Nadene Goldfoot
34 Year old Hasan Piker, a prominent Turkish-American Twitch streamer with a large following, has drawn significant controversy and criticism for his commentary on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including statements criticizing Zionism and comparing the Israeli state to Hamas.
Hasan Doğan Piker is known online by the name HasanAbi, As of 2026, Piker's Twitch channel ranks among the platform's most-subscribed.
A Muslim, His father, Mehmet Behçet Piker, is a political scientist and economist who served on the Board of Directors (and as Vice President) of Sabancı Holding, and who is a founding member of the conservative Future Party in Turkey. Turkey's president, Erdogen, is not a friend of Israel. Piker's uncle, Cenk Uygur, is a political commentator and co-founder of The Young Turks, a left-leaning news network.
A Twitch channel is a personalized, live-streaming webpage on the Amazon-owned Twitch platform where a creator broadcasts live video content, such as gaming, art, or conversation. It serves as a home hub for a user to stream video, host a live chat, and build a community.
- "A Thousand Times Better" Claim: Piker has been quoted as stating, "Hamas is a thousand times better than the fascist settler colonial apartheid state" of Israel.
- October 7th Commentary: Piker has faced intense criticism for comments made following the October 7, 2023, attacks, such as "It doesn't matter if rape happened on October 7th. It doesn't change the dynamic for me," and for framing the attack within the context of1srael's actions.
- Blaming Israel for Attacks: During the 2026 Web Summit Qatar, Piker argued that Israel played a "significant role" in how the October 7th attacks occurred.
- Context of Criticism: Piker frequently describes Israel as a "fascist settler colonial apartheid state" and argues that Israel cannot operate without U.S. backing.
- Anti-Zionism vs. Antisemitism: Piker has stated he is "anti-Israel" and an "avowed anti-Zionist," arguing that he is not antisemitic, ( that's like a Nazi against Jews but saying he really likes them) despite criticism from figures like Rep. Ritchie Torres and the Anti-Defamation League, who have labeled him an "apologist" for 10/7 and 9/11. He takes advantage of knowing that most Americans do not know the meaning of Zionism (the right of Jews to return to the Land of Israel, a term coined in 1893 by Nathan Birnbaum to express aspiration as ancient as the Babylonian Exile of Jews from their homeland of Judah. It was picked up later encouraging the migration of Jews to Palestine by people like Herzl. The 1st Zionist Congress was in 1897 took place due to all the pogroms and hatred Jews were experiencing even then.
- It was stated that Jews had the political aspirations as for a national home in Palestine guaranteed by public law called the BASLE PROGRAM-- the first manifesto of the Zionist movement, drafted between 27 and 30 August 1897 and adopted unanimously at the First Zionist Congress). Zionism then proceeds from the assumption that the Jews are still a people or nation, many of whom cannot or will not assimilate themselves to other peoples and wish to retain their identity as a national community.
- Comparison to Nazis: Piker has been accused of comparing liberal Zionists to "liberal Nazis".
- Political Rifts: His commentary has caused divisions among Democrats, with some, such as Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, appearing with him, while others criticize his involvement due to his rhetoric.
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