With tensions in the Middle East running high and an Israeli invasion of Gaza underway, comedian Bill Maher has taken to Twitter to share his views on the difficult situation.
Maher tweeted Thursday night, July 17, that dealing with Hamas is like trying to deal with a crazy woman, whose wrists you can only hold for so long before having to slap her:
Despite being retweeted over 2,000 times and favorited more than 1,400 times, many replied to his tweet with angry messages, condemning him for making light of domestic violence.
.@billmaher I like how you combined encouragement for genocide with an affirmation of domestic assault in that joke. Very creative.
— Time Travel Brand (@timetravelbrand) July 18, 2014
Others took offense in his proposed resolution to the conflict, with one user sarcastically writing:
Over on Jezebel, Rebecca Rose wrote that "Maher is completely entitled to his opinion about the situation in that region," but added: "If you want to be taken seriously as a political pundit, how can you be so dismissive in the language you use when referring to women or other marginalized groups?"
This was Maher's second tweet about the topic in 24 hours. Earlier in the day, the HBO host wrote:
The Huffington Post has reached out to Maher's reps for comment and will update this story once one comes through.