I'm not sure "redeeming" is quite the right, and I don't personally agree with everything Gay said (nor do I think she said everything particularly well), but, as the saying goes, I'll defend her right to say it. The question was a trap and Gay walked into. Nuance is lost when politicians set up traps.
Europeans and Americans have, traditionally, had very different views on "hate speech." I think we're much closer now than we were even 20 years ago.
I said something like this in another post, but for me, the bottom line is really:
A. Are Palestinians or others allowed to call for "intifada" or active fighting against Israel? This implies fighting and killing Israelis.
B. Are Israelis or others allowed to call for ongoing bombing and fighting in Gaza and the West Bank? This implies fighting and killing Palestinians.
I do not believe statement B can be allowed while statement A is banned.
If supports of Israeli can call for bombing Gaza, than supporters of Palestinians should be able to call for attacking Israel.
We've been a post-truth society forever, perhaps. The only difference is that previously, a relatively smaller cohort could more easily control the narrative (politicians, news media, etc). With the Internet and social media, this is much harder. It's certainly made society much less coherent.