Continuing NewsNation’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war that more networks and news outlets should emulate, On Balance host Leland Vittert spent a segment Thursday night laying out not only how the much-reported four-hour pauses in Israel’s war on Hamas were merely word games from the press and White House, but how claims from freelancers for news organizations in Gaza should be taken with a heaping of salt.
Before bringing in the Israel Defense Forces’s indefatigable spokesman Jonathan Conricus, Vittert started with the claims about pauses in fighting as a breaking story.
“It’s perhaps just the latest example of what can be described as spin during the conflict between Israel and Hamas — generously called spin,” Vittert began. “Western media paints this as something new and a big change. Even the National Security Council spokesman called it a big deal. It’s actually not new. Israel has been doing this for a while now.”
Conricus stated plainly that “[w]hat we are doing is we have been doing [humanitarian pauses] for the last five days is to allow Palestinian civilians in northern Gaza to evacuate towards the south...because we want to empty the battlefield.”
“We’re not fighting the civilians. They are not our enemy. We want to get to Hamas...[I]t’s simply a much better and easier way of doing without having civilians in the way being used as human shields by Hamas,” he added.
The two then moved to the topic of Hamas using Gazans as human shields (click “expand”):
VITTERT: What are we to make of the — reports that Hamas is still holding human shields? Does this mean there are no human shields left or is Hamas still holding some people?
CONRICUS: They are unfortunately holdings still, I would say, hundreds of thousands. We estimate that between 800 and 900,000 Palestinians have evacuated south despite us asking, pleading with them for two and a half weeks. Two and a half weeks we’ve been telling them move south due to the south. There is food, water. There is access to medicine and there’s a humanitarian safe zone. All of that in the south. The only thing you have to do is walk a few miles. It’s not crossing Wyoming. It is just walking about five miles. Five, six, miles from where they are to relative safety in the south[.]
Vittert explained (for those who didn’t remember his extensive foreign reporting for Fox News) that he had been to Gaza many times, so he’s been able to notice that “things have changed a little bit” this time “in terms of how aggressive the IDF is being, not just you all talking, but in the amount that you all are putting out of information there” to fight an “information war” plus the traditional war.
He also stated a reality that ABC, CBS, NBC, and the liberal major newspapers don’t want to admit: “Gaza’s a place that reporters are not allowed to report what they want, especially local freelancers. They report what Hamas tells him report.”
After alluding to the HonestReporting bombshell about Gaza freelancers, he asked Conricus for his reaction whenever he “see[s]...that the stories that Israel puts out and then the...same validity given to information coming from Hamas in American media.”
Conricus acknowledged journalists shouldn’t be threatened before hitting the nail on the head that Gaza journalists “report what Hamas allows them to report...and, if they don’t prove correctly, according to the Hamas message page, then they” and their families “face consequences.”
He even called them “compromised”:
They are compromised. Media stringers are compromised in Gaza and they are under tremendous pressure by Hamas. They’re necessarily bad people. They’re under tremendous pressure by Hamas and can only report what’s ok with Hamas. And then, that gets out and it has the logo of The New York Times or the AP and then that’s the truth.
Vittert spoke from experience on that issue: “I dealt with it myself. I mean, I — I worked with stringers in Gaza as well. And you had to — you had to sort of — ba — try — try and figure out what was Hamas propaganda and what were they really trying to tell you.”
To see the relevant transcript from November 9, click “expand.”
NewsNation’s On Balance With Leland Vittert
November 9, 2023
7:34 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Information War; Israel Fights Misinformation From Hamas]
ANA CABRERA [on MSNBC’s Ana Cabrera Reports, 11/09/23]: We’re back with some breaking news.
LIVE NOW FROM FOX ANCHOR [on 11/09/23]: This just coming down moments ago.
ANNE-MARIE GREEN [on CBS News Streaming Network, 11/09/23]: Israel has agreed to four hour, daily humanitarian pauses in the fighting with Hamas.
GABE GUTIERREZ [on MSNBC, 11/09/23]: Four-hour pause in Northern Gaza each day.
VLADIMIR DUTHIERS [on CBS News Streaming Network, 11/09/23]: This is huge.
GREEN [on CBS News Streaming Network, 11/09/23]: This is huge.
LELAND VITTERT: All right. That’s just some of the reporting on — well, you heard a major announcement from the White House. It’s perhaps just the latest example of what can be described as spin during the conflict between Israel and Hamas — generously called spin. We’re going to get to the online propaganda that’s been spun in favor of both sides. Both sides are trying to spin in a minute and there is a lot of that. But first, why today’s announcement comes with an asterisk. Just look at the headlines. “Israel will begin for our pauses.” “Biden gets four-hour battle pauses.” Western media paints this as something new and a big change. Even the National Security Council spokesman called it a big deal. It’s actually not new. Israel has been doing this for a while now. IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus is here. It’s good to see you, sir. I’m trying to figure out: is there anything different things happening than I’d seen over the past five, six days corridors for humanitarian evacuations, Israeli troops protecting Gazan civilians as they move south?
JONATHAN CONRICUS: Yeah. Thank you for having me. What’s happening is, you know, there’s reality on the ground. Reality on the ground is dictated by what the troops are doing and, of course, what the enemies are doing. What we are doing is we have been doing that for the last five days is to allow Palestinian civilians in northern Gaza to evacuate towards the south. We’re doing that because we want to empty the battlefield. We’re not fighting the civilians. They are not our enemy. We want to get to Hamas and dismantle Hamas in their strongholds and it’s simply a much better and easier way of doing without having civilians in the way being used as human shields by Hamas.
VITTERT: To that point, colonel, about the human shields, we’re watching in and we can see now there’s some humanitarian trucks moving north. I know the IDF has searched those to make sure there’s not weapons going in. We’ve seen Israeli soldiers protecting the civilians moving south and Israeli tanks along that — that line. What are we to make of the — reports that Hamas is still holding human shields? Does this mean there are no human shields left or is Hamas still holding some people?
CONRICUS: They are unfortunately holdings still, I would say, hundreds of thousands. We estimate that between 800 and 900,000 Palestinians have evacuated south despite us asking, pleading with them for two and a half weeks. Two and a half weeks we’ve been telling them move south due to the south. There is food, water. There is access to medicine and there’s a humanitarian safe zone. All of that in the south. The only thing you have to do is walk a few miles. It’s not crossing Wyoming. It is just walking about five miles. Five, six, miles from where they are to relative safety in the south and that —
VITTERT: Yeah, no, look —
CONRICUS: — is the right thing to do.
VITTER: — no, look, the Gaza Strip’s a small place. I’ve been there myself. Small, but densely populated. Ground troops inside the Gaza Strip. We saw the video come out of the watch party of the Hamas videos and clips of Hamas that were being played by Hamas for folks in the Gaza Strip, which sort of flies in the face of the idea that there’s massive power outages inside Gaza or that there’s a limit of internet because all of these seem to be able to be getting out just fine. Things have changed a little bit since my time, 2010 to 2014 in terms of how aggressive the IDF is being, not just you all talking, but in the amount that you all are putting out of information there. There — there’s an irony right of the IDF putting out video of aid trucks moving in in so far as part of the war you’re fighting is an information one, is it not?
CONRICUS: That is true. And, you know, you spoke about reports from the White House. Everybody is basing their decision making not necessarily all of the time on verified facts on the ground presented by reliable sources. But a lot of it is based on unverified reports in the media.
VITTERT: Gaza’s a place that reporters are not allowed to report what they want, especially local freelancers. They report what Hamas tells him report to Reuters, CNN, Associated Press. There’s a report that some freelancers may have gotten a tip off to the October 7 attacks. That — that’s all sort in — in dispute right now. What I’m curious is, when you see your reporting and the — the fact that the stories that Israel puts out. And then the sort saying same validity given to information coming from Hamas in American media. What do you make of that?
CONRICUS: Yeah, first of all, we want to be clear we are careful with flaming anything about journalists doing in Gaza. And at this stage, we are not saying that they were a participant or that they had to tip off or anything like that. We want to be clear about that. And we continue to respect the security and the safety of journalists in Gaza. Full stop. Second thing is that, you know, they report what Hamas allows them to report -- to report and, if they don’t prove correctly, according to the Hamas message page, then they face consequences. They and their family. They are compromised. Media stringers are compromised in Gaza and they are under tremendous pressure by Hamas. They’re necessarily bad people. They’re under tremendous pressure by Hamas —
VITTERT: Yeah.
CONRICUS: — and can only report what’s ok with Hamas. And then, that gets out and it has the logo of The New York Times or the AP and then that’s the truth.
VITTERT: Yeah, I know, look, I dealt with it myself. I mean, I — I worked with stringers in Gaza as well. And you had to — you had to sort of — ba — try — try and figure out what was Hamas propaganda and what were they really trying to tell you. Last question for you. I’m sure you’ve seen us in the past couple of hours, the release of the Islamic Jihad hostage video with an offer to release two hostages with medical conditions. Any response from the Israeli government on that?
CONRICUS: Yeah, I’ve seen it. You know, that boy, he is the age of my third oldest son and I couldn’t but think of him when I saw him and I listened to these words. I think he’s a tremendously brave young man. This is psychological warfare of the lowest order and what Hamas and the Islamic Jihad are doing is just trying to manipulate. It’s good that you’re not showing the clip, only a — free — frame from it. You shouldn’t be showing the clip because that would just further their aims. We understand what they’re doing. Our commitment is to bring all of them back. And the only way there’s going to be any type of ceasefire is for all of our hostages, all over 239 women, children, babies, elderly, and men to be brought back home to Israel in safety. Hamas are accountable for it and that we are committed to getting them back in any way by force or diplomatic.
VITTERT: All right. Alright. Fair enough. Colonel, it’s good to see you, sir. Thank you very much. We appreciate your time.
CONRICUS: Thank you for having me.
