Radio shock jock Gareth Cliff has landed himself in hot water again after he accused Palestinians of inciting the violence at the Gaza border fence last week and expressed support for the Zionist state of Israel. On his show on Cliff Central on Wednesday morning, he commented on last week’s brutal violence, in which more than 60 Palestinians were killed and 2 400 injured by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) near the Gaza border during the Great Return Marches. In the viral clip, he said the claim that Israel shot and demonstrators was “a blatant lie and an absolute falsehood.” Cliff also slammed the South African media for being “biased” in how they covered this story.

“I looked at what was going on over there and I’ve done quite a lot of reading and looked at quite a lot of the news articles from around the world. This was an attempt to invade a sovereign nation and border communities to indiscriminately slaughter civilians,” he said.

The controversial radio broadcaster then went to blame Hamas for inciting Palestinians to protest.

“If you want to believe anyone else, believe the leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, who said ‘we will tear down the fence and tear down the hearts of these Zionists’,” Cliff quoted.

“It’s fairly obvious to see how this thing started. If I am America, I can move the US embassy anywhere I want. If one attempt to breach this border, thousands of people would have streamed in through the fence and there would have fires set, communities would engage in violence and there would be real carnage on both sides.”

But pro-Palestinian commentators argue that while Hamas had endorsed the protests, the decisions on the March of Return events was made jointly by all the groups in Gaza, including Fatah. Hamas had called for a sustained nonviolent campaign despite a different view within its military wing.  With Israeli facing severe criticism for its actions in Gaza, there is the view that Israeli media are attempting to change the narrative by blaming Hamas for the incessant violence over the past few weeks.

Cliff has been slammed on social media, with many onliners urging him to do proper research on the current situation in Gaza.

Dear @GarethCliff – I just heard a clip of you condemning Palestinians and supporting the State of Israel. You are clearly misinformed. And you condone the killing of innocent Palestinians. Shame on you! @CliffCentralCom

— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) May 23, 2018

Firstly It’s not a border @GarethCliff , it’s a fence . Clearly , you have no idea what you are talking about when it comes to Palestine and it’s history . I suggest you research widely and not just the work that suits your narrative #GarethCliff

— nosh (@nosh15) May 23, 2018

How is this Israeli war machine shooting at defenseless Palestinians, who have not put a single Israeli in danger, is acceptable. It is not. No wonder the UN Commission on Human Rights, UN & leaders of countries are condemning the Israeli killings @GarethCliff #GarethCliff

— Shaista Mia (@shaista_mia) May 23, 2018

Only Israeli lobbyists could possibly have the audacity to blame murder victims for their own deaths – This warped and cruel logic doesn’t even appear to raise any red flags in mainstream western media @GarethCliff #GarethCliff

— Maqsuda (@MaqsudaMotala) May 23, 2018