What did Jordan Peterson say about Israel? Benjamin Netanyahu tweet controversy explained

Jordan Peterson, the Canadian psychologist and media commentator has come under fire over his tweet about the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his course of action against Palestine following the attack by Hamas.

Disclaimer: This article contains information about violence and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas fired thousands of rockets into southern and central Israel, as reported by AP News. Jordan Bernt Peterson tweeted about the incident a few hours later, writing:

"Give 'em hell @netanyahu Enough is enough."

The post enraged a lot of netizens online, who called out Peterson for taking such a stance regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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Netizens call out Jordan Peterson's latest tweet about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Jordan Peterson's recent tweet urging the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, to retaliate in the wake of the surprise attack from Hamas militants has sparked widespread backlash on social media.

Many journalists, scholars, and other netizens were displeased about Peterson taking Israel's side given the history of the conflict. Journalist Muna Hawwa criticized his intentions, saying:

"In a just world, you'd face charges of incitement to murder and genocide."

Some netizens also brought up Jordan Peterson's affiliation with Ben Shapiro, the founder of the Daily Wire, as per The New York Post. They insisted that the psychologist "sold your soul," as he joined forces with the Daily Wire in a new venture called DailyWire+ and has since moved his views in alignment with that of the company.

Peterson was previously criticized by the media in another incident related to the conflict.

In December 2022, Jordan Peterson conducted an interview with Benjamin Netanyahu but faced backlash as many pointed out that the media commentator did not challenge "Netanyahu's claims or his knowledge about the history of the region."

Two days after the Hamas attack and Jordan Peterson's tweet, the Israeli government launched an air strike on the Gaza Strip on Monday, October 9, 2023.

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The conflict between Israel and Palestine has escalated following the attack by Hamas

On Saturday, Hamas, the Islamist militant movement and one of the Palestinian territories' two major political parties, launched a surprise attack by launching approximately 2,200 rockets towards southern and central Israel, as per ABC News.

As reported by the New York Times, Muhammad Deif, the leader of the military wing of Hamas, said in a recorded message that the group had decided to launch what he called an “operation.” The reason for the surprise attack on Israel was so “the enemy will understand that the time of their rampaging without accountability has ended.”

Hamas fired thousands of rockets at Israel, striking major cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. They also captured at least 150 Israelis as hostages, and the United States, France, and several other countries are currently investigating if their citizens were among the captives, as per New York Times.

In response to the incident, on Monday, Israeli ministers ordered a “complete siege” over the area after the attacks, cutting off essentials like supplies of food, water, and electricity to about two million residents, as per CNBC.

According to CBS, The Israel Defence Forces have stated that more than 900 Israelis have been killed during the attack and at least 687 people in Gaza and the West Bank have lost their lives as per the Palestinian Health Ministry.