Meet the Press Wonders If Israel Will ‘Achieve Military Victory, But Lose The Battle of Wider Public Opinion’
On Sunday, August 3, NBC’s Meet the Press showed that the liberal media’s anti-Israel bias was in full force. Moderator David Gregory introduced a taped segment with Andrea Mitchell, NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, by pondering “whether Israel may achieve victory, but lose the battle of wider world opinion.”
Mitchell began her piece by insisting that “as the violence continues, the civilians trapped in the middle, Israel’s strategy of self-defense is becoming less defensible in world opinion.”
As the segment continued, Mitchell continued to play up anti-Israel sentiment around the world:
In Berlin, pro-Palestinian marches, in Kosovo, “Free Gaza” signs. And in Spain, demonstrators against Israel covering their hands in red tape. This week's cover of The Economist are warning that Israel could be winning the battle, losing the war. As images of Palestinian suffering are shown around the world, a very real problem for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Later on, the NBC reporter threw cold water on U.S. support for Israel by noting that in polling “among Americans under 45, support for Israel drops to 33%. Among 18 to 29 year olds, it's only 27%. And the longer this drags on, Israel's global standing risks slipping further as President Obama cautioned Friday.”
Nowhere in Mitchell’s report did she include soundbites of individuals supporting the Israeli offensive. Instead she promoted people such as Aaron David Miller of the Wilson Center declaring “you'd have to reach the conclusion that no set of talking points, however compelling they are from Israel's point of view, can somehow stand up and match up to those pictures. Which is why most of the international community is reacting quite negatively to say the least, to what's going on in Gaza.”
See relevant transcript below.
NBC's Meet the Press
August 3, 2014
DAVID GREGORY: Polls do show that the majority of Americans are sympathetic towards Israel. But yesterday, thousands of people protested in support of the Palestinians near the White House. And the harrowing pictures of Palestinian suffering being beamed out of Gaza has have provoked an outcry and prompted protests across the world. Our Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell assesses whether Israel may achieve military victory, but lose the battle of wider world opinion.
(BEGIN TAPE)
ANDREA MITCHELL: As the violence continues, the civilians trapped in the middle, Israel's strategy of self-defense is becoming less defensible in world opinion. In Berlin, pro-Palestinian marches, in Kosovo, “Free Gaza” signs. And in Spain, demonstrators against Israel covering their hands in red tape. This week's cover of The Economist are warning that Israel could be winning the battle, losing the war. As images of Palestinian suffering are shown around the world, a very real problem for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
AARON DAVID MILLER (WILSON CENTER): Then you'd have to reach the conclusion that no set of talking points, however compelling they are from Israel's point of view, can somehow stand up and match up to those pictures. Which is why most of the international community is reacting quite negatively to say the least, to what's going on in Gaza.
MITCHELL: Here in the U.S., Israel still enjoys strong support. Our new polling shows 43% of Americans sympathize with the Israelis in the current conflict. 14% with the Palestinians. 43% are unsure. But the generational divide is striking. Among Americans under 45, support for Israel drops to 33%. Among 18 to 29 year olds, it's only 27%. And the longer this drags on, Israel's global standing risks slipping further as President Obama cautioned Friday.
PRESIDENT OBAMA (ON TAPE): Part of the reason why we've been pushing so hard for a cease fire is precisely because it's hard to reconcile Israel's legitimate need to defend itself with our concern with those civilians.
MITCHELL: Right now, Israelis overwhelmingly support their government's portion of Gaza to eliminate Hamas’ tunnels. But they don't want a permanent occupation.
DAVID IGNATIUS (THE WASHINGTON POST): The casualties that would be required to go house to house and secure Gaza would be I think something that no Israelis would want. And I think Prime Minister knows that.
MITCHELL: The most surprising difference in this conflict, most Arab leaders are quietly rooting for Israel to eliminate the Hamas threat, which they see as a potential threat to them as well. For Meet the Press, Andrea Mitchell, NBC News, Washington.
— Jeffrey Meyer is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Jeffrey Meyer on Twitter.
