We can now add anti-Semite as an accurate descriptor for The View’s racist co-host, Sunny Hostin. All week, the ABC host’s disgust at the Jewish State of Israel simmered until it boiled over on Friday when she openly and falsely suggested it was Israel that was committing acts of “pure terror” and “war crimes.” She even equated Israel to Russia and its attacks on Ukraine. Fortunately, she ran into a wall of opposition from the rest of the table.
Before Hostin spewed her bile, the rest of the table rightfully denounced Hamas. Alyssa Farah Griffin argued they’re responsible for the poor living conditions in Gaza. Ana Navarro said they don’t “care about Israeli children or Palestinian children.” Sara Haines called them out for forcing civilians to stay in airstrike areas to “up the body count.”
After those sensible takes. Hostin finally spoke up and tried to compare Hamas to the Proud Boys. “Hamas has been designated a terror organization just like many other terror organizations have had this designation, like the Proud Boys here in the United States,” she said.
Hostin followed up by using Hamas talking points suggesting Israeli military actions were “retaliation against innocent civilians collectively” which were acts of “terror” and “war crimes.” Continuing to draw false equivalencies, she grossly compared Israel to Russia despite the fact Israel did not start the war:
And again, those are not my words, those are the words of the law. And the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said, just last year when we were talking about Ukraine, she said Russia's attacks against civilian infrastructure, especially electricity, are war crimes. Cutting off men, women, children of water, electricity, and heating with winter coming, these are acts of pure terror, and we have to call it as such.
As Hostin continued to whine about Israel telling Gazans to evacuate northern Gaza ahead of an anticipated ground invasion, moderator Joy Behar had had enough. “Don't you think Hamas attacking Israel is the reason that they have the problem now?” she pressed.
Hostin was unable to answer as Navarro drowned her out by noting Hamas was using civilians as “human shields.” She also noted that Israel had only cut off the free power and water they supply to Gaza because they have Israeli (and American) hostages.
“What Israel is saying consistently is, if you want your water, if you want your electricity, release our hostages. In my view, that’s not an irrational question. That's not an irrational demand,” she told off Hostin.
Hostin responded by doubling down on the anti-Israel smears, proclaiming, “They should really refrain from committing war crimes or terror because they're going to lose the goodwill that they have.”
“There’s no equivocating as far as the terror and the brutality,” Farah Griffin shot back, directly taking aim at Hostin’s false equivalencies. “This is a group that you cannot reason with. There is not a diplomatic solution with Hamas specifically but we will stand with helping innocent Palestinians.”
Since Hostin was speaking using her “legal perspective,” Haines sniped at her by asking: “Is there any legal bearing on Hamas for withholding water from their own people or is that okay?” “They're not responsible for withholding the water now,” Hostin defended them. Meanwhile, Hamas put out a video hyping how they dug up Gaza’s water infrastructure to turn the pipes into missiles.
“Humanity, values, principles, the law doesn't apply to Hamas. They are a terrorist organization. They don't care about Palestinians. They care about mutilating,” Navarro shouted over Hostin again. Behar joined in scolding Hostin, saying, “They started this. They started this. That's the part you have to remember.”
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
October 13, 2023
11:08:12 a.m. Eastern(…)
JOY BEHAR: Another thing that Golda Meir said, “you can't negotiate with people who want to kill you.” So, that's what's going on now. Go ahead, Sunny. You wanted to say something?
SUNNY HOSTIN: No, I just – I look at it from a legal perspective and think we all know that Hamas has been designated a terror organization just like many other terror organizations have had this designation, like the Proud Boys here in the United States.
But I do think that what we need to remember is that there is an international human rights body of law. And when you look at that law, part of it is retaliation against innocent civilians collectively is also terror and is also a war crime. And again, those are not my words, those are the words of the law. And the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said, just last year when we were talking about Ukraine, she said Russia's attacks against civilian infrastructure, especially electricity, are war crimes. Cutting off men, women, children of water, electricity and heating with winter coming, these are acts of pure terror, and we have to call it as such.
(…)
11:10:13 a.m. Eastern
HOSTIN: When you have 2.2 million people stuck in an area, half of which are children and you’re telling them --
BEHAR: Don't you think Hamas attacking Israel is the reason that they have the problem now?
ANA NAVARRO: Antony Blinken is down there in the region right now trying to work with a diplomatic solution for these refugees.
But I want to say, and I think this is very important. What Israel is saying consistently is, if you want your water, if you want your electricity, release our hostages. In my view, that’s not an irrational question. That's not an irrational demand. Release our people that you are holding there. Human shields.
HOSTIN: And they should but in the process, they should really refrain from committing war crimes or terror because they're going to lose the good will that they have.
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: I do think it's very important, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin who was the director of CENTCOM said Hamas is worse than ISIS. There’s no equivocating as far as the terror and the brutality.
BEHAR: Look what they did. Look what they did.
FARAH GRIFFIN: Beheading children. This is a group that you cannot reason with. There is not a diplomatic solution with Hamas specifically but we will stand with helping innocent Palestinians.
BEHAR: We have to go.
SARA HAINES: Is there any legal bearing on Hamas for withholding water from their own people or is that okay?
HOSTIN: They're not responsible for withholding the water now.
NAVARRO: Humanity, values, principles, the law doesn't apply to Hamas. They are a terrorist organization. They don't care about Palestinians. They care about mutilating.
BEHAR: They started this. They started this. That's the part you have to remember.
HOSTIN: They are not really democratically elected.
BEHAR: Hamas started this. We got to go. We got to go. We have to go.
