Jackie Mason says ‘giving’ the Palestinians the West Bank is like giving them half of Florida

It seems that ShalomTV interviewed “iconic Jewish comedian” Jackie Mason, then 81, last February. The full interview is here, complete with his use of the word feigele, a derisive Yiddish word for gay man, and his generational humor about gentiles. But two weeks ago someone posted this excerpt on Israel and the occupation on Youtube, to make a political point.

Interviewer Mark Golub asks Mason how he sees the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and he says he sees it the way every Jew does.

I see it the way every Jew sees it. Palestinians just have a false feeling that the Jews are taking over their land when in fact they’re taking over the Israeli land. They don’t belong there… historically, biblically, throughout– by every principle, by every standard, everybody knows, It’s the Jewish land. And we gave up half of our land to them in an effort to achieve peace.

It’s just like somebody’s making a claim on Florida. The guy doesn’t belong there in the first place, but in order to achieve peace, you say, ‘Here, Florida is half yours. Is that close enough?’ You don’t belong there in the first place. If I gave you half my money when you’re not entitled to none of it, but because you’re bothering me so much and you convinced yourself and you believe it– It’s not like the Palestinians don’t believe it. It doesn’t come from just anti-Semitism, like the Nazis. It comes from a genuine belief that it’s their land.

So you try to make peace with them… And no matter how much we gave up, no matter in what ways we acquiesce– by literally giving up half of our land, it still can’t satisfy them. Because they feel Jews don’t belong there at all, and they’re determined to destroy them if they stay there. 

Thanks to Scott Roth, whose response to the interview is unprintable, except for the words, stupid racist unfunny excrement.