One would think that Hamas’s terrorism campaign, which included kidnapping Israeli women to rape and murder, would mean all the ladies at the table of ABC’s The View would be in lock-step opposition to the group. But on Monday’s edition of the show, chronically aggrieved and staunchly racist Sunny Hostin tried to weasel in a way to blame Israel and the victims of the attacks for giving Hamas a reason to do what they did.
Luckily, Hostin was the odd one out. She was the fourth person to ask questions of ABC foreign correspondent James Longman, who was live in front of the rubble of a destroyed building in Tel Aviv, Israel.
“James, this was a highly coordinated and wide-scale attack by Hamas. What do we know about the timing of this, and what was the impetus for this to happen now?” she wondered, teeing up Longman to put that impetus on Israel.
Of course, Longman picked up what Hostin was putting down and obliged to put most of the blame on Israel and the “right-wing elements of the government” (Click “expand”):
Well, I have been to this country many times just this year, four times alone often to report on terrorist attacks by Palestinians in the occupied east Jerusalem or in the West Bank, and there's been a lot of tension. I have to say most of that tension has been focused on the West Bank, restive camps where the Palestinian Authorities have lost control to terror groups.
And also been here because of the political turmoil, the most right-wing government in this country's history, and a sense perhaps that many Palestinians that any kind of political way out of this, is behind them because some of the right-wing elements of the government have been very incendiary in their rhetoric about Palestinians.
It was predictable that Hostin would take that position since it bought into Hamas’s narrative that Palestinian land was being occupied by colonizers. She likely sympathizes with that stance since she’s chronically aggrieved and supposedly “oppressed” (as she put it), despite being a multimillionaire. She had even demanded “reparations” from the United States. Meanwhile, she admitted she hadn’t done her own grocery shopping in years.
It’s worth reiterating that Hostin was the odd one (of five) out.
The show normally begins with boisterous fanfare as a voiceover announcer highlights the topics of the day and hypes who’s on the show, with the hosts strutting out on stage to their theme song and the applause of the studio audience. There was none of that fanfare. After a solemn overview of the topics, there was no hyping of the hosts as they went with a cold open: the ladies were already seated at the table and moderator Whoopi Goldberg delivering the sad news.
Goldberg minced no words as she called out Hamas as a terrorist organization. “The eyes of the entire world are locked on Israel right now. They declared war for the first time in 50 years after a barrage of attacks by terrorist organization Hamas,” she declared.
Co-host Ana Navarro lamented that she watched “so much” news that she normally feels “numb” to all the bad stuff going on. “This is the first time I remember in a long time that brought tears to my eyes because what we are seeing, the suffering we are seeing is just unjustifiable,” she said.
Same, Ana. Same.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
October 9, 2023
11:00:17 a.m. EasternANNOUNCER VOICE OVER: Coming up live on The View. Battleground: Israel. For the first time in a half century, Israel is a nation at war as Hamas wages a multi-pronged attack that's still raging. ABC News foreign correspondent James Longman is live in Tel Aviv with the facts behind the fear. Plus, the impact this could have on America and the entire world.
Plus, the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger.
It all starts live, right now.
[Cuts to live]
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Good morning, and welcome to The View. The eyes of the entire world are locked on Israel right now. They declared war for the first time in 50 years after a barrage of attacks by terrorist organization Hamas, and we're getting the very latest from ABC news foreign correspondent James Longman, who is live from Tel Aviv.
(…)
11:03:10 a.m. Eastern
ANA NAVARRO: James, I am grateful to you and all the other journalists who are there showing the world the horrors of this atrocity. You know, I watch news so much and sometimes I feel numb to it. This is the first time I remember in a long time that brought tears to my eyes because what we are seeing, the suffering we are seeing is just unjustifiable.
But my question is: there have been over 1,200 total deaths reported so far including at least nine U.S. citizens in Israel. We've also heard of over 100 others kidnapped and held hostage by Hamas including women, children, the elderly, disabled, holocaust survivors. What is the latest on the efforts to locate and release these hostages?
(…)
11:07:44 a.m. Eastern
SUNNY HOSTIN: James, this was a highly coordinated and wide-scale attack by Hamas. What do we know about the timing of this, and what was the impetus for this to happen now?
JAMES LONGMAN: Well, I have been to this country many times just this year, four times alone often to report on terrorist attacks by Palestinians in the occupied east Jerusalem or in the West Bank, and there's been a lot of tension. I have to say most of that tension has been focused on the West Bank, restive camps where the Palestinian Authorities have lost control to terror groups.
And also been here because of the political turmoil, the most right-wing government in this country's history, and a sense perhaps that many Palestinians that any kind of political way out of this, is behind them because some of the right-wing elements of the government have been very incendiary in their rhetoric about Palestinians.
I think we also can't overlook the fact that Iran is watching what's happening in this region and the possible normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Iran and Saudi Arabia, massive adversaries. It is what Iran wants to see any kind of normalization ended.
So there are all kinds of reasons why now, but honestly no one knows just how Hamas managed to plan this for so long and carry it out on such a widespread scale. But the recriminations and even the questions, they will come, but for the moment, these Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are waiting to see what the response will be.
(…)
