All three broadcast network evening newscasts conveyed to viewers that Israeli troops who boarded one of the ships in the Mediterranean Sea were met with violent resistance, leading the troops to fight back with deadly results. But, during a report recounting anti-Israel protests in cities like London, ABC's Jim Sciutto uniquely fretted that the incident would undermine President Obama's efforts to reach out peacefully to the Muslim world: "A public outpouring like this one poses a danger for America's relations with the Muslim world as well - the possibility that the Obama administration's recent pro-peace efforts and statements are overshadowed by a deadly operation by a U.S. ally."
And, even though the war on terrorism is already unpopular in the Muslim world, the ABC correspondent suggested that America's war effort might by threatened by Israel's actions, and, without informing viewers that Israel sends many humanitarian supplies into Gaza daily, tied in the "suffering in Gaza" that "has long been a rallying cry for Muslims." Sciutto: "The popular perception of America has real consequences for American soldiers, undermining already weak support for U.S. military action in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. The suffering in Gaza has long been a rallying cry for Muslims. Today's deadly operation has raised that anger to fever pitch."
Below is a complete transcript of the report from the Monday, May 31, World News on ABC:
JIM SCIUTTO: This is Jim Sciutto in London. The response today was global, immediate and angry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE PROTESTER: We have to stop Israel from murdering innocent people.
SCIUTTO: While the facts remain in dispute, demonstrations extended across the Muslim world to Muslim communities in Europe. Are you surprised to see this level of anger in London, as opposed to in the region?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I'm not surprised. This has happened in every country now.
SCIUTTO: And some said that, as Israel's ally, America shared the blame. A public outpouring like this one poses a danger for America's relations with the Muslim world as well - the possibility that the Obama administration's recent pro-peace efforts and statements are overshadowed by a deadly operation by a U.S. ally. The popular perception of America has real consequences for American soldiers, undermining already weak support for U.S. military action in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. The suffering in Gaza has long been a rallying cry for Muslims. Today's deadly operation has raised that anger to fever pitch. Jim Sciutto, ABC News, London.
-Brad Wilmouth is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.