In Part Two of Mehdi’s interview with Joe Walsh, the former Republican congressman turned Never-Trumper, the two got into a very robust debate over Israel and Gaza.
The subject of Part Two was Israel’s war on Gaza, which multiple experts and human rights groups have dubbed a genocide. Walsh is a proud and long-standing supporter of Israel, as well as the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza, and even tweeted last month: “I’d swim across the ocean to defend Israel… I’m pro-Israel. Period.”
Mehdi challenged Walsh on his use of the term “genocide” to describe Russia’s attack on Ukraine but his refusal to apply it to Israel’s attack on Gaza; on his criticism of the International Criminal Court for having an “anti-Israel bias”; and on his refusal to condemn Israel’s mass displacement of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, not just Gaza.
Walsh pushed back – accusing Mehdi of making this issue sound like a “one-sided affair” and suggesting the deliberate killing of civilians is the “policy” only of Hamas, and not Israel.
We should point out that this half-hour interview was a fiery affair, profanities were uttered, and, at one point, the former congressman even grabbed Mehdi’s questions paper out of his hand!
Nevertheless, here at Zeteo, we happen to believe very much in adversarial journalism. We believe it is important for interviewers to ask tough questions – and even tougher follow-ups. And we continue to believe there is an intrinsic value to debate and disagreement – no matter how impassioned!
Part Two of this interview, unlike Part One, is behind a paywall. If you’re a free subscriber, you can watch the first 5 minutes of the interview. If you'd like to watch the full 30-minute interview, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription.
Meanwhile, Part One of the interview with the former congressman on the threat to American democracy from Trump, Musk, and MAGA is a much less heated affair and sees Mehdi and Walsh in a great deal of agreement. You can watch Part One here.
