CNN branded itself as "Facts First," but they're allowing the most inflammatory charges against Israel to be aired -- especially the notion of "genocide." It might be considered odd to denounce Israel for "genocide" when Hamas just slaughtered hundreds of innocent Israelis based on a charter that explicitly calls for killing Jews.
On Monday's CNN This Morning, the liberal news network had anti-Israel journalist Rula Jebreal on as a guest for the third time in the past couple of weeks, and let her spew that Israel is committing both war crimes and "genocide" in trying to destroy the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza.
As co-host Poppy Harlow set up the segment, she cited Hamas's questionable claims about how many civilian deaths have been caused by Israel, and then she quoted Jordan's King Abdullah II accusing Israel of "war crimes" in a recent speech. "King Abdullah of Jordan spoke about this over the weekend. He went as far as to call what Israel is doing in Gaza a war crime. And then he said this. Listen."
Then played an edited clip of the Jordanian king: "-- our lives matter less than other lives. The application of international law is optional, and human rights have boundaries -- they stop at borders, they stop at races, and they stop at religions." Once again, it's a weird argument, placed alongside the Hamas charter.
The CNN host then recalled that President Joe Biden has pressured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay a ground invasion and asked how "crucial" it was for the Jordanian king to make his statement. Jebreal -- a former MSNBC contributor who has a history of unhinged ranting -- made claims about how little food and water there is in Gaza, and then went into her over the top "genocide" claim:
JEBREAL: So the region is very worried because if they're seen as complicit in what's happening -- what Israel is even -- scholars -- Jewish Israeli scholars go on television -- denounce these policies -- and they said this is -- what Israel is doing is a textbook definition of genocide. These are Israeli scholars. So when you hear the region -- they don't want to seem to be complicit to basically to the destruction of the Palestinian people.
After co-host Phil Mattingly pointed out that Arab countries like Egypt and Jordan have resisted taking in refugees from Gaza, Jebreal recalled that they had already taken in refugees from Syria and Iraq, and then further went after Israel.
I mean, what Israel is suggesting to those countries but also to the Palestinians, "We would basically expel you" -- millions probably, and this is a definition of ethnic cleansing. If you're refugees to exit but never to enter to the land they belong to, you're basically creating a massive refugee crisis to a country that is already paying the prices of other refugee crises.
On Wednesday, CNN anchor Kate Bolduan also allowed an Israel-hater to screech about "genocide," with no attempt at a fact check, no moment for Daniel Dale to pounce:
CNN's Kate Bolduan puts on an Israel-hating Northwestern professor to cry "This is not Israel at war, this is Israel performing genocide on the Palestinian people," and she doesn't bat an eye. She just said, "Thank you so much for coming on to tell your mother's story." pic.twitter.com/x2ZiKM5PhM
— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) October 25, 2023
Transcript follows:
CNN This Morning
October 23, 2023
8:53 a.m. Eastern
POPPY HARLOW: Take a look at this new video just into CNN. It shows the shear devastation of Israeli airstrikes in central Gaza. Israel says 320 terror targets were struck in Gaza overnight, including tunnels and command centers belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The Palestinian health ministry says 436 people -- that includes 182 children -- were killed in the strike. Joining us now, foreign policy analyst Rula Jebreal. Thank you for being here very much. King Abdullah of Jordan spoke about this over the weekend. He went as far as to call what Israel is doing in Gaza a war crime. And then he said this. Listen.
KING ABDULLAH II, JORDAN: -- our lives matter less than other lives. The application of international law is optional, and human rights have boundaries -- they stop at borders, they stop at races, and they stop at religions.
HARLOW: He says that in the context of the United States repeatedly saying over the last two weeks, "How Israel does this matters," and now our reporting that the U.S. government -- the Biden administration is urging Netanyahu and the Israeli government to pause before a ground invasion. How crucial that a U.S. ally like King Abdullah said that over the weekend?
RULA JEBREAL: I think it's very important, and the message is not only to the Israelis but to the American administration to pressure the Israelis to care for civilian lives -- to distinguish between civilians and militants. And what we're seeing -- because they're seeing things that in America we're not seeing -- the unfolding of humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Before the war, 50 percent of people in Gaza had basically food shortages. They didn't have access to adequate food -- 90 percent didn't have access to clean water. Now, we are seeing a catastrophe that is unfolding that I think in Palestinian history, they remember it in 1967. In the Middle East, they connect it to the humanitarian catastrophe that took place in Yemen.
Gaza is a small strip of land. You have two million people. So, to starve two million people -- which is a war crime where they call it out as a war crime. They are seeing people that are -- especially children. I mean, 1,800 died. They see children consuming water that's unfit for human consumption. They're seeing people basically being operated without any anesthesia. But also they are seeing real starvation. And 20 trucks, you know, of humanitarian -- is nothing. What they need is 7,000 now, yesterday. And I'm reading even stories where hospitals that are becoming morgues basically -- are becoming graveyards. And all of this is happening while Israelis flag and tell the region, "We're going to wipe out Gaza."
So the region is very worried because if they're seen as complicit in what's happening -- what Israel is even -- scholars -- Jewish Israeli scholars go on television -- denounce these policies -- and they said this is -- what Israel is doing is a textbook definition of genocide. These are Israeli scholars. So when you hear the region -- they don't want to seem to be complicit to basically to the destruction of the Palestinian people.
PHIL MATTINGLY: But there are lines to what they will do to help, to some degree, right? You're not seeing -- Jordan's king made it very clear -- King Abdullah -- there will be no refugees into Jordan. Egypt's El-Sisi has said pretty much the same exact thing. And there are layers to that in terms of there are people and what they oversee in terms of the countries themselves, but why are those -- why do those lines exist?
JEBREAL: Well, this is the fact. Jordan already has 60 percent of its population that is Palestinians. They took refugees from Syria -- millions -- and from Iraq. So they've paid the consequences of both Israeli actions and American actions. Egypt is 100 million people -- it's the poorest country in the Middle East. They didn't trigger this. They've been asking the administration, "We are willing to take some but with one condition -- that they would be allowed to return."
And Israel is now refusing. I mean, what Israel is suggesting to those countries but also to the Palestinians, "We would basically expel you" -- millions probably, and this is a definition of ethnic cleansing. If you're refugees to exit but never to enter to the land they belong to, you're basically creating a massive refugee crisis to a country that is already paying the prices of other refugee crises. So the only other alternative that they are trying to ask the administration, "Pressure Israel to create basically a place where if you really care about human life and the sanctity of human life and international law as well, Israel is the ultimate power that can determine what to do with, you know, refugees." Maybe move them -- if they really care -- move them somewhere else, but guarantee them that they would come back home. If they really care about distinction between Hamas -- which is 30,000 or 40,000 -- but there's two million people. So if you decide to sacrifice two million people this becomes a catastrophe and will drag America into another war.
MATTINGLY: Rula, we appreciate you coming in as always. Thank you very much.
