Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett scolded the mainstream media on Wednesday for disseminating Hamas propaganda about the bombing of the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza.
In the immediate aftermath of the hospital bombing, the Western media uncritically reported what Hamas claimed: that Israel was responsible. But those outlets quickly backtracked when it became more clear that Israel did not bomb the hospital. American intelligence later corroborated this fact.
In an interview with Bennett, CNN host Anderson Cooper asked if "more could have been accomplished" with President Joe Biden's short visit to Israel, invoking a meeting with other Arab nations that was cancelled after Hamas claimed Israel bombed the Gaza hospital.
Bennett, however, ignored the question and immediately trounced on the media.
"There are no two sides to this hospital" story, Bennett declared.
"Either it was bombed by Israel, or it was targeted by someone else on the Palestinian side," he said. "If two people come and say one says it's raining outside and the other said it's dry, you don't bring the quotes of both sides. You just god**** open the window and look whether it's raining or no.
"That's what we did. And this hospital, in fact, it's a parking lot, was hit definitely a hundred percent by Islamic Jihad barrage shot fired at 6:59 p.m. We have three different videos from different angles showing it. We have the ballistics. We know that an Israeli bomb would have created a crater, which does not exist," Bennett explained.
Bennett then said the media only believed Hamas because the claim involved Israel, and if it didn't, the "media would have behaved very differently."
"So, Anderson, with all due respect, there aren't two sides to this. Not everything is two sides," Bennett scolded.
No, CNN, there aren’t two “narratives” to the Gaza hospital blast. Go do your goddamn job. www.youtube.com
Still, Cooper defended the media playing both sides.
Cooper explained that media outlets "have not been able to independently verify the claims," which is why they broadcast the competing versions of the incident. But Bennett was in no mood to hear it.
"I have to barge in here. I have to say something," Bennett interjected, silencing Cooper.
"I was in 9/11. I was in Manhattan when it happened. And if a day later, Al Qaeda would have said that it's America who perpetrated it. No one would have quoted it Al Qaeda," he said. "And somehow there's a double standard here.
"You had 30 hours to validate. We have all the information. Everything is transparent. For heaven's sakes!" Bennett continued. "To see the headline of the New York Times saying the Palestinians claim that Israel bombarded a hospital — we don't do that. It's the Palestinians who rape young girls. It's the Palestinians who tear apart limbs. It's the Palestinians who burn whole families and shoot 5-month-old babies. It's the Palestinians, for heaven's sake, who kidnapped 84-year-old Holocaust survivors. It's not the Israelis. This is not what Israel does."
In the end, Bennett told Cooper, "You've had ample time, do your job and show the truth. There is moral clarity in the world. Not everything has two sides to it."
And with that mic drop, the interview was over.
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Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett indicated on Tuesday that the country is hastening the rollout of laser technology that will assist in shielding it against attacks, according to the Associated Press.
The outlet reported that the prime minister said within a year, the nation's military will start testing what is meant become a "laser wall" to defend Israel from drones, rockets, and missiles. Defense officials were initially planning for the laser capability to be ready in around two years, according to the AP.
This laser capability is supposed to complement the country's other defensive capabilities such as the Iron Dome, according to the outlet. The AP reported that the Israeli military has indicated that the Iron Dome has been very effective, but that the prime minister noted during his remarks that the defensive system is limited by its significant cost.
"The economic equation will be reversed; they will invest a lot and we will invest a little," Bennett said to the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, according to the Associated Press.
"If it is possible to intercept a missile or rocket with just an electric pulse that costs a few dollars, we will have nullified the ring of fire that Iran has set up on our borders," he said, noting, "This new generation of air defense can also serve our friends in the region."
Bennett said that people in Gaza can launch a rocket for several hundred dollars, while it requires tens of thousands of dollars in order to intercept such a projectile. According to the AP, Hamas launched over 4,000 rockets at the nation of Israel last May.
"That is an illogical equation," Bennett noted. "We decided to break this equation."
The Jewish State of Israel is a key U.S. ally in the Middle East that is under constant threat from enemies who wish to see it destroyed.
Israeli leaders are warning of an impending "emergency" after officials detected the first case of a new coronavirus variant in the country and restricted travel to and from most African countries.
The Health Ministry said a traveler who had returned to Israel from the east African country of Malawi tested positive for the new virus variant and that two other suspected cases are being investigated. Each of the three individuals have been placed in quarantine. They were all vaccinated, the Associated Press reports.
The new coronavirus variant was first detected in South Africa and has raised concerns among scientists because it carries a large number of mutations and appears to be spreading rapidly.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Friday that Israel is "on the threshold of an emergency situation" because of the cases. He convened a Cabinet meeting to discuss the new variant and said it is both more contagious and spreads more rapidly than the delta variant. Naftali also said authorities were still trying to learn whether it evades vaccines or is deadlier than other known variants of the virus.
"We are currently at the threshold of an emergency situation," he said. "I ask everyone to be prepared and to fully join in the work around the clock."
The Israeli government said all countries in sub-Saharan Africa would be considered "red countries" from which foreigners will not be permitted to travel to Israel. Israelis are likewise prohibited from visiting those countries and anyone returning from them must quarantine themselves.
The Israeli military will be used to locate any individuals who traveled to one of the red countries within the last week and instruct them to go into isolation while they are tested for the new variant, officials said.
News of the new variant has prompted similar reactions from the international community.
European countries are banning flights from South Africa and other southern African countries.
In the United States, the Biden administration said health officials are closely monitoring the new coronavirus variant but no decision has yet been made on whether to impose travel restrictions, CNN reports.
Major U.S. airlines including Delta, United, and American Airlines say they too are watching developments about the new COVID-19 variant but have not yet changed their policies or flight plans.
Delta "will continue to work closely with our government partners to evaluate any changes to US policy," the company told CNN.
Delta added that its travel partner Virgin Atlantic has canceled its service between Johannesburg and London-Heathrow.
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