Jon Stewart Takes on the Israel-Hamas War on 'The Daily Show' and Offers a Serious Solution

By Dustin Rowles | TV | February 27, 2024 |

By Dustin Rowles | TV | February 27, 2024 |

In Jon Stewart’s third show back this year, The Daily Show host took on his most complex topic so far; in fact, the most complicated topic in all of politics: Israel/Palestine. In the show’s “new and neverending segment, The Futile Crescent,” Stewart acknowledges that after “five months of a brutal bombing campaign brought on by a horrific massacre and hostage taking that we seem no closer to ending anything.”

Stewart details Benjamin Netanyahu’s “plan for peace” in the area, which is essentially “a military siege,” and that the plan to “eliminate Hamas by destroying all of Gaza will just make more Hamases.”

“If you insist on this plan, if you insist on ending Hamas, I believe have a banner you can use,” Stewart jokes, showing an image of Netanyahu standing in front of George W. Bush’s infamous “Mission Accomplished” banner. “It’s a little wind-damaged but equally delusional.” However, Stewart notes that there is no diplomatic leeway in the Hamas position, either, because their only goal is “the annihilation of Israel.”

After acknowledging that the UN has been no help whatsoever, Stewart also notes that the Arab nations that claim to care about Palestine have not made any efforts to help them, either. “No one seems to be incentivized to stop the suffering of people in this region,” Steward adds, calling back to beliefs Stewart has long held that an ongoing war in Gaza benefits everyone — Israel, the United States, Hamas, the Arab Nations — except the people of Gaza.

After offering two jokey solutions, Stewart does offer one solution in earnest. “Starting now, no preconditions, no partners for peace, no earned trust: Israel stops bombing. Hamas releases the hostages. The Arab countries who claim Palestine is a top priority come in and form a demilitarized zone between Israel and a free Palestinian state. The Saudis, UAE, Qatar, Jordan, they all form like a NATO arrangement guaranteeing security for both sides. Obviously, they won’t call it NATO. It’s the Middle East Treaty Organization. It’s METO.”

MeTo.