John Oliver Slams Netanyahu, Tackles Israel Controversy on ‘Last Week Tonight’

On tonight’s show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver explored the topic of Israel, focusing on Benjamin Netanyahu, who has intermittently served as Prime Minister since 1996. Oliver examined Netanyahu’s “increasingly unfavorable” reputation both domestically and in the U.S., his escalating negative influence on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and his ongoing corruption accusations.

Initially, Oliver teased the audience by claiming the main segment would cover “forced monkey labor,” only to switch to the serious issues facing the Middle Eastern nation, making the previous topic seem less intense by comparison.

“This year alone, he’s continued to lead during the longest and most deadly war in Israel’s history, he’s deprived Gaza of essential resources, bombed Iran, and directed airstrikes in Qatar, Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon,” remarked Oliver. “It’s as if someone handed him a ‘Rise & Grind’ coffee cup, and he interpreted it in the most sociopathic way possible.”

Oliver highlighted how Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister, has associated with radical elements within his government, such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who controversially remarked that starving 2 million Gazans could be “just and moral.” Oliver also touched on the longstanding corruption allegations against Netanyahu.

Regarding the Abraham Accords, orchestrated by then-president Donald Trump in 2020, which allowed Arab states and Israel to normalize relations while bypassing Palestinian objections, Oliver commented: “Obviously, it was a ‘F— you’ to the Palestinians, but that’s hardly a surprise; everything Netanyahu does seems to follow that pattern. If he could find a way to worsen Gaza’s situation by the way he pours cereal, believe me, he would—and he probably has a team of top geopolitical cereal scientists figuring out how.”

Recently, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory concluded that Israel has committed acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, urging Israel and all nations to meet their “legal responsibilities under international law to stop the genocide and hold those responsible accountable.” This finding is supported by the world’s leading genocide scholars, according to the BBC. In late August, the World Health Organization pointed to a new analysis that found over half a million Gazans are experiencing famine conditions, characterized by widespread starvation, severe poverty, and preventable deaths. Consequently, Doctors Without Borders has paused its operations in the area due to risks posed by the Israeli military.

In other parts of the episode, Oliver discussed the indictment of former FBI director James Comey, critiquing Trump’s deepening authoritarian inclinations. “This week, he even suggested investigating prominent liberal donors for potentially funding domestic terrorism. He’s practically flipping our criminal justice system on its head—instead of finding crimes and then the perpetrators, he appears to be picking out targets to label as criminals and then scrambling to find accusations to pin on them. It’s both baffling and terrifying.”