‘End It Today’: Emotional Cenk Uygur Calls Israel To Stop ‘Brutalising’ Gaza In Piers Morgan Interview
Young Turks host Cenk Uygur blasted Israel’s prime minister as “bloodthirsty [Benjamin] Netanyahu” and made an impassioned appeal to the country to end it’s bombardment of Gaza on Monday’s Piers Morgan Uncensored.
On a special edition of the show broadcast from New York, the progressive commentator, who launched his bid to become the 2024 Democratic presidential candidate this month, talked with host Piers Morgan and described how he had cried for the victims of Hamas’ October 7th attack but pleaded that that the retributive “brutalising” of Gaza’s civilian population be stopped.
Uygur began by expressing his views on Hamas’s action. He said: “On Young Turks, we condemned the atrocious actions of Hamas… because not only are they killing those poor innocent Israelis but they’re also ruining the Palestinian cause.”
He continued, elaborating on the harm caused by such actions on the global perception of Muslims: “They smear all people of Muslim background like myself… I’m sick. So screw Hamas and their barbarism.”
Morgan, trying to understand Uygur’s perspective on the Israeli response, asked, “How do you get rid of Hamas if you don’t do it the way Israel is currently doing it?” He described Hamas as a “nihilistic, ISIS-style terror group” and pondered the motivations behind their tactics.
Uygur responded by criticising what he called Israel’s current “unconstructive” approach. “Israel is dropping bombs on residential buildings. Fifty ambulances have been hit, 10 out of 25 hospitals don’t operate anymore,” he said. “Bombs kill people… you have to be equally outraged at the immorality of incinerating babies and grandmothers.”
He continued by suggesting a more targeted approach to address the problem, drawing a parallel with the U.S. operation to capture Osama bin Laden. “We sent in special forces… Try to find the hostages? Does it look like Israel’s trying to find the hostages?” The commentator expressed his disdain for the mass destruction and loss of civilian life, labelling it as “collective punishment” and “genocide against Palestinians.”
On a long-term solution to the conflict, Uygur proposed the immediate implementation of a two-state solution with the 1967 borders.
He said: “The Palestinians get their state. It is unconscionable for them not to get their state… Enough of the occupation, end it today. End it today. It’s monstrous.”
Uygur concluded his comments by making a heartfelt plea to his Jewish friends and fellow citizens: “Please look into your hearts, be the moral people that I know you can be… I’m trying to get you to wake up and snap out of this trance. You cannot keep doing this. It is ruining your moral fibre.”
