During live coverage on MSNBC of the terrorist attacks against Israel Saturday morning, host Ali Velshi complained that nobody in Israel or the United States seemed to care that Palestine was supposedly being mistreated by Israel. He went on to criticize Republicans for using “boilerplate” language defending Israel after they were attacked.
We’ve had a lot of statements from Americans, mostly Republicans this morning, but some Democrats, it’s a bit boilerplate. Israel is our greatest ally. The only democracy in the Middle East. Our strongest ally, we must stand with Israel. There’s no nuance or recognition of anything that’s been going on. Let alone—the only thing Americans are worried about these days are these so-called judicial reforms going on in Israel,” Velshi grumbled.
“Which have led to hundreds of thousands of people protesting on the streets, but lots of Palestinians have said to me, boy they wish those same Israelis who were out there protesting the so-called judicial reforms would be protesting Israel’s inhumane treatment of the Palestinians who live under Israeli occupation. But that’s just not something that’s happening,” he added.
Velshi went on to cry that “the only comment I’ve heard is from the government of Qatar this morning about this.”
He then paused for his rabidly anti-Semitic and pro-Palestine guest Nour Odeh to whine that the attacks weren’t being put in the proper context.
“American politicians and other politicians think they can just ignore the context in which all of this is happening. The fact that Israel is an occupying power. The fact that Israel has violated international law and Palestinian rights as per the experts,” Odeh cried.
Context is not needed to know the attacks against Israel were evil. This is the kind of bigotry allowed on MSNBC on a daily basis.
The transcript is below:
MSNBC’s Velshi
10/7/2023
9:38:42 a.m. EasternALI VELSHI: We’ve had a lot of statements from Americans, mostly Republicans this morning, but some Democrats, it’s a bit boilerplate. Israel is our greatest ally. The only democracy in the Middle East. Our strongest ally, we must stand with Israel. There’s no nuance or recognition of anything that’s been going on. Let alone—the only thing Americans are worried about these days are these so-called judicial reforms going on in Israel. Which have led to hundreds of thousands of people protesting on the streets, but lots of Palestinians have said to me, boy they wish those same Israelis who were out there protesting the so-called judicial reforms would be protesting Israel’s inhumane treatment of the Palestinians who live under Israeli occupation. But that’s just not something that’s happening. It’s not something we are hearing from American politicians this morning. It’s not something we’re hearing, I think the only comment I’ve heard is from the government of Qatar this morning about this.
NOUR ODEH: Yeah, unfortunately, you’re right. American politicians and other politicians think they can just ignore the context in which all of this is happening. The fact that Israel is an occupying power. The fact that Israel has violated international law and Palestinian rights as per the experts. The leading UN agencies. Leading human rights organization around the world. Like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Their work is reliable and acted on in other areas but not here. Because Israel is the U.S.’s ally because Israel— you spend taxpayer money on buying Israel defense systems and trying those defense systems on Palestinians. You don’t want to bother that. You don’t want to change that balance or change the status quo.