John Oliver Accuses Israel of 'War Crimes' Against Palestinians

John Oliver spent the bulk of Sunday's show advocating for gun reform, but beforehand, he devoted a few minutes to the escalating violence in Israel-Palestine. The Last Week Tonight host attacked the tendency to "both-sides this situation," and he accused Israel of committing "war crimes" and "apartheid" against Palestinians. "The fact is, the citizens of Gaza don't have an Iron Dome to protect them the way the citizens of Israel do," said Oliver. "It's one of many ways they're at a significant disadvantage."

Over the weekend, the violence in Israel-Palestine intensified as Israel and Hamas exchanged heavy rocket fire that killed at least 192 people in the Gaza Strip, and 10 people in Israel (per Al Jazeera). "There is a lot to unpack there," said Oliver, after playing a reel from CBS This Morning. "From the horror of the situation, which has escalated significantly since then, to the use of the phrase 'tit for tat war' in a conflict where, you just pointed out, one side has suffered over 10 times the casualties!"

"Israel has a so-called Iron Dome," said Oliver, referencing Israel's U.S.-funded missile defense system. "So the point is, this isn't tit-for-tat. There is a massive imbalance when it comes to the two sides' weaponry and capabilities. While most of the rockets aimed toward Israeli citizens this week were intercepted, Israel's airstrikes were not. They hit their targets, including a house in a refugee camp, a building housing the Associated Press and Al Jazeera, and a 13-story office and apartment building."

"And while Israel insisted that there were military targets in that building and they destroyed it as humanely as possible, even warning people to evacuate it beforehand," he continued, "Destroying a civilian residence sure seems like a war crime, regardless of whether you send a courtesy heads-up text."

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver airs Sundays at 11:00 PM ET on HBO.

Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.