{"id":2648020,"date":"2026-08-21T19:20:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T23:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/piker-calls-hamas-moderate-as-commentator-faces-backlash\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T19:23:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T23:23:22","slug":"piker-calls-hamas-moderate-as-commentator-faces-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/piker-calls-hamas-moderate-as-commentator-faces-backlash\/","title":{"rendered":"Piker calls Hamas &#8216;moderate&#8217; as commentator faces backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpiker-calls-hamas-moderate-as-commentator-faces-backlash%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2648020&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Hasan Piker has once again expressed support for Hamas, framing the group as a &#8220;moderate&#8221; part of the Palestinian resistance, despite widespread criticism from centrist Democrats and Jewish organizations. Originally a popular Twitch streamer, Piker has become an influential political figure pushing the leftward agenda within the Democratic Party, stirring controversy over allegations of antisemitism and downplaying Hamas\u2019s human rights violations, including sexual violence and atrocities committed during its attack on Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023. Piker has defended Hamas&#8217;s current stance, claiming it has become more moderate and blaming the conflict on Israeli occupation, dismissing concerns over hamas\u2019s domestic policies and violent actions. His stance has drawn sharp criticism from groups like the Anti-Defamation League and the Republican Jewish Coalition, which deem his views risky and incompatible with mainstream U.S. political positions. Despite pushback from centrists and pressure to disavow extremist views, Piker continues to support Hamas, arguing that his outlook is pragmatic.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hasan-piker\/\">Hasan Piker<\/a> this week again cast Hamas in a favorable light, refusing to back away from his support for the terrorist organization that has controlled <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gaza\/\">Gaza<\/a>, despite backlash from many Democrats.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Piker was known for years as a popular Twitch streamer before emerging this year as an increasingly influential political voice in certain Democratic circles that are seeking to push the party to the left. His growing presence in the Democratic Party has been controversial among more centrist figures, due to concerns that he is antisemitic, including <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LSQyaJ-3Vms\">repeated<\/a> denials or downplaying of sweeping sexual violence against Jews in Hamas\u2019s Oct. 7, 2023, attack, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jvAN_N2OQJQ\">saying<\/a> he \u201cwould vote for Hamas over Israel every single time,\u201d and calling Hamas \u201ca thousand times better\u201d than Israel.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4696932\/hasan-piker-hamas-moderate\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Hasan Piker calls Hamas \u2018moderate\u2019 as commentator faces pushback from centrist Democrats<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4696588\/watch-live-trump-rally-darline-graham-nordone-south-carolina\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>WATCH LIVE: Trump rallies with Darline Graham Nordone in South Carolina<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4696412\/vance-democratic-party-grad-school-voters-not-unions\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Vance says Democrats are the party of grad school voters, not unions<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5D19Fr1qPIg\">interview<\/a> on Channel 4 News UK <em>TrumpWorld<\/em>, Piker reiterated his support for Hamas as a critical part of the \u201cPalestinian resistance.\u201d He said he didn\u2019t \u201clove\u201d the terrorist group, and didn\u2019t necessarily support it governing Gaza, arguing he is \u201csimply looking at this in the most pragmatic and in the most realistic ways possible.\u201d <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think Hamas\u2019s current position, as far as I understand it, is far more moderate than its position was at its inception,\u201d Piker said. \u201cThey\u2019ve recognized that it\u2019s virtually impossible to advance this vengeance quest against Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey exist under a colonial occupation. Gaza is a hermetically sealed open-air prison before Oct. 7 as well,\u201d he added. \u201cSo, I think a lot of the violence or the brutality in terms of governance stems from that. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s, like, an ideological disagreement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Piker has particularly gained attention this year for campaigning with Michigan\u2019s Democratic Senate nominee, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/abdul-el-sayed\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"23138\">Abdul el Sayed<\/a>. More centrist figures have raised uproar over elements of the Democratic Party embracing Piker and have denounced his move to attach himself to the party, but he has largely refused to back away from views that have traditionally been considered extremist by both parties. They include Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), who warned Thursday that Piker and other socialists \u201ccan\u2019t coexist with me,\u201d during an interview on Fox Business Network\u2019s <em>Varney &#038; Co<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When pressed on Hamas\u2019s human rights violations, Piker has been generally dismissive. As an extremist Islamist organization, Hamas holds fundamentalist Muslim views that severely restrict women\u2019s personal freedoms and has criminalized being gay in Gaza.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s not an endorsement of their domestic policies,\u201d Piker said during a CNN interview in early August. \u201cBut I don\u2019t think anyone actually cares about their domestic policies. I certainly don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEvery Palestinian, at the end of the day, regardless of their disagreements with Hamas, will always say that Israel is still \u2014 the Israeli occupation is the greatest problem that they\u2019re facing, the most existential problem that they\u2019re facing,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Piker has also repeatedly downplayed Hamas\u2019s rape and other sexual atrocities committed during its Oct. 7 attack on Israeli civilians at a music festival. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEven if there was multiple rapes that took place on Oct. 7, this does not change anything for me in this dynamic,\u201d Piker said in 2024.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Around 1,200 Jews were murdered in the Oct. 7 ambush. A human rights commission\u2019s report <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.civilc.org\/silenced-no-more\">released in May<\/a>, among other findings,\u00a0 determined \u201csexual and gender-based violence was systematic, widespread, and integral\u201d to Hamas\u2019s Oct. 7 attack and its subsequent approach to Israeli hostages in Gaza. The Civil Commission on October 7 Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children said Hamas committed gang rapes, constituting war crimes and genocidal acts under international law, echoing <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c1mz8gxzg82o\">previous findings<\/a> of survivors documented in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/thedinahproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/The-Dinah-Project-full-report-A4-pages_web.pdf\">Dinah Project<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response to Piker\u2019s latest comments on Wednesday, the Anti-Defamation League and Republican Jewish Coalition expressed concern that the streamer\u2019s positioning is \u201ca flashing red warning to Jewish voters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4696412\/vance-democratic-party-grad-school-voters-not-unions\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4696412\/vance-democratic-party-grad-school-voters-not-unions\/\">VANCE SAYS DEMOCRATS ARE THE PARTY OF GRAD SCHOOL VOTERS, NOT UNIONS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHasan Piker\u2019s claim that Hamas has grown \u2018more moderate\u2019 is outrageous. Hamas remains a U.S.-designated terrorist organization committed to Israel\u2019s destruction, responsible for the Oct. 7 massacre and continued abuse of the very Palestinians it claims to represent,\u201d an Anti-Defamation League spokesperson <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/hasan-piker-calls-hamas-far-more-moderate-dismisses-terror-group-brutal-rule-gaza\">told<\/a> Fox News. \u201cAny candidate or platform that hosts him or associates with him without challenge lends legitimacy to that rhetoric.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHis rising influence inside the Democratic Party is a flashing red warning to Jewish voters about exactly where that party is headed, and it isn\u2019t with us,\u201d RJC National Political Director Sam Markstein added. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hasan Piker supports Hamas amid Democratic backlash<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2648021,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2244553602.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[50400,32726,32171],"class_list":["post-2648020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-hamas-2","tag-middle-east","tag-political-commentary"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2244553602.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2648020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2648020"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2648020\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2648024,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2648020\/revisions\/2648024"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2648021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2648020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2648020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2648020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}