'Congratulations to my haters' : HasanAbi responds to backlash over Israel-Palestine views

Twitch star and outspoken political commentator Hasan "HasanAbi" Piker finds him at the center of a storm of controversy, following a heated live-stream debate with Ethan Klein, as well as a segment on Fox News that has given rise to criticism of Hasan's political views. Having been the subject of much online discussion concerning his stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict, Hasan's latest commentary mixes sarcastic concern with a jab towards detractors.

During a recent Twitch stream, the Turkish-American content creator reacted in real-time to Fox News airing a discussion segment that scrutinized his political ideology. "Sh**, let's go! Oh, let's go! I think I'm going to jail by the way. This might actually cause me to go to jail. Lowkey, but highkey," Hasan half-joking and half-cautious, as he came to understand national media attention.

Fox News criticism might come about for HasanAbi's long-term pro-Palestinian stance; they have also cast the show and HasanAbi as dangerous influences on young, progressive audiences, a label that HasanAbi seemingly wears with pride. "Congratulations to my haters, bro. You did. All the liberals," he said, implying that the backlash from the media is being used as a weapon against his side.
The cable news drama was not over. Just four days after the May 2 confrontation, the long-time frenemy Ethan Klein and HasanAbi locked horns in a debate streamed live simultaneously on both their channels. The difficult subject? Hasan's short, seemingly uninterested cameo appearance in the reboot of Content Cop..
Klein accused Hasan of trying to distance himself from the project and cited a cringeworthy moment wherein an extra did some background Fortnite dancing. "Let me ask you, sir. How was filming that Content Cop? I think you were embarrassed, frankly," meaning Hasan would rather not be associated with the sketch's tone.

Hasan retaliated, stating that his small part was by design and consistent with previous comedic appearances. But Klein would not buy it: "You are absent from every other shot. I think you saw them doing that Fortnite dance, and you said, 'I gotta get out of this.'"
The moment fed into the atmosphere of speculation regarding HasanAbi's public image and how it is being shaped or misshaped by both the traditional media and peers within the creator community. Some fans see the scrutiny as a clumsy attempt at a hit job, while others are looking at it coming as the direct fallout of Hasan's ever-bolder stances on political matters.
Time will tell whether this barrage of scrutiny will damage or further cement HasanAbi's influence. For now, he's leaning into the firestorm rather than retreating from it.