4. Palestine/Israel
Boyle has never been one to shy away from lending a humourous outlook on the global political situation, and whilst his comments on British politicians have often been taken with little offense due to how much they are loathed, his political insights have occasionally drawn critical attention. One of the most notable incidents of this was the controversy surrounding comments made on BBC Radio 4's show
Political Animal in 2010, where Boyle discusses the environment of Palestine and its relationship to Israel. The quotes that caused most controversy were when Boyle joked that through learning Israelian martial arts he had learnt sixteen ways to kick a Palestinian woman in the back, and followed this by saying:
"I've got an analogy that in fact explains the whole thing quite well. If you imagine Palestine is a cake, well that cake is being punched to pieces by a very angry Jew" Boyle's commentary on the disputed territories of Palestine and the degree of hostility it instilled was deemed disgusting and anti-Semitic by the BBC Trust, who consequently offered an apology. In one of his rare rebuttals to a condemnation of his work, Boyle accused the BBC Trust of becoming a cowardly institution that was too scared of offending anybody due to their vulnerability to any form of lobbying. Boyle also suggested that his comments though controversial were offering some exposure to the situation in Palestine, which he stated was essentially apartheid, and how it had been the BBC that refused to offer a humanitarian appeal during the 2008-2009 Gaza War. This incident was a demonstration that Boyle would often shed light on situations that aren't given necessary publicity to the British population, and how only by shocking people can the message stick in their heads.