UPDATE: Well, CNN had a response to Hill’s remarks: You’re fired.
Via Mediaite:
CNN severed ties with contributor Marc Lamont Hill on Thursday, following comments the university professor made in a speech at the United Nations.
“Marc Lamont Hill is no longer under contract with CNN,” a CNN spokesperson told Mediaite.
—@marclamonthill has posted several tweets addressing his comments: "I do not support anti-Semitism, killing Jewish people, or any of the other things attributed to my speech. I have spent my life fighting these things." pic.twitter.com/3t0H8ETvgR
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) November 29, 2018
He's also used his @CNN platform to oppose funding for Israel's Iron Dome air defense system—which does nothing but shoot down rockets fired at Israeli towns—because it "takes away all of Hamas's military leverage," saying, "that, for me, is the problem." https://t.co/D0y8UebP3v
— Avi Mayer (@AviMayer) November 29, 2018
***Original Post***
Oh, it’s just another day where someone is calling for the destruction of Israel. No, it’s not Hamas, but CNN commentator Marc Lamont Hill sure took a page out of their book saying, “Justice requires a free Palestine from the river to the sea.” Hill, who is also a professor at Temple University, delivered a speech at the United Nations on Wednesday, where he made these remarks. It was part of an International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People event (via Washington Examiner):
Actually, @MarcLamontHill, your statement at the @UN that “justice requires a free Palestine from the river to the sea” is not an allusion to *one state*, but rather an allusion to the Hamas rallying cry calling for the *destruction of Israel* & the *genocide of the Jews there*. https://t.co/LiFTDtXjat
— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) November 28, 2018
CNN commentator Marc Lamont Hill calls for the elimination of the State of Israel.
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) November 29, 2018
He says that "justice requires" a "free Palestine - from the river to the sea."
Will CNN allow this extreme, anti-Semitic opinion back on air?
You bet they will. pic.twitter.com/dRdXmmKRtb
“Contrary to western mythology, black resistance to American apartheid did not come purely through Ghandi and nonviolence," Hill said (see video below.) "Rather, slave revolts and self-defense and tactics otherwise divergent from Dr. King or Mahatma Gandhi were equally important to preserving safety and attaining freedom. If we are to operate in true solidarity with the Palestinian people, we must allow the Palestinian people the same range of opportunity and political possibility. If we are standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people, we must recognize the right of an occupied people to defend itself. We must prioritize peace, but we must not romanticize or fetishize it. We must advocate and promote nonviolence at every opportunity, but we cannot endorse a narrow politics of respectability that shames Palestinians for resisting, for refusing to do nothing in the face of state violence and ethnic cleansing."
“If we are in true solidarity, we must allow them the same range of opportunity and political possibility. We must recognize the right of an occupied people to defend themselves. We must prioritize peace, but we must not romanticize or fetishize it. We must promote nonviolence at every opportunity, but cannot endorse narrow politics that shames Palestinians for resisting, for refusing to do nothing in ethnic cleansing."
"Justice requires a free Palestine from the river to the sea," Hill thunderously concluded.
Now, Hamas and other terror groups have incorporated “from the river to the sea” into their battle cries while calling for the destruction of Israel. Hill pushed back on Twitter that this is what he wanted:
This is silly. And inaccurate. “River to the sea” is a phrase that precedes Hamas by more than 50 years. It also has a variety of meanings. In my remarks, which you clearly didn’t hear, I was talking about full citizenship rights IN Israel and a redrawing of the pre-1967 borders. https://t.co/6jFN22mTcq
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) November 28, 2018
@marclamonthill speaking from the perspective of civil society, highlights the irony of the 70th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights and the unattained Rights of the Palestinian People. #Rights4Palestine #Palestineday watch now @UNWebTV @UNISPAL pic.twitter.com/I4qq1BwXNq
— UN CEIRPP (@UNISPAL) November 28, 2018
Today, I spoke at the United Nations, as a representative of civil society, for the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. It was truly an honor.
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) November 28, 2018
At no point did I endorse, support, or even mention Hamas. This is dishonest. I was very clear in my comments about desiring freedom, justice, and self-determination for EVERYONE. https://t.co/6jFN22mTcq
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) November 28, 2018
I believe in a single secular democratic state for everyone. This is the only way that historic Palestine will be free. https://t.co/6RXO7WfwG1
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) November 28, 2018
Hill is no stranger to controversy. From these remarks to sympathizing with cop killers, he knows how to poke the bear.
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