Possibly with the 2024 election on his mind, President Biden appeared to begin the process of abandoning America’s greatest ally in the Middle East, Israel in order to appease the radical anti-Semitic elements of the Democratic base. Of course, this drew cheers from the pro-Hamas broadcast networks of CBS and NBC on Tuesday, which praised him for “talking tough to Israel” alongside an Arab king.
“We're going to turn now to the war in Gaza and a new word of warning from President Biden to Israel’s leaders,” CBS Mornings co-anchor Tony Dokoupil announced.
He handed it off to CBS chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes who marveled at how stunning and brave Biden was to oppose Israel’s efforts to eradicate Hamas:
What we saw here at the White House yesterday was really something new. For the first time since this war began, we saw the U.S. President standing side by side with an Arab leader talking tough to Israel. It comes amid fresh concerns that Gaza's civilian population is being placed in an impossible situation.
Cordes began the video portion of her report by hyping soundbites of Biden and Jordan’s King Abdullah chiding Israel:
ABDULLAH: We cannot stand by and let this continue.
CORDES: President Biden and Jordan's King Abdullah did not mince words, warning Israel not to launch a major offensive in the most densely populated part of southern Gaza.
BIDEN: And now they're packed, exposed, and vulnerable. They need to be protected.
It was much the same on NBC’s Today show with foreign correspondent Molly Hunter lauding Biden for “ramping up pressure on Israel as the death toll in Gaza continues to rise.” She then highlighted Biden parroting the Hamas-generated death toll numbers and their unsupported claim that most of those killed so far have been “innocent civilians and children.”
Hunter took a swipe and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by suggesting he was intent on just leveling the Gazan city of Rafah, instead of them being forced to take action by Hamas. “But Prime Minister Netanyahu argues to root out the final Hamas battalions, razing the city of Rafah is mission critical,” she asserted.
She was apparently so anti-Israel, that Hunter actually whined about the Israeli Defends Forces rescuing two hostages from Hamas over the weekend. Playing a video of the daring raid, she decried the “commandos racing into a civilian building.” She later admitted that Hamas was using it to hold hostages. “The two Israeli hostages on the second floor guarded by three Hamas gunmen,” she said.
She further griped that the rescue mission was not the way to rescue hostages, but a capitulation to Hamas was. “And while that hostage rescue was very good news for two families here, the remaining families of hostages are clear. It is no replacement for a deal,” she proclaimed.
Without mentioning that she was getting her information sourced from Hamas, Hunter reported that “A minute later, a heavy wave of Israeli air strikes providing cover, destroying the neighborhood, killing dozens of Palestinian civilians, according to Gaza Health officials.”
Hunter did not provide evidence that “dozens” of civilians had been killed.
Cordes had her own shots to take at the rescue mission, suggesting “the rescue came at a heavy price” alluding to the Hamas’s fake statistics. She leaned on CBS’s local Gazan producer Marwan Al-Ghoul to also claim, without evidence “Dozens of Palestinians were killed in this operation. The majority of them are children and women.”
They too did not disclose that the number came directly from Hamas.
The transcripts are below. Click "expand" to read:
CBS Mornings
February 13, 2024
7:04:28 a.m. asternTONY DOKOUPIL: We're going to turn now to the war in Gaza and a new word of warning from President Biden to Israel’s leaders. He's asking them to protect Palestinian civilians in the southern city of Gaza as is reeling says it's planning to expand its military operations there targeting Hamas leadership.
Around 130 hostages taken from Israel are still believed to be held there by Palestinian militants. Palestinians, meanwhile, say that dozens of civilians in Rafah have already been killed in operations there.
Nancy Cordes is at the White House for us where the king of Jordan visited yesterday. Nancy, good morning to you.
NANCY CORDES: Good morning, Tony. What we saw here at the White House yesterday was really something new. For the first time since this war began, we saw the U.S. President standing side by side with an Arab leader talking tough to Israel. It comes amid fresh concerns that Gaza's civilian population is being placed in an impossible situation.
[Cuts to video]
KING ABDULLAH Il (Jordan): We cannot stand by and let this continue.
CORDES: President Biden and Jordan's King Abdullah did not mince words, warning Israel not to launch a major offensive in the most densely populated part of southern Gaza.
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: And now they're packed, exposed, and vulnerable. They need to be protected.
CORDES: Rafah is a city near Gaza's border with Egypt. More than a million Palestinians are sheltering there after Israel urged them to leave Hamas strongholds in the north four months ago.
But now, Israel wants to rid Rafah of Hamas fighters and has threatens to invade the city.
PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: Those who say under no circumstances should we enter Rafah are basically saying lose the war, keep Hamas them there.
CORDES: In a Monday raid, Israeli Defense Forces rescued two hostages from a second-story apartment in Rafah. But according to Israel’s military, Hamas is still holding more than 130 Israeli hostages. And the rescue came at a heavy price according to a news producer Marwan Al-Ghoul.
MARWAN AL-GHOUL: Dozens of Palestinians were killed in this operation. The majority of them are children and women.
(…)
NBC’s Today
February 13, 2024
7:14:24 a.m. Eastern(…)
MOLLY HUNTER: And while that hostage rescue was very good news for two families here, the remaining families of hostages are clear. It is no replacement for a deal.
(…)
HUNTER: More than 100 hostages remain in Gaza after Monday's risky operation in Rafah. Israeli military video showing commandos racing into a civilian building. The two Israeli hostages on the second floor guarded by three Hamas gunmen. A minute later, a heavy wave of Israeli air strikes providing cover, destroying the neighborhood, killing dozens of Palestinian civilians, according to Gaza Health officials.
(…)
HUNTER: Hours later, President Biden meeting with the Jordanian King Abdullah at the White House. Biden framed the deal as a six-week ceasefire, allowing both sides to agree on a more enduring deal, but also ramping up pressure on Israel as the death toll in Gaza continues to rise.
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Too many, too many of the over 27,000 Palestinians killed in this conflict have been innocent civilians and children.
HUNTER: But Prime Minister Netanyahu argues to root out the final Hamas battalions, razing the city of Rafah is mission critical.
(…)
