Michael Che's Israel 'Genocide' Joke on SNL Draws Criticism
The Weekend Update segment's quip about Israeli voter turnout sparks rebuke from pro-Israel groups over framing of Gaza conflict.
What to know
- Michael Che made a joke on SNL's Weekend Update linking Israeli voter turnout to genocide, drawing immediate rebuke from pro-Israel advocacy groups.
- Critics argue the joke relies on and amplifies what they call a baseless claim that Israel committed genocide in Gaza, potentially misleading viewers unfamiliar with the term.
- The Campaign Against Antisemitism connected such rhetoric to real-world violence and antisemitism, while others suggested the segment missed an opportunity to highlight Arab participation in Israeli elections.
“One could have framed it as a dig against the calls of genocide that a country held free and fair elections in which Arabs could vote and did, to the point their parties won 19 seats in the Knesset, but that would have been too large of a bubble to burst for the far-left in America.”
Curtis Houck, NewsBusters managing editor · Fox News ↗
Michael Che SNL Weekend Update co-hostColin Jost SNL Weekend Update co-hostCampaign Against Antisemitism Pro-Israel advocacy organizationCurtis Houck NewsBusters managing editor
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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Campaign Against Antisemitism links Gaza rhetoric to violence against Jews
The Campaign Against Antisemitism spokesperson expanded the criticism, arguing that genocide allegations have fueled abuse and violence against Jews worldwide, including terrorism and murder. The organization framed such rhetoric as an attempt to assuage global guilt over historical genocide by casting Jews as perpetrators.
“It has fueled abuse and violence against Jews worldwide — including terrorism and murder.”
— Campaign Against Antisemitism spokesperson -
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NewsBusters editor criticizes SNL for trivializing genocide term
NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck criticized the joke, arguing that using "genocide" as a punchline risks misleading viewers unfamiliar with the term's meaning. He suggested the segment could have instead highlighted Arab participation in Israeli elections as a counter to genocide accusations.
“We're now at the point where it's a punchline to refer to Israel as a genocidal state. SNL's ill-informed viewers are unlikely to know the actual meaning of the word.”
— Curtis Houck, NewsBusters managing editor -
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Campaign Against Antisemitism challenges premise of genocide framing — The Campaign Against Antisemitism acknowledged the comment was comedy but contested its underlying claim. A spokesperson stated the joke plays on a "widespread but baseless belief that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza" and argued that genocide allegations portray Jews as perpetrators of the same crime committed against them during the Holocaust.
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background
Israel holds elections as genocide debate frames voter choice — Israel held elections on Oct. 27 with voter turnout a focal point of discussion. A key topic was whether voters would continue supporting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's military action in Gaza against Hamas, which has been characterized as genocide by international bodies, human rights organizations, legal experts, and state governments.
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Michael Che delivers genocide joke on SNL's Weekend Update — During Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update segment, co-host Michael Che made a joke about Israeli voter turnout. After noting record voter participation, Che said: "This week, a record number of people voted in Israel's election — which is great to see, regardless of if you're on the right side, or the left side, or the genocide." Colin Jost visibly reacted with mock shock.
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