Two weeks ago the exiled Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef took part in a live online debate with Piers Morgan, the conservative British TV presenter, that ignited something of a firestorm on the internet. Despite the technical limitations of the remotely held discussion, the highly articulate Youssef pretty much eviscerated the talking-points of those defending Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip (and the West Bank), clearly catching Morgan on the backfoot.
The latter was much better prepared in a second face-to-meet interview with the former surgeon-turned-comedian, though this time resorting to ever more desperate logic to argue the position of Israel and its Western backers. Both clips are must-watch moments where, in fairness to the ex-newspaper editor and his Piers Morgan Uncensored show, the rarely heard popular Arab view on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is given an airing.
Unsurprisingly there is a significant campaign from the powerful pro-Israeli lobby to have both interviews removed, with Piers Morgan and his bosses under intense criticism for airing them, while Bassem Youssef is facing an onslaught of slander and falsehoods to destroy his reputation and entertainment career in the United States.