@@Tweed.Echidna Definitely a tap, as the guy calling admitted his ignorance before and after.
I am glad I was sitting down otherwise would have fallen of my chair
There was kindness in that little kick back though. He seemed to just want people to really understand and be better informed
My 12 y/o asked me about this war today.(2023) All I could say was "same as it ever was". I used to look back at history and be amazed by the barbarism and brutality only to realize its never been more in style.
The same or worse?
@@Theocracy8worse or just keeping up with the times? :b
Tell your kid that the Zionist are implementing their next phase of the genocide against the Palestinian people.
You can teach her something about European colonialism.
The global suffering was going on the day before the attack anyway.
his ability to separate himself and his own feelings about religion from a serious discussion about land rights and politics is remarkable and rare. always a fresh breath of intellectual air.
I watched this many years ago, then five years ago and just now - nothing changes
Completely correct
That's by design.
It will only change when the prestige mindset of religiously indoctrinated people is fundamentally changed.
When the Torah, Bible and Quran is thrown out the window and people use reason and rational thinking to guide their ideas and values.
“Today and tomorrow is a reflection of the past, life’s like a cycle, and nothing ever lasts. But being that we’re human and forced to play the game, the more things change, the more they stay the same.”
- Masta Ace
Nothing at all changes :"(
I thought about Hitch today. As Gaza implodes once again. And here he is - saying all that needs to be said. We miss you, Hitch.
Me too
me too
me too
Me too,that’s why I searched up this video today
Right.
I discovered Christopher Hitchens after his passing. What an incredible mind he was. Its insane how this crap is all still happening.
Of course it's still happening because it's not really about land, it's about religion as the end of the video makes clear, and you can't counter those beliefs with rationality and expect results. There is no solution. It will go on until one side destroys the other.
@@robbieshand6139 the problem is Judaism, it’s not their land to take, and the Palestinians have all right to refuse capitulation. May they use all the force necessary 🙏🏻
@@monkeepox2227 70% of Israelis today were born in Israel.
At what point, according to you, can it be said that Israel will have a right to exist merely by virtue of existing (by protecting its borders/not breaking apart/having international recognition)?
Another 20 years? Another 50? 100? Come on, get real!
@@benaffleckisanokayactor they will defend it for however long the state exists if that’s what it takes. Americans did it against the natives, Spanish did it to Brazil, British did it against the world. The state has existed a little more than a lifetime ago, there is still very bad blood between these people. One rides on a belief that they are owed that land by god, the other believes that land was theirs because it had been theirs for thousands of years. There’s no winning this one.
@@monkeepox2227raping and killing innocent people?
Man, Hitch was such an intellectual giant! One of the greatest minds & orators we have been witness to. His wisdom is greatly missed.
well we Israelis don't claim the land because god promised it to us, we claim it as it the birth place of our culture, and that a historical fact.
@@yonatancohenhope Israel didn't even exist until '47 or '48. The Europeans wanted the rest of the Jews out of Europe so they "gave" Israel. Jews think they are "God's chosen people" it says that much in their religious texts. LoL. God doesn't exist. Religion is a scam. We are all brothers & sisters on this spinning ball.
What do you mean "was"..?? Is he no more..? 😢 Sorry i am a little late to the party.. Just got to know baout this guy..
@@yonatancohenhopeby way of genocide?
@@shanecouverthat's the part that they never mention isn't it? The hypocrisy is just fucking unreal
"the last time an impressive thing was done, it was undone by the hero of every liberal in this room" haha, what a way with words
Must've felt like a kick in the nuts to them all.
Not really considering that most liberals see the Clintons for what they are - neocons in the guise of liberals. To think that all liberals worship Bill Clinton is delusional.
He took revenge of the previous laughter of the crowd, a classic hitchslap. RIP.
RIPHitchens A classic strawman you mean...
Everything Hitchens stated was/is factually correct.
Comment section: “Rest In Peace, Hitch.”
Christopher Hitchens: “I’ll scream if I have to.”
There is no peace in HELL.
@@mauryanthony1961 so you think he's in Hell?
@@painwithgain8510 I know he is in HELL.
@@mauryanthony1961 how do you know? Did you come back from hell?
@@painwithgain8510 I thought you didn't believe in HELL.
Man I would've loved to have heard Hitchens put Shapiro in his place over this situation
Every time I listen to him, I am transfixed. I did not always agree with him, but I sure respected his intellect, courage and eloquence. I miss him.
Wow, Hitchins' separation of "the right to exist" from "religion" is brilliant. Saying that they, like other countries, have a right to exist and at the same time saying that their "messianic" idea that is has to be on other people's land. I've never heard anyone do that as effectively before.
Roy Piper when was that?
It’s about separating out Israel the modern day state from Israel the religious prophecy. Israel today is going nowhere and even their Arab neighbors know this. But the way in which Israel today came about, via colonialism and decisions made by powers from outside the region, is where the question of its legitimacy come in. It’s sort of like the questions about the legitimacy of states in the former Yugoslovia.
well, the Palestinians are significantly more religious than Israelis, and claim the land is theirs because Mohamed conquered it in the name of god. most of them at the very least.
as an ethnic group we claim the land as it is our historical homeland, that's a fact.
as someone who grow up in Jerusalem as an Atheist, from my experience is that the Jews are not the fanatic ones (not saying there's no fanatic Jews around)
the Israeli majority is pro Freedom of religion/ very liberal while the Palestinians are trying to erase any Jewish historical evidence (if by destroying archeological sites and falsifying history) and hyper Islamist as their all claim is, again predicated on Islam. because they are not an ethnic group. Arabs are an ethnic group. Muslims are an ethnic group, Palestinians are a national group.
the Progressive academic left will gaslight the west and tell you how homophobic and misogynistic you are while side with the worst human rights violators in current time (Palestinian People)
and blame us Israelis for their downright misogynistic homophobic Islamo- fascist cult of death that is there political culture (not only in Israel, just look at the Arab world)
@@dkupke I wouldn't say Israel came about through colonialism. The Jews didn't colonize the land. We've had a presence there for 3,000 years, despite the best efforts of the Romans, the Arabs, and the European Christians. Zionism, at its heart, is about Jewish self-determination. Strangely enough, some people have a problem with that.
@@dkupke The region had no right to self determination because they lost WW1 and the British empire won. Deal with it. Even if you argue against it, Jews had right to the land from before the roman empire, and it was the roman empire that took their land. The people who came later on took the land and lost it in WW1.
Hitchens made the distinction but he never said the state of Israel shouldn't exist. Now that they went in (with reasonable justification even if you ignore the religious arguments) the only solution is 2 state. Gaza was very close to what 2 state could be, they were left alone and they elected Hamas to govern them.
Such as shame to see such a brilliant man pass early. There is so much to learn and, Christopher Hitchens is sanctuary for those who want nothing more than logical stances. No partisanship, no ignorance, nothing more than principle and reasoning. Even when Hitchens would realize he was wrong, he would unflinchingly address it and change his stance. In a world where people are more afraid of being wrong than submitting to truth, it's refreshing to see such intellectuals discuss on issues. Hitchens taught me that I will be wrong, that others will be, but there is no weapon more fierce than evidence, reasoning, and principle.
Thank you Hitchens for exposing your brilliant mind to this world. We could never thank you and the likes of you enough.
GruberRuber except on the Iraq war which he lost a ton of credibility quite unfortunately.
GruberRuber- Hitchens is a rationalizer, leaving out facts to provide cover for his positions. He has an educated accent which many people think is impressive- he appears much smarter than he really is. When facts he conveniently leaves out are put back in to the equation- he comes off as a propagandist- not smart at all.
What a nonsense. He was very intelligent and educated but bitter and arrogant as well... nothing great about him. Peace be upon him
Hitchens consistently defended human rights wherever and whenever he was presented with such a problem. Any amount of scathing retort to religion was made from such a commitment.
I think the Royal Society principles mentioned in Cosmos are very useful
Religion, the gift that keeps on giving..
I was asked to rate your comment..,
I like how even after 7 years you are still reading the comments and replying them
Thank you! I plan to make more videos, specifically on some historical events which I think could do with clarification given the routine Zionist narrative.
@@Bucketheadheadcould you point me towards some resources I can use to educate myself more on this matter? I extremely interested in the history of it all, and I find myself having tremendous sympathy for the Palestinian people, to the point where I wish I could do something, no matter how small. It’s impossible how ridiculous the feeling is I get when I discuss these issues with people while hundreds are being killed as we speak; makes me wonder if there is something we can say or do to enact some form of change.
@@elfullinthere is a freelance journalist named David sheen he has alot of presentations about Israel and Palestine conflict and he goes depth into the Israel politics.Highly recommend
@@elfullinI hope you find those resources and wish you peace and happiness 🙏🙏
His book 'Blaming the Victim' is great on the issue.
What a treat to be able to hear him in these videos.
Christopher Hitchens the best gift from Britain. He has given so much criticism of Islam, Christianity and Judaism yet he remains unbiased and gives a reasonable approach to the Palestine conflict. Bless this man. He will hold my respect forever, he left us too early :( we Arabs need you more then ever
I miss this man dearly and I’ve never had the pleasure to meet him.
I would have sympathy for you Arabs if not for the fact that your kind has committed atrocities against sub-Saharan Alkebulans. Therefore, what goes around comes around!
Thank you for that very fair, honest comment. I like to think I'm a lot like Christopher Hitchens in my education and my views - try to be fair, but also realistic about different places, peoples etc. I feel that religion , including the Abrahamic Religions of Judaism, the various Judeo Christian sects, Islam are a part of life, part of history and aren't going away - while Christopher Hitchens pretty much says that the religion should go away and they are force for hatred, ignorance and violence.
Do you follow Turkish politics or history? I admire the Turkish Nationalist leader Kemal Ataturk - I like Kemalism the secular Republic Turkish system that both protects religion, recognizing Islam as the majority religion, but also limits religion and protects minority faiths. I think a lot of the Iraqi and Syrian Baathist systems were heavily influenced by Turkish Kemalism.
Most Americans are pretty much tired of everything and anything associated with the Middle East.
@maxxmabemwe4859 your kind? So he is to be responsible for atrocities committed by others that share his genetic race or geographic location? Tf is wrong with you. The people that suffer when this happens are usually the innocent ones.
@@maxxmabemwe4859- what a disgustingly racist comment
"You deserved it"
Well done for that well-thought-out analysis. So brave.
I will forever respect this man for his clear stance on the Palestinian issue
He said a West Bank state, not a state of Gaza
@@zachdave2994 whatever
His stance is rational and free from.any bias, you can tell this from how he said israel was founded on oppression and colonisation just like rhodesia and apartheid SA
@@AbdullahHashi-kw3qj that’s abhorrently false. Israel exists because the Ottomans that owned that land since 1512 crumbled in WW1, under the impossible weight of their own imperialistic proclivities.
I have great respect for Hitchens. He’s grossly misinformed here. The PLA was offered 80% of Israel and they outright rejected it in 37 before it was handed off to the U.N to solve the issue. The Brits gave up after decades of jihad and conflict Palestinians launched against Jews in the area. Going back decades before that and as early as 1920 PLA leaders openly called for an end to all Jews in the region. Those who were simply buying land.
Millions of non-Muslims suffered massacres and a tax under Turkish rule.
@@zachdave2994 listen
Neither the Turkish nor British had a right to carve up other peoples lands bcuz they never owned it
Who gives a shjt how the turks lost to the Brits both were occupying supremacist forces just like israel is
Also you talk about jihad against the jews but what you Don't mention is how the jews had their own jihad going on which was meant to ethnically cleanse Palestinian Towns and villages over 400 of them actually
You mention 1 sides aggression and violation but Don't mention the other, very telling
The British were settling and arming Jews there, so naturally the people PLA was alarmed. The Naqba was the an act of treachery however that the Islamic world will never forget. You cannot treat your neighbors like that and expect people to get along with you ever again. The Israel nation is a product of Anglo imperialism. It would not exist but for the intervention of the UK and U.S. Since the foreign interventions of these countries are evil and misguided adventurism, the fruits of those actions are also condemned to eternal conflict. Just look at Israel domestically, all the political turmoil, the rising theocracy. It is practically a failed dictatorial state now. @@zachdave2994
Why is god a divine real estate broker? Doesn't it seem odd that the same divine mind that 'created' this entire universe really wants his people to inhabit a specific spot on this one planet?
NO! There is no rationality beyond pure strength that determines borders. Any mention of a "God" is pure nonsense and superstition. Ex: the Muslim God, the Jewish God, the Indian God, etc is as above: Total human, stupid invention not to mention Evil. Who needs all this idiotic strife over nonexistent "entities". People get over you ancient, useless beliefs and concentrate on what Always mattered: "survival of the fittest".
wow you made such a compelling argument until the last phrase. what a waste.
+bob lang
What a truly idiotic end to an otherwise rather reasonable argument.Are you a Social Darwinist or just an idiot?
Oners82 I guess if you can't be reasonable and polite you are truly a waste of protoplasm.
God isnt a real estate broker, that is an ungenerous view into the situation and the people in it. some of the people in the situation deserve such a view, but they are by far the minority. on both sides.
Whenever something big is kicking off in the world that I don't understand, I almost always start by searching 'Christopher Hitchens on......................'!!
Same here. He is my go-to.
Please use bodybuilding forums instead
Sorry to hear that. Better luck in the future.
Lol. That's exactly what I did. Sam Harris also has a good bit on this topic.
What ?
A man ahead of his time taken too soon from us .
RIP Your legacy lives on to this day .
He lied too much about God so God gave him mouth cancer
RIP is Catholic terminology. It clearly relates to the belief in life after death and a physical regeneration and resurrection.
This is such an embarrassing brand of atheism. The sentiment is clear - respect on his death - and to be snide and correct someone on this is what the most unempathic and dislikable atheists do.
@@vincentmcnabb939 No one cares
I do actually. Religion kills. Always. @@darkhorse381
The wold sorely needs a voice like Hitchens now more than ever. The candle burning twice as bright burns half as long. Miss him.
So much missed, this intellect.
Nick Fuentes
wish he was still here to speak on this issue
Hitchens intellect is far above many, and always worth listening too--- wish he was still alive today to make sense of all the chaos!
How we miss him... The world was so much better with him in it.
A collection of clips from a wide range of time, yet every single comment Hitch makes here is absolutely relevant today. News anchors could simply play sections of this video when they need to consult an expert on Middle East affairs.
6 Dec 2017 how right is this man..god how we need him today..genius
This is actually how we should solve the conflict. Do what Christopher tells us.
Spot on.
lol good luck
He was right on this then, still now.
He was right about a lot, wrong about a few. He was an ardent supporter of the Iraq war, even though it was an absolute failure, he maintained his position until his dying days. One of the biggest blunders in his career.
@@NavAK_86 yeah this is very true. He does make compelling arguments re: Saddam in the debate with his brother than at least made me think twice. But yes, a blunder.
That guy at the end was a disgusting bigot. The other men were trying to speak rationally to him and he was straight out telling them that they were less than worthless slaves.
Yes, because HE has God on his side...
SUCH A SHAME THAT HE DOESN'T EXIST!
Funny how he directly contradicts himself by having pure disdain for Islam but than defends the very Isla mists in Israel who kill Jews in the name of jihad ," Israeli occupation" and holy war, plus he fails to realize how greedy the Arabic nations are, they inhabit 50 Islamic countries, they refuse to let Jews have a country the size of a small island, the size of new jersey, greedy greedy, and fails to understand that pre 1967 there was 0 infrastructure in Israel, so this whole conversation is dishonest, it also does not take in to account that the Arabs who left Israel left of their own free will, there was no edict, & fails to understand there were and are Jews who are called yerushalmis since they lived in Israel since the first holy temple, Jews always lived in Israel while most were exiled from our homeland Israel, the Islamists landed their, only because they stole the land first historically, as did the Christians, the Greeks the romans etc., while I respect Hitchens very much and his brilliant mind he isn't right on everything, he falls short on this one, as well as the war on iraq
That first caller left some wonderfully worded questions.
Very enjoyable to see Hitchens response!
The recommended stabs me in the heart to remind me how much I miss Hitchens!
Well. We can only pray we’ll see him again.
Get a life.
What a brilliant man. His wisdom is sorely needed today.
I just found this vid in my recommandations and I thought it would be a great idea to watch to clarify a few things, to get my head straight about the current events. And I was right: Hitchens never fails to deliver.
If Israel was to allow the creation of Palestinian state, wouldn't the result just be another war?
I suspect many of us have just found this in our recommendations. 🤔
I like that Hitchens knew what he wanted and that what he wanted was both reasonable and logical. One doesn't need to listen to him closely to see that he is trying to get people to think logically about the topics he discussed.
I wish Hitch was still around 🙁 superb intellect
He died?
@@ratrixsteel5081 cancer
@@ratrixsteel5081 ruclips.net/video/w-PcR2A3FQE/видео.html
Just said the same to my kids JUST tonight
This is/was the best piece on the subject I've found so far on the Internet. Thanks for producing and sharing!
Do you Consider it the best piece on the subject because it confirms what you want to believe?
@@truth1013 Your question is jaded, as it assumes you know my beliefs from one statement. What it does confirm is there are others well versed on the subject, who tend to get drowned out by mainstream media, because of what they believe.
It has the benefit of not being on the aftermath of a rather large Islamist attack where everyone is too busy tripping over one another to express moral outage.
What’s most striking though is how 10, 20, even 30 years can pass and his comments remain sublimely relevant.
He's very consistent... and has held the same views with many, well thought out reasons why (on this issue and many others he commented on).
May you rest in peace Mr. Hitchens
but unfortunately he is frying in hell
@@rohanjames5750 Comments like these come from uninformed uneducated brainwashed people by religion. I genuinely feel sorry for people like you.
@Gordon Campbell He literally says in this video that Zionism is a stupid idea.
R.I.P. 😔
@Gordon Campbell ruclips.net/video/L0ZFeDWhlDo/видео.html
This has aged like fine wine, Hitch was once again right on Israel .
Nope, he contradicts himself, by legitimizing the Arabic hold on Israel when they the Arabs kill people in all lands, for holy Jihad, Hitchens understands this himself, but hes not being honest here, or hes deeply misguided. not everything he says is true and right, hes just a man
Even more now that the conflict just got worse
@@XXSTEAKYXX Pretty much , it's funny how Hamas is labelled a terrorist organization while the Government of Israel is not. Both are as deployable as each other , we would be far better off without the political elite gaslighting people into hating each other. Government is pure evil!
like almost everbody....sadly.....
Of course l detest the tactics of Hamas, but the Palestinian people have been living under terrible conditions for decades, they deserve their own country. I lived with IRA bombs going off in London in my younger years, but despite the carnage l still understood that lreland belongs to the lrish, not the English. Like the division of lndia into two states in 1948, there is a way to do something similar with lsrael and Palestine, unfortunately there doesn't seem to be the will. Incredibly tragic.
They were offered their own country on 5 separate occasions. They rejected amazing offers because they didn’t want to have to share.
This is yet another important piece of education from the much missed CH.
He is so sorely missed. A great mind.
Nothing great about that man. The heart of the wicked is worth little.
@@benjamincoetzee1735 I could say the same about you
@@benjamincoetzee1735 Even his worst theist opponents recognized that he was a very intelligent and great man, nice trolling.
@@axelnova123 you could, except im not wicked like Hitchens was.
@@HDitzzDH thats terrible, they must have been in a bad state or lost themselves. Reading alot of books dosnt give your life value before God. Hitchens life was no more valuable than an uneducated godless savage in the jungle.
This is why so many people think that moving the embassy to Jersusalem was a terrible mistake.
After so many years the truth is there & how things should be said are well spoken by this genious man!!
I seem to not be the only person that went to Hitichens to hear his thoughts from the grave about last weeks actions.
the world needs more people like Mr Hitchens unfortunately intelligence is a rare trait
This is a position that we longed for a long time and we need now.
Nick Fuentes
More people stand with Palestine than you realize. Unfortunately, we are powerless as long as leaders play along with their Zionism.
I’m moved to US when I was very young from the Soviet Union. I fought every day for ten years in Jewish school with packs of kids that saw me as subhuman because I wasn’t like them. The irony…
They are like that in majority of the cases. Even Christians are being discriminated in Israel by them.
@@koschmx The irony is Jewish people, who were famously victims of the holocaust, treating others as sub human because of their religion or ethnicity.
@@Your_Wife.s_Boyfriendbut lots of Christians bootlick them like a good goy should be 😂
I wouldn't put that at the feet of their jewishness. I'm Volga German (born in Germany), and was treated the same at my village elementary school in Germany growing up because my parents were born in the Soviet Union. Kids are cruel for whatever reason they can find.
@@Your_Wife.s_Boyfriend
Oh bullshit, stop spouting typical anti Jewish bullshit that is absolutely false and bigoted.
The extremism of the right wing of the Israeli state and a certain segment of fundamentalists does not reflect that ethnicity as a whole, by far, just like Hamas and their fundamentalists do not reflect many Palestinians, and I've known many Jews and Palestinians.
Can't be said enough, it's a crying shame that Christopher Hitchens is no longer with us. One of the only public figures I keep returning to for guidance in so many questions.
I like the video in the end. It's summarizes the silliness of Zionism very well.
Summerize Zionism? What do you know about it that you know it summerizes?
It summarizes the silliness of _"the national movement of the Jewish people that supports the re-establishment of a Jewish homeland in the territory defined as the historic Land of Israel"_, or silliness of the idea that land where other people live and you have never been is somehow your birthright.
Jews have lived there as wel ! have been occupaited by Islam ! Forced to become Muslim or pay the tax (of non muslim). You know only the shit the Guardian or Finkelstein feeds you I know more- lets debate. And for start this film:ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-279707
Different peoples held different pieces of land during various parts of history. Every nation tend to look back at the day they were the largest and define that as their rightful boarders. It's bullshit. Look at how things are right now at this moment and try to make the best out of it, not for you, not for them, but for everyone.
+bj0rn
"Different peoples held different pieces of land during various parts of history. Every nation tend to look back at the day they were the largest and define that as their rightful boarders. It's bullshit. Look at how things are right now at this moment and try to make the best out of it, not for you, not for them, but for everyone."
I agree. What I don't understand, however, is what does it have to do with what you call "the silliness of Zionism" as the Jews accepted a two-state solution in 1947, whereas the Arabs refused (and then declared war on Israel, a day after it was found).
Sir Hitchens.... you sir are missed dearly. The world will not forget your amazing contribution to humanity.
October 2023 here.. Yes. Very haunting. And all our mainstream media, from both sides are still not talking about the true issue. The reason the UN cannot do anything about this is because the United States is one of the 8 countries with veto power over the security council, so despite the whole world wanting to bring sanity to this issue, the United States will not let it come to the floor.
I’ve held the same position as Hitch on this my entire life, and have been taking some heat for it in the past days.
I used to be fairly pro Israel when I was younger and actually had a bit of an argument with a liberal Israeli and I ended up using that "why can't they in one of the other 22 Arab states" argument that the guy around 7:00 uses. His rebuttal was simple: "none of those 22 states are their home".
"they" don't seem to give a shit that the middle east states are/were the home for millions of Christians and Jews.
The vast majority of self-proclaimed "Palestinians" are Arabs who should return to Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, UAE, or whatever barbaric Muslim country they came from.
Its not that simple however. Pakistan india
Germany after wwII
Do you know how many ppl had to resettle back then? The jews were as a people especially hit.
The creation of israel was an attempt for a solution and that conflict is for the arab world not about ppl having lost their land. Its against the jews.
Do you want to go over the history of arab governments or muslim ideology having cost ppl their land?
@@kloschuessel773give Germany to the jews instead of a land of people who did nothing to them, except living in a land where a jewish kingdom used to stand 2500 years ago, that's nonsense and Great Britain is responsible in the first place.
@@kloschuessel773the jews found refuge in palestine fleeing from european progroms.
Hitch's death was such a loss to discourse and humanity. His writing, lectures and discussions are like nuggets of gold in a very troubled world.
Sir, you are so missed 😢 thank goodness these videos exist!
What a man!!! This is the type of man that should be heralded in the media! Not the brainless musicians and movie stars that currently are worshipped. The world needs another Hitch.
Yeah every celebrity and their racist uncle feels the need to weigh in on world events whilst not having the first clue what they're talking about: 'Jason Momoa has lashed out against Hamas!' what? this is a man who gets overpaid to regurgitate a script in front of a camera... meanwhile well considered views from experts and thinkers get drowned out. What a world
I’ve held the same position as Hitch my entire life, and I have been getting so much heat for it the past days and weeks. My best friend and my own cousin have said I may be anti-Semitic because of this. I don’t know whether to despair or be enraged but I’m very hurt that they’d accuse me of this.
@@lornarettig3215 When they say that, ask them: "What's a Semite??"
I heard Peter H yesterday, and some nonsense he was coming out with, and it made me miss Christophers incredibly logical and well expressed opinions RIP you are missed.
Peter Hitchen's philosophy on Palestine is largely in alignment with his brother. He spoke out against it and is in the process of being smeared by the media. If you believe that he is on the wrong side, but you concur with Christopher's view, then there is some information missing to give youu context, because in terms of that subject, specifically, they both talk much sense.
@@richardsmith9615 I am not besmirching his view, he just spent half the time being very petty in critising someone else and it was embarrassing.
The world we live in really needs Hitch more than ever. Alas!
He would`ve turned 72 this year. I can`t believe he`s been dead for 10 years already. The very moment Christopher Hitchens took his last breath, the combined World IQ, dropped 20 points......" BAM "...........just like that !!!! R.I.P. " Hitch "......At least I have your books, and a whole bunch of great videos on RUclips.
Christopher Hitchens proves to be consistently on the right side of history simply by his insightful knowledge of both the political arena and the social/religious context; I reread his books articles and these gems simply to be reminded of his wisdom and to relish in his eloquence...
Not on iraq
Iraq
The good die to soon, glad his voice can still be heard.
Dearly missed. That feeling of nostalgia. Just imagine having Hitchens during these times. It was just delightful to see him crush his opponents.
He would have wound up in a debate with people like Jordan Peterson, who would have left him in a puddle on the floor.
@@MadCapMag the way you worded that sounds like you’re saying Peterson would leave Hitchens in a puddle
Sad Hitch isn't around to give his view on the current crisis between Israel and Palestine. We miss you mate ❤
What would Jesus say?! He'd be assassinated for being "a terrorist" against the State of Israel...and accused of antisemitism!?!?!?!??!?!
And we’re visiting this 7 year old video again in 2023. Sadly, nothing has changed.
What would he say about October 7?
3:24 Did he just call zionists sus? Truly this man was ahead of his time
Good to see you all again. Rest in Power Hitch.
There is so much that makes this a strong representation of his position. You started with that interview where he explains the intentionally vague framing of the "right to defend itself" argument where he brings up the undefined border of Israel and how this argument can be used to justify annexation of Arab land. Then you brought in the Charlie Rose interview where he brings up this almost exact phrasing for Hitchens to respond to. Good stuff.
right to defend on someone Elses land that you stole...
Hitch, one of those rare people. Always spoke against injustice
Except Iraq
@@somniumisdreamingthat one was strange
@@Cash4gold84 ikr?
He was defending the iraqi socialists and the kurds who were suffering from Saddam Hussein. The military incompetence of the US armed forces and their wholesale mass murder of the iraqis is a separate issue which Hitch accepted and discussed. What you people don't know or pretend to not know is that Hussein was supported by US governments and the pentagon as a puppet to extend influence in West Asia. US explicitly supported Iraq(hussein) in the iraq iran war to protect Israel, in case iraq lost. This is publicly stated. Most of the anti war people in the US are just body bag counters and social media priests who can offer prayers and nothing more. Which is what they're more concerned with. The removal of saddam hussein was already decided upon by Bill Clinton for his multiple violations of UN resolutions including the genocide convention. The sad thing is that Bush Jr was leading the intervention, he couldn't put a coherent statement because of his two brain cells. The WMDs were not there but the process was there, they were making it but failed. There is a network called the AQ Khan network, through which Pakistan acquired nukes. There is a book called "the bomb in my garden' by mehdi obeidi the chief nuclear physicist of Hussein elaborates on the efforts of the iraqi government to get the necessary parts, fuel, blueprints and people.
I don't like the deaths which happened in iraq because of the intervention and neither did HItch. But that is a question not of saddam hussein but a question of US military competence. Clearly it is an overrated military with severe lack of expertise. Looking at the Russians in Ukraine, they're doing a much better job especially considering what they're facing, entire NATO supplies and even operators. Nuance is a mark of the intelligent, i hope you can spot it.@@somniumisdreaming
@@somniumisdreaming everyone has a blind spot , Iraq is Hitch’s
The Palestinian here was being reasonable. It's chilling to think that most of the comments on social media are wanting him dead.
You're sorely missed!
What chemical reaction in your brain causes you to miss another slightly evolved sack of sea snot?
@Benjamin Coetzee are you gonna say the same thing under every comment?
@@ser0t0ninaddict94 if i need to yes. Glad you paying attention. Is your soul saved?
Respect!! I was not expecting it
It's amazing how he can pierce through the tribalism with logic.
If you’re here after October 2023 - you are the smartest of individuals. Don’t ever die please
Came here as soon as I woke up to the news this morning. We need Hitch right now
It's not November 2023 yet.
He is dead
He appeals to logic and brings good arguments that have the possibility to convince rather than appealing to emotion with propaganda that discredits itself. We could learn a lot from this type of discourse. Most modern conversation is just a local proxy war with neither side actually caring about the people in these countries and they are only interested in the topic because it provides an excuse to voice their hate toward their political enemies. Logical people know that no group is completely innocent.... and pretending that they are prevents others from ever hearing talk such as this that might actually persuade.
6:00 i'd never seen this clip before and im cryin
So are The Palistinians...just before they die!
@@deputyvanhalen6386 only Palestinians die?
RIP we lost a fighter
With a first-rate intellect.
Do Jews really believe that if they occupy all of Palestine, they can induce the arrival of a messiah, as Hitchens states in this video?
Some but a minority id surmise, although the ultra-religious sect of Israeli society has gotten larger and larger in recent years. I don’t know how big a proportion of them actually believe that though.
“Hmm..? I’ll scream if I have to..”
"i'll scream if i have to" lmaooo damn i miss those little one liners.
A BH and Hitch fan. Can tell you're a cool dude.
Haha thank you!
I really miss Christopher Hitchens, he was a great intellect. Hi brother Peter not so much.
Only the good die young, all that is evil seems to live forever.
This is beautiful, thank you.
Somewhat ungrateful view of the word?
@@randomuploadsism how?
@@Olebull93 It sounds like there are only evil things / people in the world and all the good ones die. So the world is just a nasty place.
Hitchens wasn't that young, made it way past the global average. He also would have lived a lot longer had he not chosen to drink like a fish and smoke like a chimney.
Still if I want to understand a difficult topic, I google Hitchens and the topic. He never fails to impress me
well we Israelis don't claim the land because god promised it to us, we claim it as it the birth place of our culture, and that a historical fact.
the Palestinians are significantly more religious than Israelis, and claim the land is theirs because Mohamed conquered it in the name of god. most of them at the very least.
as someone who grow up in Jerusalem as an Atheist, from my experience is that the Jews are not the fanatic ones (not saying there's no fanatic Jews around)
the Israeli majority is pro Freedom of religion/ very liberal while the Palestinians are trying to erase any Jewish historical evidence (if by destroying archeological sites and falsifying history) and hyper Islamist as their all claim is, again predicated on Islam. because they are not an ethnic group. Arabs are an ethnic group. Muslims are an ethnic group, Palestinians are a national group.
the Progressive academic left will gaslight the west and tell you how homophobic and misogynistic you are while side with the worst human rights violators in current time (Palestinian People)
and blame us Israelis for their downright misogynistic homophobic Islamo- fascist cult of death that is their political culture (not only in Israel, just look at the Arab world)
fair
@@yonatancohenhope
@@yonatancohenhope Hitchens made two arguments here. 1 - Israel shouldn't have gone to a region surrounded by people who hate jews if they want to avoid the next holocaust. Only religious justifications could create such a stupid (on the eyes of an anti-theist) move. This argument is a historical argument, not an argument on the existence of israel.
2 - Now that Israel was founded on this stupid religious idea (his words) there is no way you can deny Israel the right to exist. Doing so would be genocidal. At the same time, the people who were living there, who also have deep attachment to that land, deserve a state and self determination. This is his argument. Two state solution.
3 - The actions of settlers taking away homes in the west bank and stealing homes from people who have the documents to show they own those pieces of land is in no way going to help Israel in moving forward. It's always done by religious zealots and it's clearly an attempt at removing arabs from near Jerusalem. There is no existential or even a strong religious reason for jews to take away those lands. The jewish state already exists, why not focus on making the region stable and build good will towards those who will live around you?
Hitchens was always anti-theist first. His crusade on religion was remarkable and it informed much of his views on other issues. He was a true humanist and he would want people to just live in peace without religious bullshit making them kill each other. Keep in mind, Hitchens was one of the most outspoken people against Islam who ever lived. He called Islam the greatest threat to civilization. Judaism was bellow Islam and Christianity on his priority list of religions to criticize.
All that being said I see this post is 1 year old. I hope you and your family are safe in Israel. Good luck with the war, I hope you guys can exterminate Hamas from the face of earth, and I hope you can maintain your policy of trying your best to mitigate civilian casualties. This is the kind of thing that shows the world how Israel is different from those goat-fuckers with no soul (You know shit is real when you get an atheist to talk about souls).
@@yonatancohenhope You're both awful, we are very aware :)
@@yonatancohenhope Jesus Christ what a magnificent straw man. First, many Israelis are religious and do claim the land for religious reasons. Secondly, I am Arab and have never heard or read a Palestinian claim "the land is theirs because Mohamed conquered it." Most of it claim it because of their continuous 2000 year history in the land. You could say it's also the birthplace of their culture. Last, being on average more liberal doesn't give Israelis a better claim to the land; that is a preposterous implication. Most of the world is still misogynistic and homophobic; that doesn't erase their basic humanity or right to a life of dignity. Israel is an apartheid state with one of the worst human rights track records by a country today. I've lived in the Arab world and no not everyone there is a Islamo-fascist, hyper-Islamist, death cultist. Turns out like anywhere else in the world, there are varying levels religiosity and social conservatism; there are liberals and conservatives, Muslims (Shia, Sunni), and Christians (various denominations)
Chris was so well informed, had such understanding of this wrongdoing. My admiration only grows with the years, especially for his moral compass in the case. I wholeheartedly agree with him.
Christopher, not Chris.
watching these old videos of a young Hitchens makes knowing how his life ended even the more heart=breaking.