Jon Stewart shares more unfiltered thoughts about war in the Middle East

Back in April, Jon Stewart used one of his first Daily Show return monologues to share some honest thoughts about the war in the Middle East. Now, five months later and with the war only spreading, he’s given an update.

To start with he plays a clip of what he describes as “the golden soundbite” when it comes to explaining “how f***ing convoluted this has to be”: a CNN clip of journalist Barak Ravid talking about the Israeli government’s policy of “de-escalation through escalation.”

“Or, as that is sometimes called: War,” says an exasperated Stewart. “I mean do you even hear yourself?” The host goes on to say he’s sure he’s heard the phrase “de-escalation through escalation” before, picking up a copy of George Orwell’s famous dystopian novel 1984 and leafing through it.

“I mean my God, there have to be other ways of achieving de-escalation without all this respectful exchange of missiles,” continues Stewart. “Historically, that part is generally followed by years of sorrow and bloodshed.”