Chelsea Handler and Noa Tishby: Advocates for Israel in Pro-Palestinian, Anti-Hamas Message

Chelsea Handler, left, and Noa Tishby. (Screenshot)

Chelsea Handler and Noa Tishby combat Israel misinformation, urging informed discussions with a pro-Palestinian, anti-Hamas stance.

By Shiryn Ghermezian, Algemeiner

Jewish comedian and actress Chelsea Handler teamed up with Israeli activist and author Noa Tishby to share a message on Friday in support of Israel and to address the “misinformation out there” that is being spread about the Jewish state.

Handler — who has a history of criticizing Israel; promoting notorious antisemite Louis Farrakhan, for which she then apologized; and endorsing for Congress an anti-Israel activist — clarified at the start of the clip that she and Tishby are “pro-Palestinian and anti-Hamas, and it is OK to question Israel’s policies and still be pro-Israel.”

Handler has stirred controversy among Israel supporters many times in the past — including when she did an Adolf Hitler parody on her former Chelsea Lately talk show that was deemed “tasteless, offensive, and hurtful to Holocaust survivors” — but she has also expressed support for Israel over the years.

Days after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack in southern Israel, Handler, whose father is Jewish, released a statement condemning Hamas and its “barbarism,” while also calling for peace for all Palestinians and Israelis.

She added, “while Palestinians have seen their share of terror, Israelis and Jews throughout our world are seeing ours now, once again. I am for human rights and denouncing terror.”

Handler also joined hundreds of celebrities in signing on open letter in October that thanked US President Joe Biden for supporting Israel amid its war against Hamas terrorists, while also urging him to “not rest until all hostages are released,” referring to the 240 people who Hamas kidnapped from Israel on Oct. 7.

In her video on Friday with Tishby, who was Israel’s former special envoy for combating antisemitism and the delegitimization of Israel, the two talked about how “progressives, especially on college campuses,” are criticizing Israel and its right to defend itself in its military campaign against Hamas terrorists following the Oct. 7 massacre.

These same critics “victim blame Israel for the entire situation to begin with,” Tishby noted.

“I don’t understand because progressives should love Israel,” said Handler, who has visited the Jewish state, met and interviewed former President Shimon Peres, and even headlined a comedy fundraiser in Tel Aviv in 2015.

Tishby then listed the ways in which Israel is the only democracy and progressive country in the Middle East, where its citizens have free speech, freedom of religion, and the ability to criticize the government. “Do you like gay weddings? You know the fun kind without straight people. So does Israel,” Handler added.

She also jokingly said, “I love to ski topless [and] I would like to continue doing so” when Tishby noted that Israel offers women rights that other countries in the region do not.

“Israel is our greatest defense in the Middle East for all of Western democracy and Western values,” Handler said. “If Israel goes down, guess who they’re coming for next?”

“If you value being a progressive, just make sure that you stay informed,” Tishby concluded the clip by saying, right before Handler urged viewers to “stay informed” by following Tishby on social media.