Jon Stewart Interrogates America's Support of Israel | Christiane Amanpour

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We got an unbelievable show today. Christian Amanpor has gotta be joining us to fable book part the big news today, the world ended.

I think, are we even? Are we? Salon? I don't. There wasn't eclipse.

It happened the sun and the moon did the thing that everyone's been saying they were going to do for centuries. Now the path got totalitied, and now both planets we'll go back to years of ignoring each other before they inevitably hook up again. Textbook toxic relationship. But not everyone was happy about today's celestial seasonings.

For danger lurks the flocks, there's alert a rare celestial event collides with a policy failure on the ground. The southern border will be directly in the path of totality today when the moon covers the Sun for nearly four minutes.

We are told that officials are bracing for higher traffic than usual and that means a opportunity for smugglers and cartels and migrants.

To come right in, or they could just wait till nighttime.

Really, they don't have.

The eclipse four minutes.

I gotta say, is there nothing Fox can't tie to immigration?

This is this here?

Cicada infestation provides perfect cover for Venezuelans. Of course, if you combine the dangers of today's eclipse with Friday's seismic activity in the northeast, well, the more troubling picture emerges. Republican Congress from Marjor Taylor Green tweeted, the earthquake and Monday solar eclipse are assigned from God that Americans need to repent. How do you know? How would you know that that is what God meant? Why would God be so obtuse? Why would he do that?

Or she?

Why would she? Or how crazy would.

It be if God insisted on they them?

But honestly, is this shit really how God works?

I must let man know to repent their wickedness.

How Lord, I don't know, dim the lights for like four minutes, very specific path? And God, what else? Give New Jersey a little shape.

Enough to render the buildings to rubble and to bring people to their knees in repentance and atonement.

No, just a little like.

A jersey, just a little nookie like oh jersey. Oh, but divine messaging aside. It was the biggest story of the weekend. So for more on the eclipse, we have full team coverage.

Let's go live to Ronnie.

Chang in Colonel Texas, Grace cool E Slick in Niagara.

What a day, What a spectacular day, Grace. What is the mood out there in Niagara Falls?

It's a clips day.

The sky was dark, but the moods were bright because this.

Event was out of this world.

Fantastic, John, Oh, Grace, that's fantastic, Ronnie.

Thanks John. The eclipse what's fine, But too bad they don't make us special kind of glasses that will allow us to look truly directly at the horrors now occurring around the world, especially in Gaza's.

That's very true, Ronnie, very true. Powerful. Those are powerful words, Grace.

Oh, Gauza, Gaza.

It's terrible, terrible, not terrible.

Was the Crispy Cream Special Edition Solar Eclipse donut I had earlier? It was in the path of tasteality.

It was really really good.

Is that a tambourine.

Oh no, no, no, no, no.

No, Well technically it is.

I was gonna do an eclipse dance, but it doesn't seem appropriate.

I'd really like to see the dance.

Yeah, yeah, do the dance.

The moon rise in the day time, block out the sun. It's so fun, family and friends, the joint ever ends.

Yeah, you know that dance reminds me of the moral dance we all do every day to hide all complicity in the Wall's atrocities.

And I hope that was clear in my dance. Thank you both very much, Grace and Ronnie. Everybody well done.

But the other big milestone from the eclipse is, as Ronnie mentioned, the war in Gaza is now.

Six months old. I think for a wellness check.

But as the war has grinded on, justice is beginning to seem more like cruelty. But not to worry, America, the Shining City on a Hill is on the case with our universal values in the.

Great battle for freedom between a rules based order and one governed.

By brute force.

In this battle, we need to be clear eyed.

And just to clarify, we are the freedom folks. We're the rules people. We're not the brute force ones. I think we all know who the Brewte force ones are in this case, Vladimir, and know that America will call you out when you violate the basic tenets of humanity weaponizing food, using it as a tool as a weapon in its war against Ukraine.

It's unconscionable.

Should not happen. It's unconscionable.

Weaponizing food in Ukraine is not kosher nor helal. Sorry if I'm both sides of this, speaking of which there is a literal famine in Gaza caused by the war. I assume America will also consider this unconscionable.

Absolutely, we're concerned about that, no question about it.

Well, you can't spend spell unconscionable without concern, or at least part of it.

The con part you can reuse the COEO. You get the point.

How about the free press? Ordinarily we are strongly in favor of free press. We also condemn the Russian government's continued targeting and repression of journalists.

You hear that, Russia. We condemn.

In no uncertain terms any repression of a free press.

I think you all know what's coming next.

More journalists have been killed in Gaza in six months than anywhere else in the world, and a new Israeli law says they can ban media outlets they consider a threat.

So as it relates to Al Jazeer zero specific we've seen the reports.

If it is true, if it is true, a move like this is concerning.

We're concerned.

Again, how about if it's true, we condemn it. And by the way, is it true? Like it feels like you could probably just go someone and be like, is this true, And if they're like, yeah, it's true, you can be like, that's concerning, not condemning, but concerning.

Well, you know what, perhaps these are just peripheral issues.

What about the bedrock rule of international law, no taking land by force when Russia does it.

We're pretty clear.

The entire world has a stake in making sure that no nation, no aggressor, is allowed to take a neighbor's territory by force. The American people will never waiver on our commitment to those values.

Ish See, this is where Israel's action get interesting, because you might say Israel's war is different than Ukraine's. Israel's responding to an attack and a hostage crisis, but in the midst of that, they pulled a little something in the West Bank. On March twenty second that might be notable.

As the US Secretary of State Anthony Blincoln made his latest visit to Israel, the Israeli government announced that it was declaring state land, only two thousand acres of land in the occupied West Bank. This latest Israeli appropriation is the largest land transfersons the Oslo Accords were signed in nineteen ninety three.

Nineteen ninety three, and that's not even Gaza, that's the West Bank. So you can't say has anything to do with defending yourself against some mass Let's see if America upholds its rule against taking land. I haven't seen the fcidity of this, but anyone taking steps that makes things more difficult, more challenging this time than something.

That we would have a problem with, you.

Don't know about it. They did it the day you visited.

Why do we tiptoe around on eggshells. They slap America in the face, and our response as well, if anyone slapped us in the face, it'd be concerning, that's for sure. I mean raising a hand to a delicate body part of the face. If true, the verbal gymnastics that the American government must undertake so as not to offend the delicate sensibilities of a country.

We provide most of the weapons.

For is Yeah, every time America tells the world that there's something we won't allow, Israel seems to say challenge accepted. Are they willfully trying to provoke us? Or perhaps they're just reading our principles from right to left? It's over. It's really, to be honest, it's kind of a barm it's for joke, but over thirty thousand have died in Gaza since the war started. Some of them am our soldiers, thirty thousand of them children.

Our response, since the early hours, we've been urging our Israeli counterparts to act with as much precision as they can, and they're targeting our constant efforts to urge the Israelis to be as precise and careful as possible. We can still continue to urge Is to be more careful and more precise. A need for the Israeli defense forces to act with precision. We continue to work with the Israelis to make sure that they are as precise as as they can be.

See they're not listening. Have you tried synonyms for precision?

We continue to stress to our Israeli counterparce that they be as discriminate and careful in their targeting as possible, Be as cautious and deliberate, and as careful as they can. To be more careful and more deliberate, be very deliberate in the most discreete deliberate, careful, cautious way possible, the utmost care a special.

Burden to be mindful, to be mindful. What is this hot yoga? We just you know, we've seen the bombing, and we are urging Netan Yahoo to be present. What are we doing here?

The subtext of all this is America knows this is wrong, but it apparently doesn't seem to have the courage to say it in a straightforward manner. American Israel both know that you cannot bomb your way into safety. We learned that lesson in Irock and Afghanistan. They learned it in southern Lebanon. They laid siege there, occupied the southern area for twenty years. All it did was birth and strength and hesbola. And they're about to do it all over again.

After this recent week with so much.

Horror, perhaps America finally finds the need for a new approach with Israel with more justice and less cruelty. The US and Israel are closing in on what would be their largest weapons deal since the war in Gaza began. Well, I don't know about you, but if that's true, I find it concerning. And with that devastating conclusion, we turn for more analysis.

Back to gray Schoolish Meid, Grace.

No no, no, no, no no no.

No no no, no no no.

Right Gray Schoolish Meid. Everybody.

When we come back, Chris John Amafoor, we'll be joining us.

Don't go away, Gracechoolish. What about the Dallas Oh my god.

See it is international anchor and host of the Amanpur Hour. Please welcome to the program, Christi Amanpur.

Hello, Hello, Hi, I wanted to have you.

Want to talk to you. The world is ending? Well it seems that way.

Yes, that's why the eclipse was so beautiful today because it looked like it was ending, and yet it brought so many people together in this incredibly divided country.

Honestly, was very emotional. It was very emotional.

So just the answer to this is we just got to do this every day now?

Yeah, yeah, I think can't.

We just protect put something over it and just block it on there?

What is happening? What is the frustration you're working over it? What is your name?

Is CNN and the big read letters.

I've heard, you know, really most trusted in news.

What that's a new brand? Let me ask you this. We see it on air and everybody's working so hard. What are the journalists behind the scenes talk about as their frustrations?

What would they like to see covered? How would they like to see it covered?

Or are they executing it in the manner at which they think they're satisfied.

Well, here's the thing.

You know, you've been talking a lot about Israel, obviously about Ukraine. Our major problem covering Israel Gaza right now, this phase of it, which has been going on for six months, is that we can't get there. This is an unprecedented situation. Journalists are not on the ground in Gaza and it is.

Well, they're journalists on the ground, You're right, You're.

Right, I'm talking about independent Western journalists are not able to get or anybody else except for those people who are absolutely risking their lives every single day media workers journalists, almost one hundred have been killed according to the CPJ, in Gaza, West Bank and Lebanon in six months. It is an unprecedented situation and it goes beyond the horror of what's happened to those people in their families. It's about telling the story of Gaza, telling the story of the Palestinians.

You know, actual local journalists would.

Tell you about a people, right, a people, not just you know, dehumanizing numbers or the like, but a people. And when we go to do our job, and I've been doing this pretty much since the first Golf War, we go there to be the eyes and ears of everybody who can't go from who's not a local.

But we're not able to get this. It's an American problem, because.

No, it's really problem. They won't No, no, I mean, I don't mean that.

I mean that we in this country might not be getting the information. But on social media, on various things or without Jazerira, the world is certainly seeing a very different picture than what Western journal is showing.

That is very true.

And you know, if this terrible law goes through to throw out any organization from Gaza, including al Jazeera. It would be a terrible thing, yet another chilling effect on trying to tell the truth.

In this raging war.

So this is a real, real problem, and it is true many people do get you know, daily news from social media, from actually, as I say, the very brave camera people who are there with their phones and with their cameras and we're feeding things.

It is remarkable you were covering these types of events from nineteen eighty three. We all remember that was the occupation in southern Lebanon.

It was right the Israelis invaded Beirut. They were after the PLO.

And then there was eleven civil and the rise of Hesboalah. In that occupation, there was the Islamic Revolution in Iran. We're watching these stories play out redundantly.

Yeah, you know, there's two things.

Obviously, one is that you know, history is not always a great teacher.

But the other is that.

You know, leadership matters, and we are in a crisis of leadership around the world, I genuinely believe. And even as bad as it was in the nineteen ninety seventy nine, in the eighties and all that, there was a period, let's say, in this part of the world in the Middle East in the nineties where there.

Was an actual peace process.

Now we can pooh pooh it, we can laugh at it, we can say that it failed. But it failed because the people responsible for enacting it didn't do it and actually sabotaged it. So there have been instances where peace can be forged, where both sides can come together, and it depends on the leaders.

You know, but this will take more than both sides. This isn't even both sides.

This will this will have to be a regional piece. Yeah, this is a grinding war with no real I mean the idea is what we're going to do this until we eliminate hamas well, So you're going to just kill everybody?

Like what what does that even? Two points?

There're two things.

Right, Israel was attacked on October seventh, the worst single day massacre in its history, and it has the right to defend itself. But right the issue is you stay within the guidelines of international law. So now you heard, you know, America is getting very frustrated and.

Concerned if Christian if true.

You know, you know we aren't concerned, do you know?

It reminded me of something that happened at the State Department during the Rwanda genocide. When a journalist asked the State Department a spokesperson in nineteen ninety four, thirty years ago this week, how the woman said, there have been acts of genocide committed in Rwanda. And the reporter said, well, how many acts of genocide does it take for you to call it a genocide? And she said, I'm not able to respond to that position you're taking.

So, you know, genocide ologist, we have we have.

An issue with calling what's happening.

Certainly back then, we have no issue roundly condemning or being very clear with our moral issues and the other side of it. This isn't about the ability to defend yourself. It's not even about the moral issue. It's about efficacy. It's about, you know, after nine eleven, the vindictiveness in me, the bloodlet like it certainly rose up, but very clearly our response was flawed in its efficacy.

We made a mistake.

And you know that President Biden said that to Prime Minisation and yeah, who when you went there, So did Lloyd Austin, so did many President mistake he was in a.

Position to say that to America after nine eleven, didn't say that that's not the position that he took. Then then the position was, yeah, let's go into a Rah, let's go in Afghanistan. You know, it's easy in that in that retrospect, which is why it feels as though the world order.

Has failed in this moment.

And I'm surprised at and maybe this isn't really the case and I'm misrepresenting this, but the passive nature of the Arab states.

Well, look, that is a big issue because they have now all rushed to make peace and certain accords with Israel. The UAE, Morocco, Saudi Arabia was apparently on the verge of doing it, still is.

Working on it.

And I actually have spoken to a lot of Arab leaders and I've said to them, look for all these years, since nineteen forty eight, when the Palestinians left the Nachbar, when they were forced out, when they were chased out, when they voluntarily left, all that what happened, And that's what that's what Vagaza is right, the refugees from nineteen forty.

Eight, When are you.

Going to stand up also and take ownership of this problem? Because the Arab states have had Palestinian refugees for you know pretty much seventy five odd years.

And it's never given them there, I mean, has probably a larger citizenship.

No, none of them have right because look.

They're all terrified of Hamasen has bolted. The dirty little secret over there is the Islamists that they helped foster through Major and all those other actions. They're scared shiitless of.

They just are, Yeah, and they would like to see Hamas get a bloody nose, There's no doubt about it.

But people the leadest thing want.

They don't want to count people for it.

People think another thing, and the people are essentially very upset the people in that part of the word and tell people.

Over the world are very very upset.

Long tell me why this is naivel wrong that the Arab states form a DMZ to immediately de escalate this problem. How do they not step in and form some type of guarantee the security of Israel in that moment, guarantee the security of the palesting is and stop this carnage.

So there've been certain plans floated.

At the moment, the Israeli government wants none of it. It doesn't want the UN, it doesn't want the Arab countries The only thing that the Prime inter.

Does not see. It's isolation in the world.

That is what its allies are trying to tell it that you had the moral high ground and you are very close, if not having lost it. And this is a problem for Israel because the truth is, as all these people on my show tell me, all the you know, the experts and the analysts and the leaders, that if this is actually isn't solved politically, then unfortunately it will keep happening, this vicious cycle.

In the future of this.

As you look at when you talked about leadership, then who is the leader that emerges.

It's clearly not net Yahoo.

Well, I think the Israeli situation is really interesting because you have two contrasting facts. The overwhelming majority of the country supports the war.

They also want.

Their first priority to be their families to come back. They need a ceasefire and a deal to bring their families back. But the overwhelming majority of the Israelis do not support Benjaminette and Yahoo. So what the Americans are saying now and you sort of Senator Schumer and others that there has to be another election at some point, God forbid, we would be you know, meddling in another country, But nonetheless there has to be electionist by the way.

That's against the rules based world order. This thing.

Yeah, and then and then potentially hopefully open up another real possibility of a negotiated solution that's backed by the Arab States, as you mentioned, by the United States, by Europe, by all the vestied.

But why is this not the top priority of Why is this not the only session that's going on at the UN? Why is everybody not stopping whatever the hell they're doing and hammering this.

Out, Because as you know, the Security Council, there's a lot of people with vetos and things like that. It hasn't got to that point yet. And the big, big issue right now is famine stalking Gaza and the death

So there's so much that's.

And how can we only respond to this tragedy when it's seven Western aid workers that are killed.

When you know, when I heard the figure of.

Children over ten thousand unprecedent, I've never heard anything like that pictures, and of.

Course they're haunting and I'm listen.

For Jews, this is heartbreaking because you know, I don't necessarily have that much of a connection there, but there's this idea that like they're sticking it out for all of us because we're not safe anywhere in the world, which, by the way, if that's the issue, that's kind of a larger problem to begin with.

I think for israelis, for Jews, for Palestinians, right crucial is that there has to be real leaders who come once and for all and create a piece. And the most important thing also is to be able to converse and discuss. There is nuance and diversity within communities that have not allowed.

But why is that not allowed? On today's show, do you have any idea?

I mean, what's going to happen? But you always you're always in the thicket.

But I have all these diverse opinions on my program.

That's what I try to do.

I try to bring Israelis, Arabs, Jews, Muslims, all the interested parties in this particular conflict onto my program to talk people who've lost family members, whether it's in Israeli or a Palestinian.

You know, people who've.

Waged peace, who've tried to wage peace, whether it's an Israeli mother or a Palestinian mother.

I have them on my program.

Young people who still believe in the peace process, even though it's evaporating before their eyes.

They come onto the program. So there is hope. They have to be empowered, these people.

And where's the discussion so much more robust in that part of the world. You know, it's always you can't talk about it in America, but you know where they talk about it, Israel.

Yes, yes they do. But to be fair, to be fair, they do.

There's very robust arguments going on. But even they on their television are not seeing the full horror of the civilian casualties in Gaza.

Is just not They're just not.

So it's very traumatized, as you know, relatives of the hostages tell me it's still a very traumatized society. And yet I promise you, this incredible woman, Sharon liftshiit. She said to me, we Israeli. Sometimes the Arabs look at us as if we're all the same.

We're not.

And we cannot look at Palestinians as if they're all hamas they are not.

And for a woman whose parents have been held.

Hostage to be able to say that, and how we must make friends with our enemies otherwise we will keep dying.

But we cannot keep putting the onus on these individuals that governments and nations have to step up and step in because it is all slipping away very rapidly.

And Ukraine is the next one you have to do, because that's a big one. We cannot take.

Our eye of No, that was fixed. I think that's.

Done, Speaker Johnson.

Maybe I can't even tell you how many times I've called that let me let me tell us out so, Speaker Johnson, they were doing there's you know, the Afghan Adjustment Act where they're trying to bring in we were trying to help them get interpreters who helped American troops in Afghanistan, and it was going into this omnibus bill that was going to keep the government open. And I can't tell you how many times I called that office and left messages on them going, hey man, just.

Us dard Of the day of the show.

Really just want to make sure that Afghan adjustment next Still, then we get some visas.

And all that, and and you know what he said when he called back, He didn't call back. Yeah, you got me.

Air Saturdays on CNN, and I'm Important Company. Airs weeknights on PBS. Christian, I'm a poor Thank you so much. Over tonight, before we go, we're gonna check in with your host for the rest of this week, Michael Kas and Michael Cos.

Everybody.

Michael, what's coming up the rest of Michael?

Yeah, Well with the helmet.

Oh, it's that noticeable, Hu, Yeah, it's a big helmet. Well, John, you know, I recently learned that New York City has over several earthquake fault lines.

So I'm not taking any chances.

I'm prepared twenty four to seven.

Here. You going wear that all the time?

Well, yeah, unless I'm riding my bike, of course, because i don't want to look like a pussy.

Michael Cos. Everybody.

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