It was an out of left field and out of character development for 2020: The Trump administration helped to broker a Middle East peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates Thursday. The UAE recognized Israel’s right to exist as they planned to establish embassies and an economic relationship, and work on a COVID-19 vaccine. But the raging liberals of NBC Nightly News refused to give President Trump credit, while the CBS Evening News seemed to suggest the President was stealing credit.
As if the peace deal just naturally spawned of its own accord, NBC anchor Lester Holt suggested it was just “a deal announced by the White House.”
The report was delivered by chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel, and at no point did he mention the Trump administration’s role in brokering the deal:
Good evening, Lester. For the last several years, the Israelis and Emiratis have had an increasingly close relationship, but it's been largely behind closed doors and mostly because of their neutral hostility toward Iran.
The relations between the two, however, got quite tense a few months ago when the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu was threatening to annex the West Bank. The Emiratis said that was a red line and they say that they got Israel to back off of that intention, and in exchange, they are bringing this close but private relationship out into the public, which is what we're seeing right now.
But Netanyahu says that all options, including annexation, are still on the table. It could be rhetoric. The Palestinians say it is a “betrayal.”
On CBS, White House correspondent Weijia Jiang took her normal adversarial tone against the President. “The damning excerpts were released as the President took credit for establishing ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates,” she huffed, seemingly suggesting Trump was taking credit that was not his.
“Without a permanent solution, a Palestinian spokesman said the agreement amounts to ‘betrayal’ and demanded it be retracted,” she further chided, omitting the fact that Palestine was controlled by a terrorist organization.
But on ABC’s World News Tonight, they shockingly didn’t fight the fact the Trump administration had helped to broker peace. “Israel and the U.A.E. saying they will normalize relations and Israel agreeing to suspend plans to annex parts of the West Bank. President Trump made the announcement. Both sides crediting him for bringing them together,” declared fill-in anchor Tom Llamas.
Senior national correspondent Terry Moran, who also usually has an antagonistic relationship with the White House, seemed to have no qualms with giving credit to where it was due.
As a side note, ABC was the only broadcast network to vocally describe the deal as “historic” (NBC’s on-screen headline), with Llamas saying, “Now, to that historic agreement in the Middle East,” as he began the segment. And Moran noted that Trump was sitting at the Resolute Desk when he “announced the historic peace agreement.”
In wrapping up his report, Moran boiled down what made the deal possible. “The common foe, Iran, and President Trump's disruptive diplomacy mean it is a new day in the Middle East.”
The refusal to give President Trump credit for brokering peace in an election year was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Allegra on CBS, and Febreze on NBC. Their contact information is linked if you want to let them know about what they’re funding. CBS Evening News has also asked people to text anchor Norah O’Donnell at this number: (202) 217-1107.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
CBS Evening News
August 13, 2020
6:40:43 p.m. Eastern(…)
WEIJIA JIANG: The damning excerpts were released as the President took credit for establishing ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Not since the Israel-Jordan peace treaty was signed more than 25 years ago has so much progress been made towards peace in the Middle East.
JIANG: As part of the pact, Israel will temporarily suspend its plans to annex parts of the West Bank that Palestinians are seeking for a future state.
Without a permanent solution, a Palestinian spokesman said the agreement amounts to “betrayal” and demanded it be retracted.
(…)
NBC Nightly News
August 13, 2020
7:13:30 p.m. EasternLESTER HOLT: Let's turn to that breakthrough between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, agreeing to establish diplomatic relations in a deal announced by the White House. NBC’s Richard Engel is following it. Richard, how did this come about?
RICHARD ENGEL: Good evening, Lester. For the last several years, the Israelis and Emiratis have had an increasingly close relationship, but it's been largely behind closed doors and mostly because of their neutral hostility toward Iran.
The relations between the two, however, got quite tense a few months ago when the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu was threatening to annex the West Bank. The Emiratis said that was a red line and they say that they got Israel to back off of that intention, and in exchange they are bringing this close but private relationship out into the public, which is what we're seeing right now.
But Netanyahu says that all options, including annexation, are still on the table. It could be rhetoric. The Palestinians say it is a “betrayal.” Lester?
HOLT: Richard Engel tonight, thank you.
