CBS News has a problem when it comes to reporting on the Middle East, specifically, on the war between Israel and Iran’s various proxies. This is one of the extremely rare times when a media outlet insists on telling both sides of a story. The problem is, that the other side in this case is adjacent to terrorism.
Watch as correspondent Debora Patta closes out her report on the aftermath of the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh with pro-Hamas reactions:
CBS EVENING NEWS
7/31/24
6:37 PM
DEBORA PATTA: In the israeli-occupied West Bank, the assassination was met with shock and disbelief. There is also anger. People have been chanting "West Bank for Hamas." They want revenge. Their grief, shared with Palestinians in Gaza. "I've been crying all day," said Fatima al-Saati. "We've lost one of our very own." Haniyeh was the political face of Hamas. He was the man who sat in the same room as the Israelis, trying to hammer out that much-demanded hostage deal. Palestinian activist Mustafa Barghouti believes that deal is now dead.
MUSTAFA BARGHOUTI: When you kill your negot- the person you negotiate with, what is the intention? The intention is to kill any possibility for peace.
PATTA: For a region that was already on the verge of escalating into all out war, this latest assassination brings it that much closer. Norah.
NORAH O’DONNELL: Debora Patta. Thank you very much.
It isn’t clear why Patta’s on the beat today. Perhaps Imtiaz Tyab was given a breather after enduring the hardship of reporting the death of two terrorist commanders.
Patta’s reporting took her, as it often does, to the West Bank. And then to an anti-Israel protest. And, ultimately, to a video package that includes shouted chants which I couldn’t make out except for “Yahud”, which means “Jew”.
Ultimately, the report was less about the ongoing tensions in the Middle East than as an abridged requiem for Haniyeh. CBS just can’t quit its pro-Hamas bias.
Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on CBS Evening News on Wednesday, July 31st, 2024:
NORAH O’DONNELL: Well, the Middle East and the world are on edge tonight following the assassination of a senior Hamas leader inside Iran, and Iran's supreme leader saying today “our duty is to take revenge”. Now this comes just hours after an Israeli airstrike killed a top Hezbollah commander in Lebanon. CBS's Debora Patta is in east Jerusalem with more on the escalating tensions.
DEBORA PATTA: These are the last images of Ismail Haniyeh alive, attending the Iranian president's inauguration. Since the October 7th attack, he’s had a target on his back. Israel warned Hamas leaders were marked for death. Haniyeh was killed in a brazen strike in the Iranian capital of Tehran, where today people protested the assassination. Hamas is blaming Israel, claiming a missile struck the house he was staying in. Haniyeh's death came just hours after Israel announced it had killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut. Now also confirmed by Hezbollah. But tonight, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made no mention of the attack in Tehran. "We are prepared for any scenario," he said. "We will exact a very heavy price for any aggression." In the israeli-occupied West Bank, the assassination was met with shock and disbelief. There is also anger. People have been chanting "West Bank for Hamas." They want revenge. Their grief, shared with Palestinians in Gaza. "I've been crying all day," said Fatima al-Saati. "We've lost one of our very own." Haniyeh was the political face of Hamas. He was the man who sat in the same room as the Israelis, trying to hammer out that much-demanded hostage deal. Palestinian activist Mustafa Barghouti believes that deal is now dead.
MUSTAFA BARGHOUTI: When you kill your negot- the person you negotiate with, what is the intention? The intention is to kill any possibility for peace.
PATTA: For a region that was already on the verge of escalating into all out war, this latest assassination brings it that much closer. Norah.
O’DONNELL: Debora Patta. Thank you very much.
