Chetan Bhagat tweets in support of Israel, gets defensive after causing major outrage

Novelist Chetan Bhagat has once again embraced controversy on social media, this time for his tweets on the ongoing Israel-Palestine violence.

Chetan Bhagat sent out a tweet on Wednesday which appeared to be in support of Israel's relentless shelling of Gaza, which has attracted international condemnation particularly after the deaths of several Palestinian children.

What is happening to Gaza isn't fair but sadly that is the only way sometimes terrorist organizations and their supporters learn to behave.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) July 16, 2014

This tweet set off a stream of angry responses from Twitterati, who obviously found Bhagat's disregard for the killing of children to be in very bad taste:

@chetan_bhagat Disgusting that you believe the terrorist organizations and their supporters will learn that way.

— Indra Dhoj Kshetri® (@indradhoj) July 16, 2014

@chetan_bhagat yes As Israel has the best Human Behaviour of all time

— Muhammad Junaid (@JunaidMuhammod) July 16, 2014

@chetan_bhagat really sir? teaching terrorists by killing innocent kids?

— Aboobacker MK (@abvayad) July 16, 2014

. @chetan_bhagat Brains can be corrupted but even heart too? Such a stone hearted statement against those innocent babies!

— Abdulla Madumoole (@AMadumoole) July 16, 2014

However, Bhagat immediately sent out two more tweets, and then pleaded that all three of his tweets be read together:

I do think Israel has made its point though. Wish it would stop now and bring peace talks on the table again.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) July 16, 2014

Isn't it interesting though how so many rich Islamic countries in the region don't say a word or intervene when Gaza is attacked.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) July 16, 2014

My last three tweets should be read together. Anyone posting them selectively is clearly quoting me out of context. Thanks.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) July 16, 2014

However, the outrage did not stop.

@chetan_bhagat Yes, read them together. Nice to see you also support Genocide. Hats off!

— P.K (@mrakmrr) July 16, 2014

Some even got personal with Chetan Bhagat:

@chetan_bhagat Why did you post them separately when you wanted them to be understood together? Stupidity Level: 2 States

— Shiva Kant Vyas (@shivakantvyas) July 16, 2014

. @chetan_bhagat u shd hv just kept it simple & said u r as sad for #Gaza as if a puppy had come under ur car. Wud hv been clear then..

— Suryanarayan Ganesh (@gsurya) July 16, 2014

@chetan_bhagat Never reading your tweets or your books again. #GenocideSupporter.

— Hiba (@TheMotiWeighted) July 16, 2014

This led to a complete meltdown on the part of Bhagat, who could no longer hold back his emotions:

Pseudo-liberals, pseudo-intellectuals, pseudo-justice-seekers but ultimately self-serving-elitists, make twitter such a fun place.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) July 16, 2014

When people abuse you in their retorts, you know they have no answer and you have won the argument. Tired of lazy extreme view takers.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) July 16, 2014

Something is clearly wrong with our education system that there are so many people who would rather follow a herd than have conviction.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) July 16, 2014

"Don't you want to save innocents?" is hardly a view or position. It's lazy posturing. Everyone does. Point is an out of hand situation.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) July 16, 2014

Finally, as the ceasefire in Israel-Palestine was violated, Bhagat tweeted in self-appreciation with an I-told-you-so. And yet, the backlash against him did not come to an end. Consequently, Bhagat's meltdown continued into Thursday. He claimed that 11,000 rockets had been fired into Israel by Palestine in the last 10 years - which is three rockets per day. Then he again justified his views:

It is Hamas' strategy to keep provoking Israel, get retaliation, play victim, win local politics and world support. Guess it works everytime

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) July 17, 2014

I understand people may have different views on this, but I am entitled to mine. Neither am I abusing you, nor should you do the same.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) July 17, 2014

Finally, Bhagat attempted to invoke patriotism in an attempt to drive home the point:

However, before you play virtuous, do imagine rockets tossed everyday on India for 10 years and what would you want your govt to do.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) July 17, 2014

Finally, social media saw an end to the incredible rant:

Anyway, those who agree great. Those who don't, let's respect all views and agree to disagree and move on already. Chalo, ho gaya ab.

— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) July 17, 2014

It may be recalled that last year, Chetan Bhagat had landed himself in a soup after comparing the fall of the rupee to rape. He had said that 'the rupee is asking, how there is no punishment for my rapists'. After social media blew up in uproar, he quickly deleted the tweet, but attempted to justify himself nevertheless. Bhagat claimed that if it was okay to use 'murder' in a joke, 'rape' should be okay as well. "People here flipping out on using word rape as metaphor. Murder is OK. Using F word is also OK. There are hundreds of jokes about murder. So why are we so touchy about rape?", he asked.

The IIT, IIM graduate who wrote several bestsellers seems to be slowly becoming an unpopular 'celebrity' on social media, with several foot-in-mouth statements of late, which are then followed by vehement justifications and fence-sitting tweets. Bhagat has been embarrassing himself on Twitter for quite a while now, but the lack of realisation about the insensitivity of his comments is staggering.