Overview

• Stewart opened the segment by denouncing the Gaza campaign as “self-evidently inhumane and horrific,” placing near-exclusive blame on Israeli leadership for Palestinian suffering.
• He rejected claims that criticizing Israel endangered the Jewish state, arguing that open debate is essential to preserving Jewish continuity and moral integrity.
• Stewart accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of defining anti-Semitism so broadly that critics would be labeled bigots even if they targeted themselves.
• Beinart highlighted past nonviolent Palestinian marches he likened to Gandhi, and condemned U.S. policies that have criminalized peaceful resistance.
• Enthusiastic liberal audiences praised the segment even as pro-Israel advocates decried its exclusion of Israeli and Hamas voices, underscoring deep rifts within the American Jewish community.