which he used to JUSTIFY the ILLEGAL INVASION of IRAN and AFGHANISTAN!! - WTF is wrong with you people? No memory longer than a month?? I was a devoted fan of this asshole but post 9/11 he was a Deranged NeoCon Republican... i guess his drinking got him in bed with someone underage of nonmhuma... blackmailed beyond ANY recognitin of the young man you see here..
Wrong! Yes influential, and so was Hitler. Did you listen to his arrogance..it sounded like he said Israel or Jews don't have a right to exist. He was an atheist, yet he thought was god, that would be the strange irony and tragic life of Hitchens. Btw, there's no real trick in reading 1000 books and sounding intelligent, anyone can do that.
They are both good in different ways. I like Peter for openly believing in God. It seems to me that the argument Christopher missed out, maybe due to his atheism, was the record of the prophets which are neglected; clearly stating that the Hebrews were expelled from the land of Israel by God. It is for God to bring them back not a group of politicians, academics, intellectuals or financiers. I'd like to see that argument explored more because this is an interesting narrow space where each of the brothers might have had something to contribute
@@martinledermann1862Jews don't need a religious argument for their right to live in Israel. Jews have lived their continually since long before the Muslim conquest and until today.
@@RoyBolinggoing Those types of arguments never work, because at the end of the day it's rarely truly about thoroughly obeying god. If they really wanted to obey god's supposed word consistently, they would be doing alot of things very differently. No, it's about doing all the evil stuff you already wanted to do, and then demanding everyone to accept and respect what you did because you did it for a religious purpose. That's one of the things that makes religion so appealing to so many people.
@@alexhithamsafieh3113 I have studied this area and the conflict for nearly 20 years and lived there talking to both sides! It IS about religion as much as land and I’ve been told that “it’s in the Torah”, by Israelis my friend! Again, I say that Christopher said it best “Religion Poisons Everything” certainly rings true here.
@@maxmartin7080 The problem with that statement is that a great many of the people who claim that the Torah provides justification for taking the land, aren't religious themselves - beyond attending the occasional bar mitzvah. You'll find that many Orthodox Jews in Israel and abroad argue the exact opposite; that Jews are forbidden from returning to the land as a 'Jewish' nation, until the return of the Messiah. Jews are permitted to settle in the land as individuals. So in a sense you are correct, there are 'religious' tropes that being asserted which undergird one side of the 'conflict'. But in fact, that has very little to do with the Palestinian cause. Jews, Muslims and Christians have always lived in the region. Palestinians resist for the same reasons that all colonized peoples resist - survival and preservation. Ironically (perhaps), the first Zionist pioneers understood this totally. It's worth reading the Ze'ev Jabotinsky's 1923 essay, The Iron Wall. Most of those early Zionist's never even pretended to be observant.
@@NicholsMarn’thousands of years’ not true. Jews and Muslims had been living peacefully there until the west got involved. Actually, Jews used to migrate to Israel cos they were treated (by the majority Muslim population there) better than they were in Europe and other Arab countries. After WW2 the UK sent 100 of thousands of European asylum seeking Jews there, because they didn’t want to let them in the UK, and promised them land. This was at a time that they’d already made promises about the land to Arabs - who were helping the allies by rebelling against the Ottoman Empire during ww2. The notion that this conflict is all to do with religion is a complete fallacy.
Not quite that spot on. When a caller implied about the influence of said people on US media and politics he rejected it, but it is true. But even if I were to concede that it is not true directly, it would still be true indirectly, and this is because many people in power, in the US and abroad, have some degree of belief in the messianic prophecies, which leads them support said state on the basis of superstition. Although half of them are in it for the conquest of the Middle-East and its mineral resources - Israel is the perfect springboard for Western powers to take hold of those resources by force, coercion, terror.
Anyone who does more than ten minutes of research on the history of this problem would have to come to the conclusion that the Palestinians suffered a great injustice and conflict was the only outcome.
The problem is so many misinformation are out there. They brainwashed the west into thinking it’s the Palestinians who don’t want peace which is a total opposite.
@@Suplex479 You obviously have not done your research then. EEZREL has never draw it's borders even since it's formation by the U.N. It's the only country that has not done so to give it ability to expand indefinitely. Not to mention EEEZREL has never accepted the two state solution. All of two state solutions were proposed by the U.S but then EEEZRAIL added poison pills inside them to prevent the out right palestain. Then they fooled the west into thinking that it's the palestain that has never agreed to a two state solution. There's a video of BIB talking about it of how he found a way to kill the Two state solution. Watch the documentary "holy redemption" on youtube.
Towards the end of his life he became increasingly xenophobic and orientalist especially against arabs, he supported the Iraqi invasion and even after many of the people responsible for the debacle in Iraq admitted to their failure and said it was a mistake he doubled down and said it was correct and the right thing to do
I was such a massive fan of Hitchens a decade ago but I somehow never knew or forgot his stance on Israel/Palestine so it made me so happy to watch this video and realize me and Hitchens aren't far off from each other.
@@malvolio01 Hitch literally says in this video (7:25) the Palestinians have every right to resist the proposal that they should be flung out of their own land. He probably wouldn't agree with the EXACT nature of what happened on October 7th, but he certainly wouldn't be surprised by it or think that their resistance taking extreme forms after almost of a century of violent occupation and apartheid is unthinkable. He certainly would consider what Israel has been doing for the last 12 months to be appalling.
@@jayhayes2007 "almost of a century of violent occupation and apartheid" It's quite disturbing to think some of you actually believe in that. "their resistance taking extreme forms" Not a shred of critical thought left in you, I'm afraid. In the absence of critical faculties, I guess empty revolutionary slogans will do.
@@spideralexandre2099 Do you think the atrocities committed on Israeli civilians on Oct. 7 were somehow justified? Do you think you have a moral basis for such justification, one not based on hamas propaganda and outright lies? Do you think you can establish a moral equivalence between the side that declared war with intent to destroy a sovereign nation and actually committed ge***ide and the side defending itself from annihilation? Do you think the demand for "proportional" response in a war is not the most preposterous and laughable demand under the circumstances? Do you think any other country would do differently when attacked like that? do you think any other country would be attacked and criticized like that for responding to defend itself like Israel is criticized and attacked?
@@donmadziva1689Great, good to know you're not a cultist who laser focuses on israel, you criticise the islamic states too. At least Israel has freedoms for its people though... including it's 2 million Muslims.
@@MrLebowski1980The two million Palestinians who remained in their homeland endured hell from the 1940s to the 1980s for the freedom they now enjoy, even if it is questionable, because there is still a lot of discrimination and inequality between Jews and Muslims in Israel. As for the Palestinians in the West Bank, it's a whole other story.
Hi, I don't think any country has a right to exist. They all exist through force. 'Rights' don't really come into it. Unless you're talking about a moral 'right'. But that's just a metaphor not a real 'right'. Confusing isn't it?
@@kennycube5126 Interesting thoughts. Very philosophical. If you want to get out of that vacuum and make a not so neutral comment that would be more interesting.
The problem quite honestly is rooted in the fact that Christianity still has a stronghold on American politics. The USA refuses to condemn Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.
Of course the senior Bush would have said that. The family is neck-deep in the oil business. He son went to war with Iraq for the oil, but they set the oil fields on fire.
@@jonathanaliff6121 They all do that. Currently oil production is at record high. It doesn't matter that Trump lies about it, he was still after Venezuelan and Iranian oil. Even admitted to a journalist that USA stayed in Syria for its oil, which is an admission to a war crime. Trump has absolutely nobody left to lie to at this point, it's a wonder how anyone can take him seriously about anything
@@Hirnlego999 Well, Washington wanted a successful Plantation. So did Jefferson and the both wanted slaves to do the work. Ulysses Grant wanted to get rich on Wall Street. Oil wasn’t really a thing until the 19th C. .
@@LindaLinda80Linda Well, yes exactly. As soon as the resources have been known about they have all been part of the oil industrial complex. There's a further point to this. Being in the middle-east and making sure the oil flows keeps the prices down, which is why we have seen all presidents for ages going to Saudiarabia to do the sword dance. Strange bedfellows perhaps, but it has a further importance. In case of a wider war, like WW3 it would be possible to cut down oil exports to adversaries. So, it's never been about just using "our" own oil. Those are hollow talking points meant to target those who know very little about the subject.
I applaud him as well, but on this issue he was wrong and shows very little understanding of the history. After generations of persecution by Arabs the Palestinian Jews should not have a state because it would be at the expense of the Palestinian Arabs? Conversely a Palestinian Arab state would be at the expense of Palestinian Jews. That's why the plan was to split the land. It was the Muslim Arabs who refused a split because they felt entitled to 100%.
@@DavoStreet I think he had a better understanding of history than those who argue against his view on the matter. Of couse Arabs felt entitled to 100%. It was their land. What right did the colonial Western powers have to split Arab land? Why would Arabs agree to give up their ancestral home to European settlers? Would you agree to split your home / land because a foreign nation said so? You need to understand this topic some more and then look at the issue objectively.
@@theopenrepublic It was Arab land? I guess if you say it was that's good enough. It was controlled by Ottomans, then handed over to the British to administrate establishment of viable states. Jews have lived there continually for thousands of years and their population dwindled after centuries of persecution. During the British Mandate there was a flood of Arab immigration into Palestine. Splitting Palestine and giving part to create yet another Arab state where one had never existed was being generous to the Arabs. Israel is the only success story for ethnic minorities within a sea of nations conquered by Arab colonizers. The Circassians, Assyrians, and Kurds all requested their own states and they should have been granted. Instead the powers that were did the lazy thing and yielded to the massive and powerful Arab colonial empire.
@@DavoStreet Yes, it was Arab land. They were living there. They owned the land. They have deeds of ownership. Jewish people started to migrate there from Europe and US starting from the late 19th century. Who "handed over" the land to the British? No one. They took it after the defeat of the Ottomans. So I ask again: by what right did Britain split the land? The answer is none. They left a legacy of conflict by creating a colonial settler state for Europeans. By any measure of objectivity, this is true. I have nothing further to say on the matter.
@@DavoStreet The Ottomans were a people defined by their religion - Islam. It makes no sense to try and redefine them by their languages (Turks and Arabs etc) unless you're also going to refer to Israelis as Hebrews. There certainly were Jews living in the region (Islam refers to them as People of the Book) but since they spoke Arabic their land would be "Arab land" too. As far as I know the only "persecution" the Ottomans imposed on People of the Book was an extra tax nobody collected. Your argument about dividing up the middle east according to language groups betrays a very Eurocentric concept of nationhood.
I would like Hitchens to be alive now so he could see what happened when the Palestinians got a state then raped and murdered as many Jews as they could get their hands on. Even Clinton has effectively apologized for his part in giving the Palestinians autonomy.
@@agathajadwiszczok3503 Yes, I spoke to Christopher about ten times. He was left leaning but did support George W Bush. Guessing I could look for the clips but they were 20 and 30 years ago.
AIPAC is wide out in the open, so your comment is firstly pretty silly. You like to tell a tale of it being covert because you belong to those Hitchens and every other sane person finds pretty detestable.
A badly missed political commentator… he was never ever afraid to tell of what he truly believed. He was always consistently spot on with this issue, America funding Israeli wars is a nonsense and always will be.
My parents are both from Poland. They are gentile. I will say this about Zionism. Given the way Polish people talk about Jews- I have heard it all my life- I don't blame Jews for wanting their own nation.
"I think I know what you are trying to pin me down on. Onto the first point...". Hah, love Hitchens. Letting you know he sees your move, he is one step ahead of you, acknowledges it, then obliterates your argument. Excellent.
Oh my god…that exchange at the very end is really upsetting, man. In the interest of being logical, fair and non-hysterical (which is a rarity in these times), I know those types of extreme interactions are in the minority but the fact that they happen at all and that they probably happen somewhat often is awful.
He had some interesting views. From memory he went on to support the invasion of Iraq and became extremely anti Muslim. He may still have retained his view of Israel.
No, critical of religion...yes. Still pushed for Palestinians state as well as Kurdish state. He wrote in hitch 22 that USA had a responsibility to get rid of Saddam since it put that tyrant in power in the first place. Hitch was anti-totalitarian
Christopher Hitches was a brilliant man and phenomenal debater. He is missing some very salient points in this conflict and what's missing are his thoughts on Jihadism. His position is that religion is stupid. He also doesn't seem aware of the impact of Britain or the grand Mufti and his relationship with Nazism and his extension of those values into the Islamist culture. Even so, he's brilliant and well missed.
It's not the same values. Some arab states had a thing going on with Nazi Germany because above all they wanted to get rid of the imperialist England. Finland was also allied with the Nazis because at the time USSR was a greater threat. They were not ideologically allied though, Finland didn't embrace Nazism. To people who think god is the greatest there is obviously no room for someone like Hitler Obviously there are fools who read mein kampf to try find ammunition against another religious group but it's just much better to see what goes on Gaza or other occupied areas. The best thing would be for all groups to understand that their religious beliefs are not helping this situation and neither does it in many others
"You will all be our slaves, if you are worthy! If you behave well!". And that tells me basically everything I need to know about these people. The difference now is probably that they have decided to not say that shit out loud when someone else is listening. Because telling the rest of the world that you want to enslave them would probably be bad for business. Not much of a greeting when you meet other people.
One random guy’s ranting aren’t proof of anything. Apparently, Israel already illegally occupies Palestinian land and has done so for 50+ years………….how many Palestinian slaves are there in the West Bank and Gaza? Meanwhile, a whole Israel already exists with 2 million Palestinian Arabs who are Israeli citizens and enjoy the same rights as any other Israeli citizen. Not slaves, not even required to serve in the IDF like practically everyone else.
@@KandiManYou couldn't be more wrong. Israel is an apartheid state with different rules for Jews and Muslims. Palestinians live in gated communities with curfews. They're not allowed to use public transit. Israel treats every single one of them as suspected terrorists.
1) This libertarian guy was referring to Black September, presumably. This took place in 1970 in Jordan. He has a right to be confused by an obscure and confusing story that took place 54 years ago on another continent. He was asking for more information about it. 2) He was presumably making the point that even Jordanians (an Arab people!) have conflicts with Palestinians, another Arab people. He was actually correct about this. I used to associate with a Lebanese family. Even they thought Palestinians were.... low-class people, shall we say!
Ah there it is, fear and ignorance from another rightwing man It's like some who claim whites are vanishing in USA but they too can't even do basic math Also, it's quite astonishing that the rightwing cannot understand that their wars for oil leads to mass refugee problems. They always support one but then don't take any responsibility for the other
The religious know that at an existential level we are spiritual, it is down to the fact we mean ourselves and the world. Organised religion knows this and capitalised on it. Spirituality is not a matter of belief but it is part of the way we exist.
He would tell the truth: that Hamas' crimes were a monstrous act of evil - but so are Israeli actions toward the Palestinians; & that if Israel continues to act the way it does - comitting such evil acts, empowering & enabling the worst elements of its society & giving them power over their government - what should it expect?
Misleadingly edited set of clips which loses the depth and nuance of Hitchens' position in favor of only one side. For example, Hitchens promises to talk about how the "two parties of G-d" are preventing a two-state solution, then discusses the problem of messianic settlers. He is about to discuss the hard-liners on the Palestinian side, but of course the editor cuts away first.
Well, not quite. It doesn't matter if the weaker side pushes for any two state solution when the Likud charter specifically makes any 2 state solution impossible. Where we are now the losing side will likely lose a lot more, and they won't ever get it back, these are good times for Israeli hardliners. Of course Hitchens would point out that religion doesn't help, but there is one side that has a lot more to say on where this goes than the other. Especially now that Trump is incoming and his son in law says there is a lot of profitable land to put to use (= to downright steal).
Hitchens could have been possibly the only person to be able to break the maga spell. Imagine Hitch going on joe rogan or lex and really saying something true and useful.
He would have loathed Trump, who promotes religion and even recently said he'd be fine with journalist getting shot at his rallies. Hitch would've blown a few fuses. Or the attack on democracy itself, the lying about a deadly virus, the anti-intellectualism, the looking up to dictators like Putin, Xi and Un, rampant greed and corruption..
He uses the phrase 'Arab land'. What makes a piece of land "Arab?" Particularly, what makes a piece of land, outside of Arabia, "Arab"? Does land have ethnicity? Of course not, and I dont think Mr Hitchens would claim such a thing. Yet he labels this piece of land as inherently "Arab." Why? Because it was conquered by Arabs? Well, doesn't that same logic then apply in the reverse? If it was conquered by Jews, does it become "Jewish land?" Or does land just pass back and forth between peoples, across history, and can only be claimed to belong to those who currently control it and are strong enough to hold it?
When the UN was formed in 1945 after WW2 ended it became against international law for any country to militarilly invade another country with the aim of claiming it for themselves so that history of open conquest you're talking about is no longer relevant. This is why conquest only happens now through covert acts of the western deep state, bribery of foreign politicians, coups and assassinations by CIA/MI6/Mossad operatives, over 800 US military bases worldwide keep these foreign governments on the leash.
Many of these clips are after his support for the latest Iraq war. But he said he wasn't any type of conservative. He had his faults but he was never that dumb The anti-totalitarian viewpoint comes more from Orwell, there's nothing new to that
It’s good to hear this perspective from the past. Christopher ain’t here no more to give some of his brilliant thoughts on the matter but Hamas has derailed good intentions. I believe in Israel to do the right thing - I trust it. I do not trust Hamas and by proxy the Palestinians. This has to be dealt with without external interference I believe. This has gone on long enough and I want people to have a peace that I (sometimes) enjoy.
The key point a lot are missing, yet I agree with him wholeheartedly, is that the idea to start the state of Israel was ridiculous. But then so were many other states. But when established and recognised, that does not diminish the right to exist.
I miss Hitchens.
❤
I did, until now.
@@DAVIDSTEIN-v1oWhy?
Wow. In 2024. How right he was. Spot on.
The world is a far darker place without his mind.
which he used to JUSTIFY the ILLEGAL INVASION of IRAN and AFGHANISTAN!! - WTF is wrong with you people? No memory longer than a month?? I was a devoted fan of this asshole but post 9/11 he was a Deranged NeoCon Republican... i guess his drinking got him in bed with someone underage of nonmhuma... blackmailed beyond ANY recognitin of the young man you see here..
The world is a far brighter place because his mind inspired so many.
@Monk_Chud Ya div🤣 You spelled 'yes' wrong.
Its all ablut sperm count.. Google him nothing has changed
Wrong! Yes influential, and so was Hitler. Did you listen to his arrogance..it sounded like he said Israel or Jews don't have a right to exist. He was an atheist, yet he thought was god, that would be the strange irony and tragic life of Hitchens.
Btw, there's no real trick in reading 1000 books and sounding intelligent, anyone can do that.
The far far superior Hitchens brother
I prefer Christopher too but his brother is still way smarter than most of UK politicians.
They are both good in different ways. I like Peter for openly believing in God. It seems to me that the argument Christopher missed out, maybe due to his atheism, was the record of the prophets which are neglected; clearly stating that the Hebrews were expelled from the land of Israel by God. It is for God to bring them back not a group of politicians, academics, intellectuals or financiers.
I'd like to see that argument explored more because this is an interesting narrow space where each of the brothers might have had something to contribute
@@RoyBolinggoing They will then argue that it's their god that is leading them to do this.
@@martinledermann1862Jews don't need a religious argument for their right to live in Israel. Jews have lived their continually since long before the Muslim conquest and until today.
@@RoyBolinggoing Those types of arguments never work, because at the end of the day it's rarely truly about thoroughly obeying god. If they really wanted to obey god's supposed word consistently, they would be doing alot of things very differently. No, it's about doing all the evil stuff you already wanted to do, and then demanding everyone to accept and respect what you did because you did it for a religious purpose. That's one of the things that makes religion so appealing to so many people.
when you avoid looking at things with a tribal , religious and dogmatic way you will always see things the correct way , thank you Dr Christopher
wow, that's a really dangerous fallacy you've constructed
@@ChannelMath not in the least bit
The last ‘settlers’ diatribe says it all, but Christopher said it best, ‘Religion Poisons Everything’!
I think it’s not about Religion it’s about land , try to read more about history of area
@@alexhithamsafieh3113 I have studied this area and the conflict for nearly 20 years and lived there talking to both sides! It IS about religion as much as land and I’ve been told that “it’s in the Torah”, by Israelis my friend! Again, I say that Christopher said it best “Religion Poisons Everything” certainly rings true here.
@@maxmartin7080 The problem with that statement is that a great many of the people who claim that the Torah provides justification for taking the land, aren't religious themselves - beyond attending the occasional bar mitzvah. You'll find that many Orthodox Jews in Israel and abroad argue the exact opposite; that Jews are forbidden from returning to the land as a 'Jewish' nation, until the return of the Messiah. Jews are permitted to settle in the land as individuals. So in a sense you are correct, there are 'religious' tropes that being asserted which undergird one side of the 'conflict'. But in fact, that has very little to do with the Palestinian cause. Jews, Muslims and Christians have always lived in the region. Palestinians resist for the same reasons that all colonized peoples resist - survival and preservation. Ironically (perhaps), the first Zionist pioneers understood this totally. It's worth reading the Ze'ev Jabotinsky's 1923 essay, The Iron Wall. Most of those early Zionist's never even pretended to be observant.
@@alexhithamsafieh3113Please tell me this is satire. It’s not about religion? It’s been about religion for thousands of years.
@@NicholsMarn’thousands of years’ not true. Jews and Muslims had been living peacefully there until the west got involved. Actually, Jews used to migrate to Israel cos they were treated (by the majority Muslim population there) better than they were in Europe and other Arab countries.
After WW2 the UK sent 100 of thousands of European asylum seeking Jews there, because they didn’t want to let them in the UK, and promised them land. This was at a time that they’d already made promises about the land to Arabs - who were helping the allies by rebelling against the Ottoman Empire during ww2.
The notion that this conflict is all to do with religion is a complete fallacy.
he was a bloody genius and still correct after his death.
He did go full nutter
He’d be a Zionist now.
@@jpw5029 Where? When?
then he says there is no hidden juiceish hand behind the US government? haha He is right... it's not hidden anymore 😂
@@wiwlarue4097 Aipac
The same descriptions used in the videos, some decades old, are equally applicable to the current situation in Palestine. Its nuts.
Common sense doesn’t age
Hitchens was always spot on on this issue
like his support for the illegal invasion of Iran and Afghanistan?
Not quite that spot on. When a caller implied about the influence of said people on US media and politics he rejected it, but it is true. But even if I were to concede that it is not true directly, it would still be true indirectly, and this is because many people in power, in the US and abroad, have some degree of belief in the messianic prophecies, which leads them support said state on the basis of superstition. Although half of them are in it for the conquest of the Middle-East and its mineral resources - Israel is the perfect springboard for Western powers to take hold of those resources by force, coercion, terror.
😮😮😮 10:03 10:03 😮6 10:03 😅😮😅😮😮😮😊😅😅😅😮so 😮😅in 10:03 😮😮in 😅😅😮😮😮in 😅😮den 😅
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
"Spot On" I guess that's intellectual speak for "I like to sound smart"
Anyone who does more than ten minutes of research on the history of this problem would have to come to the conclusion that the Palestinians suffered a great injustice and conflict was the only outcome.
Ten minutes of research and a modicum of moral fibre
The problem is so many misinformation are out there. They brainwashed the west into thinking it’s the Palestinians who don’t want peace which is a total opposite.
Yeah, but if you do more than ten minutes and actually do meaningful research you find the opposite.
@@Suplex479 You obviously have not done your research then. EEZREL has never draw it's borders even since it's formation by the U.N. It's the only country that has not done so to give it ability to expand indefinitely. Not to mention EEEZREL has never accepted the two state solution. All of two state solutions were proposed by the U.S but then EEEZRAIL added poison pills inside them to prevent the out right palestain. Then they fooled the west into thinking that it's the palestain that has never agreed to a two state solution. There's a video of BIB talking about it of how he found a way to kill the Two state solution. Watch the documentary "holy redemption" on youtube.
@@Suplex479 I remember when Israel Foreign Ministry reps could actually spell 😂
It's interesting hearing him talk about this after hearing so many accuse him of racism against Arabs
His justifications for the Iraq war was full of racism, unfortunately.
He's consistent and principled.
never heard anyone accuse him of that. Do you mean Muslims?
Towards the end of his life he became increasingly xenophobic and orientalist especially against arabs, he supported the Iraqi invasion and even after many of the people responsible for the debacle in Iraq admitted to their failure and said it was a mistake he doubled down and said it was correct and the right thing to do
He was friends with the Kurds so idk how they could say he's against Arabs rather than the psychotic islamksrs
I was such a massive fan of Hitchens a decade ago but I somehow never knew or forgot his stance on Israel/Palestine so it made me so happy to watch this video and realize me and Hitchens aren't far off from each other.
@@5dollarshake263 That wouldn’t be his stance now. Especially after Oct 7. Are you mad?
@@malvolio01 Hitch literally says in this video (7:25) the Palestinians have every right to resist the proposal that they should be flung out of their own land. He probably wouldn't agree with the EXACT nature of what happened on October 7th, but he certainly wouldn't be surprised by it or think that their resistance taking extreme forms after almost of a century of violent occupation and apartheid is unthinkable. He certainly would consider what Israel has been doing for the last 12 months to be appalling.
@@jayhayes2007 "almost of a century of violent occupation and apartheid"
It's quite disturbing to think some of you actually believe in that.
"their resistance taking extreme forms"
Not a shred of critical thought left in you, I'm afraid. In the absence of critical faculties, I guess empty revolutionary slogans will do.
@@etsequentia6765 Do you think the state of Israel's response over the last 12, nearly 13 months, is proportional?
@@spideralexandre2099 Do you think the atrocities committed on Israeli civilians on Oct. 7 were somehow justified?
Do you think you have a moral basis for such justification, one not based on hamas propaganda and outright lies?
Do you think you can establish a moral equivalence between the side that declared war with intent to destroy a sovereign nation and actually committed ge***ide and the side defending itself from annihilation?
Do you think the demand for "proportional" response in a war is not the most preposterous and laughable demand under the circumstances?
Do you think any other country would do differently when attacked like that? do you think any other country would be attacked and criticized like that for responding to defend itself like Israel is criticized and attacked?
So right in every way!
The idea of a country founded on religion is preposterous.
So you are against all of those islamic countries that are under islamic law? ..If so you are consistent
@@MrLebowski1980 all of them.
@@donmadziva1689Great, good to know you're not a cultist who laser focuses on israel, you criticise the islamic states too. At least Israel has freedoms for its people though... including it's 2 million Muslims.
@@MrLebowski1980Yeah, all those Palestinians in the West Bank are overflowing with freedom…
@@MrLebowski1980The two million Palestinians who remained in their homeland endured hell from the 1940s to the 1980s for the freedom they now enjoy, even if it is questionable, because there is still a lot of discrimination and inequality between Jews and Muslims in Israel. As for the Palestinians in the West Bank, it's a whole other story.
I miss you Christopher Hitchens.
How did you write that comment that makes a search result
What does it mean to say a country has a "right" to exist?
Everyone has a right to exist. Even Palestine.
Hi,
I don't think any country has a right to exist. They all exist through force. 'Rights' don't really come into it. Unless you're talking about a moral 'right'. But that's just a metaphor not a real 'right'. Confusing isn't it?
There never was a Palestine
@@malvolio01 Most countries on Earth, including a lot of white ones, would disagree with you on that.
@@malvolio01There is now..
@@kennycube5126 Interesting thoughts. Very philosophical. If you want to get out of that vacuum and make a not so neutral comment that would be more interesting.
The exact brilliant mind the WORLD needs right now.
He was against islam, so I agree he did have a brilliant mind
You're a tonne of simple.
@@R-Righteoushe was against all religion
@@chav2002 Sure was, but other religions are more tolerable than the cult of peace....
@@chav2002 in the UK "chav" isn't a good thing, Google it.
Man, this guy is really someone who is missed
now we're left with sham harris and richard dawcringe
@@zeusjukem9484 2 horsemen of intellectual arrogance
The problem quite honestly is rooted in the fact that Christianity still has a stronghold on American politics. The USA refuses to condemn Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.
Thanks for posting.
His opinions were logical and based on informed research. I do not agree with every aspect, but respect it.
Speaking from the grave and what progress has been made in decades? Hitchens was a great man.
Legend
For neckbeards
I love hitch! I also want to note how strikingly handsome he is in that first clip!!
Gawd yes..... handsome.
@@cynthiamadrid1430seriously? That pale skin, pudgey face, and unstyled hair cut? Genuinely, how is he handsome?
Totally agree. Hitch, starring Will Smith, was a great movie ;)
He was ahead of the curve on a lot of issues
I miss this man so much. 😔
He's still a breath of fresh air...even from the beyond.
it's amazing how his voice and his opinions stayed absolutely consistent over the 30 years of his career.
Of course the senior Bush would have said that. The family is neck-deep in the oil business. He son went to war with Iraq for the oil, but they set the oil fields on fire.
Is there any US president that has not been on an oil hunt?
@@Hirnlego999Just the one that encouraged us to use our own comes to mind.
@@jonathanaliff6121 They all do that. Currently oil production is at record high. It doesn't matter that Trump lies about it, he was still after Venezuelan and Iranian oil. Even admitted to a journalist that USA stayed in Syria for its oil, which is an admission to a war crime.
Trump has absolutely nobody left to lie to at this point, it's a wonder how anyone can take him seriously about anything
@@Hirnlego999 Well, Washington wanted a successful Plantation. So did Jefferson and the both wanted slaves to do the work. Ulysses Grant wanted to get rich on Wall Street. Oil wasn’t really a thing until the 19th C. .
@@LindaLinda80Linda Well, yes exactly. As soon as the resources have been known about they have all been part of the oil industrial complex.
There's a further point to this. Being in the middle-east and making sure the oil flows keeps the prices down, which is why we have seen all presidents for ages going to Saudiarabia to do the sword dance. Strange bedfellows perhaps, but it has a further importance. In case of a wider war, like WW3 it would be possible to cut down oil exports to adversaries. So, it's never been about just using "our" own oil.
Those are hollow talking points meant to target those who know very little about the subject.
Whilst I disagree with the late Mr Hitchens, he was entirely correct on this issue. I applaude him for being consistent with his principles.
I applaud him as well, but on this issue he was wrong and shows very little understanding of the history.
After generations of persecution by Arabs the Palestinian Jews should not have a state because it would be at the expense of the Palestinian Arabs? Conversely a Palestinian Arab state would be at the expense of Palestinian Jews. That's why the plan was to split the land. It was the Muslim Arabs who refused a split because they felt entitled to 100%.
@@DavoStreet I think he had a better understanding of history than those who argue against his view on the matter. Of couse Arabs felt entitled to 100%. It was their land. What right did the colonial Western powers have to split Arab land? Why would Arabs agree to give up their ancestral home to European settlers? Would you agree to split your home / land because a foreign nation said so? You need to understand this topic some more and then look at the issue objectively.
@@theopenrepublic It was Arab land? I guess if you say it was that's good enough.
It was controlled by Ottomans, then handed over to the British to administrate establishment of viable states.
Jews have lived there continually for thousands of years and their population dwindled after centuries of persecution. During the British Mandate there was a flood of Arab immigration into Palestine. Splitting Palestine and giving part to create yet another Arab state where one had never existed was being generous to the Arabs.
Israel is the only success story for ethnic minorities within a sea of nations conquered by Arab colonizers. The Circassians, Assyrians, and Kurds all requested their own states and they should have been granted. Instead the powers that were did the lazy thing and yielded to the massive and powerful Arab colonial empire.
@@DavoStreet Yes, it was Arab land. They were living there. They owned the land. They have deeds of ownership. Jewish people started to migrate there from Europe and US starting from the late 19th century. Who "handed over" the land to the British? No one. They took it after the defeat of the Ottomans. So I ask again: by what right did Britain split the land? The answer is none. They left a legacy of conflict by creating a colonial settler state for Europeans. By any measure of objectivity, this is true. I have nothing further to say on the matter.
@@DavoStreet The Ottomans were a people defined by their religion - Islam. It makes no sense to try and redefine them by their languages (Turks and Arabs etc) unless you're also going to refer to Israelis as Hebrews. There certainly were Jews living in the region (Islam refers to them as People of the Book) but since they spoke Arabic their land would be "Arab land" too.
As far as I know the only "persecution" the Ottomans imposed on People of the Book was an extra tax nobody collected.
Your argument about dividing up the middle east according to language groups betrays a very Eurocentric concept of nationhood.
He would wipe the floor with anyone in politics today..he speaks the truth to power
I would've loved to hear Hitch on this issue and several others of the last decade. He was a great man.
you know he became a zionist right?
Man I would love to hear him comment on Israeli affairs right now, if only….
why? there's nothing new to comment on. If his comments were helpful they would've helped by now
@@ChannelMath Maybe I just miss the wrath of Hitchens, is that so wrong
He condemned how Palestine was taken over by j-hadists. It really changed the conversation
@jaredpowell4108 those jihadists wouldn't have taken over if zionist extremists didn't carve out the state of Israel
I would like Hitchens to be alive now so he could see what happened when the Palestinians got a state then raped and murdered as many Jews as they could get their hands on. Even Clinton has effectively apologized for his part in giving the Palestinians autonomy.
That’s one honest man!
6:33 So good 😂 The wit of Christopher Hitchens was unassailable
This is what a moderate should sound like.
It would be amazing if we could hear Hitchens talk to Sam Harris on this issue
Truth from Chris
Yes, he was honest in he's positions being wright or wrong.
This is still as relevant 20 years later..
I called in many times when Hitchens was on WJ. What a flash back. He looks like a kid and so does Brian Lamb.
Did they actually take your questions and respond?
If so, what did Hitchens say?
@@agathajadwiszczok3503 Yes, I spoke to Christopher about ten times. He was left leaning but did support George W Bush. Guessing I could look for the clips but they were 20 and 30 years ago.
"Covert Jewish hand" = AIPAC
AIPAC is wide out in the open, so your comment is firstly pretty silly. You like to tell a tale of it being covert because you belong to those Hitchens and every other sane person finds pretty detestable.
That’s not covert
@@vhufeosqap their secret funding from the Israeli government is covert
@@vhufeosqap😂😂😂😂
@@vhufeosqap but AIPAC handlers assigned to all Republican congressman is quite covert. Only recently did it become widespread knowledge.
Thank you for C-span
The ghost of her ex husband (who unalived himself when he found out about the affair) came back to haunt them.
A badly missed political commentator… he was never ever afraid to tell of what he truly believed. He was always consistently spot on with this issue, America funding Israeli wars is a nonsense and always will be.
My parents are both from Poland. They are gentile.
I will say this about Zionism. Given the way Polish people talk about Jews- I have heard it all my life- I don't blame Jews for wanting their own nation.
This video hasn’t aged
"I think I know what you are trying to pin me down on. Onto the first point...". Hah, love Hitchens. Letting you know he sees your move, he is one step ahead of you, acknowledges it, then obliterates your argument. Excellent.
You know....what WAS the guy trying to "pin down"?
I didn't really understand his 3 questions. Is there some context here that I am missing?
The caller asked if Iran or Russia would "close the straits of Hormuz" or something?
What was he talking about, exactly?
6:07 - 'mm I can scream if I have to...' 😂
I love how he changed facts
Much missed. RIP.
Wow
Hitchens was a very smart Jew. We miss him.
Maybe it's time both sides did some research on their respective imaginary deities. It's all twaddle. Evolve, people.
Agreed, but it's not just religious motivation
He saw the truth.
These people have been saying the same thing for 100 years. Shameful.
Love him so much
He would turn over in his grave if he knew what was going on now in October 2024.
Could be. I am here and I am tempted to turn over in my grave and I am not dead yet.
Let him turn. Jerusalem has always been the capital of Israel.
I think that perhaps Hitchens would be surprised that it didn't happen sooner. He clearly knew trouble was brewing.
I miss him a lot
Oh my god…that exchange at the very end is really upsetting, man. In the interest of being logical, fair and non-hysterical (which is a rarity in these times), I know those types of extreme interactions are in the minority but the fact that they happen at all and that they probably happen somewhat often is awful.
He had some interesting views. From memory he went on to support the invasion of Iraq and became extremely anti Muslim. He may still have retained his view of Israel.
No, critical of religion...yes. Still pushed for Palestinians state as well as Kurdish state. He wrote in hitch 22 that USA had a responsibility to get rid of Saddam since it put that tyrant in power in the first place. Hitch was anti-totalitarian
@@markclans3284 No, anti Islam, but anti-religion in general anyway.
Something I agree with him on great stuff.
Leslie wexner enters the chat
Truly miss Hitchens. The world seems gloomier without him.
Christopher Hitches was a brilliant man and phenomenal debater. He is missing some very salient points in this conflict and what's missing are his thoughts on Jihadism. His position is that religion is stupid. He also doesn't seem aware of the impact of Britain or the grand Mufti and his relationship with Nazism and his extension of those values into the Islamist culture. Even so, he's brilliant and well missed.
It's not the same values. Some arab states had a thing going on with Nazi Germany because above all they wanted to get rid of the imperialist England. Finland was also allied with the Nazis because at the time USSR was a greater threat. They were not ideologically allied though, Finland didn't embrace Nazism.
To people who think god is the greatest there is obviously no room for someone like Hitler
Obviously there are fools who read mein kampf to try find ammunition against another religious group but it's just much better to see what goes on Gaza or other occupied areas.
The best thing would be for all groups to understand that their religious beliefs are not helping this situation and neither does it in many others
"You will all be our slaves, if you are worthy! If you behave well!". And that tells me basically everything I need to know about these people. The difference now is probably that they have decided to not say that shit out loud when someone else is listening. Because telling the rest of the world that you want to enslave them would probably be bad for business. Not much of a greeting when you meet other people.
One random guy’s ranting aren’t proof of anything. Apparently, Israel already illegally occupies Palestinian land and has done so for 50+ years………….how many Palestinian slaves are there in the West Bank and Gaza?
Meanwhile, a whole Israel already exists with 2 million Palestinian Arabs who are Israeli citizens and enjoy the same rights as any other Israeli citizen. Not slaves, not even required to serve in the IDF like practically everyone else.
@@KandiManYou couldn't be more wrong. Israel is an apartheid state with different rules for Jews and Muslims. Palestinians live in gated communities with curfews. They're not allowed to use public transit. Israel treats every single one of them as suspected terrorists.
All religions demand totalitarian control over the mind and for all to surrender to the dogmas and doctrines.
❤ Christopher
Shame Hitchens became such an awful supporter of the most aggressive form of neoconservative aggression in his later years.
He said he was not any type of neoconservative, but sure, he should've hated the neocons as much as Kissinger
5:55 it's a shame the clip didn't linger for a few seconds there to get a taste of the crowd's reaction
The last few years of this bs and all I keep thinking about is, “haven’t we been down this road already?” Sure sells well
bruh the c-span libertarian guy getting hit with the "sounds like i know more than you by the sound of it" 💀
I love Hitchens but that was....kind of nasty and rude.
1) This libertarian guy was referring to Black September, presumably. This took place in 1970 in Jordan.
He has a right to be confused by an obscure and confusing story that took place 54 years ago on another continent. He was asking for more information about it.
2) He was presumably making the point that even Jordanians (an Arab people!) have conflicts with Palestinians, another Arab people.
He was actually correct about this. I used to associate with a Lebanese family. Even they thought Palestinians were.... low-class people, shall we say!
This man was God......
Everything is foolish to this man, but himself. His England will taste the Islamic imperialism vanishing his language on the island…
Ah there it is, fear and ignorance from another rightwing man
It's like some who claim whites are vanishing in USA but they too can't even do basic math
Also, it's quite astonishing that the rightwing cannot understand that their wars for oil leads to mass refugee problems. They always support one but then don't take any responsibility for the other
Well this aged well
I wonder how he would feel about this now….
😳
The religious know that at an existential level we are spiritual, it is down to the fact we mean ourselves and the world. Organised religion knows this and capitalised on it. Spirituality is not a matter of belief but it is part of the way we exist.
If only we could hear Hitch’s thoughts post-Oct7.
He would tell the truth: that Hamas' crimes were a monstrous act of evil - but so are Israeli actions toward the Palestinians; & that if Israel continues to act the way it does - comitting such evil acts, empowering & enabling the worst elements of its society & giving them power over their government - what should it expect?
Misleadingly edited set of clips which loses the depth and nuance of Hitchens' position in favor of only one side. For example, Hitchens promises to talk about how the "two parties of G-d" are preventing a two-state solution, then discusses the problem of messianic settlers. He is about to discuss the hard-liners on the Palestinian side, but of course the editor cuts away first.
Well, not quite. It doesn't matter if the weaker side pushes for any two state solution when the Likud charter specifically makes any 2 state solution impossible.
Where we are now the losing side will likely lose a lot more, and they won't ever get it back, these are good times for Israeli hardliners.
Of course Hitchens would point out that religion doesn't help, but there is one side that has a lot more to say on where this goes than the other. Especially now that Trump is incoming and his son in law says there is a lot of profitable land to put to use (= to downright steal).
“Of course” immediately shows your own prejudices rather than those of the Editor or Hitchens
bit of a pompous git, but was always worth listening to, even when I disagreed.
2010 and already Netnhayahoo and the Shas were already a thing?!
am israel chaiiiii
What year is this?
It's a compilation of clips from across the decades. Isn't that obvious? What a stupid question.
Hitchens could have been possibly the only person to be able to break the maga spell. Imagine Hitch going on joe rogan or lex and really saying something true and useful.
He would have loathed Trump, who promotes religion and even recently said he'd be fine with journalist getting shot at his rallies.
Hitch would've blown a few fuses. Or the attack on democracy itself, the lying about a deadly virus, the anti-intellectualism, the looking up to dictators like Putin, Xi and Un, rampant greed and corruption..
Ppl are beyond tapped
How spot on, free Palestine
Could hitchens predict the future? I thought all the trouble started on October 7th?
It has been brewing for decades and decades.
06:00
"I can scream if I have to."
Does somebody have the last video?
British make the most of the borders that have big problems
No not really, but i suppose it’s easier having the historical understanding of a 4 year old. I’m sure your boogeyman makes you feel very smart
He uses the phrase 'Arab land'. What makes a piece of land "Arab?" Particularly, what makes a piece of land, outside of Arabia, "Arab"? Does land have ethnicity? Of course not, and I dont think Mr Hitchens would claim such a thing. Yet he labels this piece of land as inherently "Arab." Why? Because it was conquered by Arabs? Well, doesn't that same logic then apply in the reverse? If it was conquered by Jews, does it become "Jewish land?" Or does land just pass back and forth between peoples, across history, and can only be claimed to belong to those who currently control it and are strong enough to hold it?
Is your car that was stolen no longer yours?
@Eddyzk not if I stole the car, from someone who stole it, before it was stolen from me.
Except, it wasn't "conquered by Arabs". th-cam.com/video/QUCeQt8zg5o/w-d-xo.htmlsi=s4xFOgjwQEJXQ4Bo
When the UN was formed in 1945 after WW2 ended it became against international law for any country to militarilly invade another country with the aim of claiming it for themselves so that history of open conquest you're talking about is no longer relevant. This is why conquest only happens now through covert acts of the western deep state, bribery of foreign politicians, coups and assassinations by CIA/MI6/Mossad operatives, over 800 US military bases worldwide keep these foreign governments on the leash.
Arabs originally comes from the Levant..
The tooth fairy and Santa Clause and God have a lot to answer for.
Smart man
Kinda took this right from my channel huh? Haha
If you're the content owner you can ask for it to be taken down otherwise..
6:08 - "I'm a libertarian"
- proceeds to defend the acts of an occupying government in ethnically cleansing a population they don't like
In all fairness, I think the libertarian guy was saying "Even Jordan has problems with Palestinians - and they are Arabs, too!"
The final part of the video should be in the very beginning. Everyone should see how fanatic they are holding to these baseless ideas.
Hitchens would have disemboweled Trump.
I don't know about that. Hitchens could surprise you!
At one point, he even kind of defended Sarah Palin and George Bush.
Really.
Before he became a neocon… Avantgarde
Many of these clips are after his support for the latest Iraq war.
But he said he wasn't any type of conservative. He had his faults but he was never that dumb
The anti-totalitarian viewpoint comes more from Orwell, there's nothing new to that
Fair man
It’s good to hear this perspective from the past. Christopher ain’t here no more to give some of his brilliant thoughts on the matter but Hamas has derailed good intentions. I believe in Israel to do the right thing - I trust it. I do not trust Hamas and by proxy the Palestinians. This has to be dealt with without external interference I believe. This has gone on long enough and I want people to have a peace that I (sometimes) enjoy.
"I believe in Israel to do the right thing - I trust it."
It's more of the same. Which has n-e-v-e-r worked.
Oof
The key point a lot are missing, yet I agree with him wholeheartedly, is that the idea to start the state of Israel was ridiculous. But then so were many other states. But when established and recognised, that does not diminish the right to exist.
Still waiting for justice for the USS Liberty.
Isreal paid the families of the dead.