10.09.23
This edition will look at media reactions to the outbreak of war in Israel. Following Saturday's grotesque attack on the country, the widespread condemnation across the planet was evident. A death toll of hundreds is sure to continue to rise as Hamas terrorist insurgents roamed neighborhoods taking out citizens.
The elderly were gunned down at bus stops, families kidnapped, women were raped in public, and soldiers and other dead were paraded in the streets as trophies. These were ghastly inhumane acts and war crimes that had proper-thinking people horrified and outraged at the barbaric actions.
Then there was the media.
In unsurprising fashion, there were a number of impressions delivered by our journalism betters that revealed sympathetic approaches and stunted thinking in attempts at rationalizing these acts. The sorry state of our media industry was on display this weekend.
Those Rapists Are the Real Victims!
- Ayman Mohyeldin – MSNBC
You had to know there would be those in the press announcing that Israel provoked this attack. Here is Mohyeldin looking strictly and entirely at Israel and leveling all of the criticism on that country; that is to say, he is blaming the victim. Note that in this three-minute discussion with Ali Velshi, there is not a single word of criticism on the barbarism of the Hamas attackers.
MSNBC's @AymanM: Netanyahu leads "the most far, extremist, Jewish nationalist government that it has existed ... What are you going to do? Are you going to re-occupy the Gaza Strip? Repopulate it with settlements? Are you going in there to try to kill every Hamas leader? They’ve… pic.twitter.com/QpZFaa0O9d
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) October 7, 2023
The Assumption That Israel Is Going Off Half-cocked
- Wolf Blitzer – CNN
The CNN host was speaking with a former member of the U.S. State Department, Aaron David Miller, and again, all of the focus was on Israel and his expressed dire concern about the retaliation. Miller is critical of the Israeli response, even though it has yet to play out, and assumes that Netanyahu has no plan in place and is just overreacting, he assumes. "Where does this go? That's the real problem. Where's the strategy that this is not a brutal and horrific rinse-wash-and-repeat cycle?"
We just saw the random murder of civilians and numerous other atrocities playing out as Hamas has invaded Israel, but Miller is concerned things might become brutal and horrific?! Say, Aaron? Do you have any questions regarding Palestine's plan after its slaughter of hundreds of citizens in an unprovoked attack, or is that just considered sound strategy?
On CNN, former State Department official Aaron David Miller is worried about what Israeli retaliation might look like and fears Biden's "emotional" support for Israel:
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) October 7, 2023
"What exactly do the Israelis hope to achieve?...Where does this go? That's the real problem." pic.twitter.com/aI7QSEbtmp
If Only Netanyahu Had Not Been So Conservative, This Might Not Have Happened
- Andrea Mitchell – MSNBC
In looking at this aftermath, Andrea Mitchell tried to piece together what led to this attack, and all she could see is that the Israeli far-right leadership had not been paying enough deference to the Palestinians. She notes the agreements Netanyahu has been working on with Saudi Arabia and that Palestine has been left out…as if this is justification.
She says this even as she acknowledges the Palestinians have basically avoided any talks with Israel for nearly a decade and that Netanyahu has been unable to have Joe Biden grant him a face-to-face meeting, despite his wanting so and Mitchell saying repeatedly Biden has had "great concerns" about issues in the region.
Andrea Mitchell blames Netanyahu and the Saudis not listening to Biden "There was some concern...the Saudis were so eager for the economic benefits" of normalization and "there has been the most aggressive encroachment into the West Bank by this far-right coalition government" pic.twitter.com/NRLmkJfcjh
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) October 7, 2023
Reframing of Events in Order to Cast Israel As the Villain
- The BBC
After the violent incursion by Hamas, the BBC decided to report on the breaking news by completely minimizing the initial attack in order to frame things as Israel responding with an inhuman overreaction. To put this in the proper light, understand what Hamas has perpetrated.
They had scores of attackers swarming neighborhoods and going door to door to murder people in their homes. They were gunning down people in public at bus stops and markets. They launched a fusillade of rockets into civilian areas. They bombed tanks and ambulances with drones. They even had a large number of armed aggressors ambushing a music festival where it is believed hundreds may have perished. This goes with the raping, kidnapping, and dragging of bodies through the streets.
The BBC described this as an attack by "gunmen" so that detailing how Israel sent in "airstrikes" seems an imbalanced retaliatory response.
Israel launches airstrikes on Gaza Strip and calls up reservists after Palestinian gunmen infiltrate its territory https://t.co/3DeDreSfTH
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) October 7, 2023
The Israeli Leader Is Said to Be Giddy About the Slaughter of Hundreds of His Citizens
- Matt McBradley – MSNBC
In the face of the brutality we have witnessed, taking on a smug tone is a severely bad look. But on Saturday, Matt McBradley declared that Netanyahu was actually looking at the terrorist invasion as a golden opportunity. Seriously, his contention is that after seeing protests and other signs of opposition in the nation, Netanyahu would be regarding this attack as a benefit. "I couldn't think of a better gift for Benjamin Netanyahu than this kind of invasion."
So it's "Likuds Pounce," is that it, Matt?! At least he didn't resort to citing polling data, we can say.
MSNBC's @MattMcBradley on Hamas terror attack: "I couldn’t think of a better gift for Benjamin Netanyahu right now than this kind of incursion ... This is a very big gift for Benjamin Netanyahu." pic.twitter.com/9E8NeUdAJV
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) October 7, 2023
Yes, Jenny, They Were Inspired to Do This in the Past Week, Not the Result of Years of Biden Incompetence
- Jennifer Rubin – Washington Post
And just to wrap up this journalism distemper in a nice bow, here is Jenn Rubin delivering probably the most mentally impacted cold take of the attacks and where the blame should rest. Just days after the House voted to remove Kevin McCarthy, Ms. Rubin indicated this was the impetus for Hamas to launch the biggest coordinated attack on Israel.
It was not Biden abandoning enough military hardware in Afghanistan to arm multiple nations, nor his displayed animosity for Netanyahu, and certainly not his doling out billions to the terrorist state of Iran, sworn enemy of Israel. No, it was the handful of opportunist U.S. House members looking to leverage some political gain in D.C. that led to this terrorist attack.
Sheer box wine-inspired lunacy from Rubin.
How about this: With US House in chaos and US military promotions on hold, Hamas struck. Republicans' weakness invites terror.
— Jennifer Truthful, Not Neutral Rubin 🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@JRubinBlogger) October 7, 2023
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