On Monday, we reported that Israeli officials demanded an apology from CNN’s Christiane Amanpour for her obscene comments last week comparing the Trump administration to Kristallnacht.
Amanpour then apologized during her Monday show for the egregious comparison:
“I observed the 82nd anniversary of Kristallnacht, as I often do. It is the event that began the horrors of the Holocaust. I also noted President Trump’s attacks on history, facts, knowledge, and truth.
“I should not have juxtaposed the two thoughts. Hitler and his evils stand alone, of course, in history. I regret any pain my statement may have caused.
“My point was to say how democracy can potentially slip away, and how we must always zealously guard our democratic values.”
“I shouldn’t have juxtaposed the two thoughts; Hitler and his evil stand alone, of course, in history. I regret any pain my statement may have caused." @camanpour pic.twitter.com/zzp371tU9C
— Joshua Klein (@JoshuaKlein_) November 17, 2020
Some people were satisfied with Amanpour’s apology, such as Executive Director of StandWithUs in Israel Michael Dickson, who tweeted, “[F]inally, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour apologizes for her Holocaust comparison. She should have known better. She states: ‘Hitler and his evils stand alone, of course, in history.’ Too many are too quick to minimize the Holocaust with insensitive comparisons.”
Finally, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour apologizes for her Holocaust comparison. She should have known better. She states: "Hitler and his evils stand alone, of course, in history." Too many are too quick to minimize the Holocaust with insensitive comparisons.https://t.co/OKoI9KmaWI
— Michael Dickson (@michaeldickson) November 17, 2020
Others were not impressed.
Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, tweeted that “[N]ever before in the history of U.S. news networks did a journalist distort the Holocaust for political purposes as Amanpour just did on on CNN & PBS. No, @camanpour, the Nazi genocide was not ‘an attack on fact, knowledge, history & truth.’ They murdered 6 million Jews. Say it.”
Never before in the history of U.S. news networks did a journalist distort the Holocaust for political purposes as Amanpour just did on on CNN & PBS.
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) November 14, 2020
No, @camanpour, the Nazi genocide was not “an attack on fact, knowledge, history & truth.“
They murdered 6 million Jews. Say it. pic.twitter.com/Cwkzj1lUBK
Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), called for Amanpour’s firing, saying that the CNN anchor has a long history of anti-Israel propaganda:
ZOA appreciates AJC’s David Harris letter condemning CNNs @camanpour for comparing Nazis to Trump and her not mentioning that Jews were the targets of Kristalnacht. An apology though is not enough. Amanpour’s history of anti Israel propaganda is long and ugly. CNN must fire her. https://t.co/7iN6sIGHmv
— Morton Klein (@MortonAKlein7) November 16, 2020
Investigative journalist Mark Hyman linked to a list compiled by the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA) detailing Amanpour’s long history:
Odd that Christiane Amanpour, who has a long history of making antisemitic remarks, would dare label anyone a Nazi. https://t.co/kCBpfcAIAa https://t.co/JYPbHdPVNn
— MarkHyman (@MarkHyman) November 17, 2020