Comedy legend Jerry Seinfeld roasted a pro-Palestine protester on Sunday after a heckler interrupted his Sydney stand-up show by chanting “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.
The star of the hit 90s sitcom Seinfeld was in the middle of his routine at Qudos Bank Arena when the protester stood up and began shouting at the comedian.
Attendees captured the moment on their phones as Seinfeld started mocking the heckler.
“We have a genius, ladies and gentlemen. He’s solved the Middle East. He’s solved it!” he sarcastically said.
As security moved in to escort the man out, Seinfeld continued, “It’s the Jewish comedians – that’s who we have to get. They’re the ones doing everything!”
The crowd erupted in laughter and applause as the man continued to shout the controversial slogan, “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free”.
“Yeah, go ahead. Keep going. They’re going to start punching you in about three seconds so I will try and get all of your genius out so we can all learn from you,” Seinfeld said.
“It’s a comedy show, you moron. Get out of here.”
Audience boos drowned out the man and Seinfeld quipped: “You’re really influencing everyone here. We’re all on your side now because you have made your point so well.”
“And in the right venue – you’ve come to the right place for a political conversation.”
Seinfeld then emphasised the absurdity of the situation as he mocked the idea a heckler could solve such a complex conflict by interrupting a comedy show in Australia.
“Tomorrow we will read in the paper: ‘Middle East 100 per cent solved thanks to man at Qudos Arena stopping Jew comedian’.”
“They stopped him and everyone in the Middle East went, ‘Oh my god let’s just get along. We can do that’.”
He further riffed on the concept by suggesting he could solve Aboriginal issues by interrupting Australian comedian Jim Jefferies in New York.
“Because I know there are problems (in Australia) with Indigenous Aboriginal people… so maybe to solve that, I will screw up Jim Jefferies at a show in New York.
“If this works, that will work. You have to go 20,000 miles from the problem and screw up a comedian – That is how you solve world issues,” Seinfeld said.
The Australian Jewish Association condemned the heckler in a post on Twitter: “The anti-Israel crowd thinks they’ll win friends by ruining every event Australians enjoy.”
“Turns out that normal people don’t like them and don’t support terrorism,” the official AJA account wrote.