Fox News’ Katie Pavlich accused Geraldo Rivera of “repeating Hamas propaganda” during a heated discussion on Wednesday’s broadcast of “The Story” with Martha MacCallum.
Pavlich fired back at Rivera for claiming that American aid to Israel made the United States “complicit” in Israel’s actions — which he argued were excessive. (RELATED: ‘Stirring Up A Proxy War’: Juan Williams Says UAE, Bahrain Deals With Israel Will Only Accelerate Conflict)
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“People have to recognize what Gaza Strip is. It’s one of the most menacing, melancholy places on earth that I’ve reported from,” Rivera said, arguing that the Palestinians in Gaza essentially lived inside a blockade that was entirely controlled by Israel. “It’s outrageous that we gave Israel hundreds of millions of dollars worth of weapons without insisting on a cease fire now. Why not a cease-fire now?”
MacCallum pointed out that U.S. funding could also have found its way through Iran and into the rockets coming from Hamas into Israel.
“It’s important to go back in history for a moment and remind everybody that the Israelis gave the Palestinians the Gaza strips in return for peace. The only thing that they have received since then are rockets, terrorist attacks and kidnappings of innocent Israeli citizens,” Pavlich replied.
“Geraldo asked the question about why not demand a cease fire now. To ask for a cease fire from the Israelis at this point in time because Hamas rockets are continuing to be fired is essentially asking the Israelis to stop defending themselves from terrorist attacks. It is Hamas who is firing on aid convoys trying to get into Gaza, not the Israelis at this time,” Pavlich continued.
She went on to say that the real question was how President Joe Biden would respond, noting just how precarious the situation was as Israel faced threats on multiple fronts.
“Israel is a tiny country that is surrounded people who want it to not exist,” MacCallum added, noting that the United States was supposed to be an ally.
“I’m a Jew and a zionist —” Rivera protested, but MacCallum continued.
“One more thing. To find a way to create more allies for Israel in the Middle East we saw the Abraham accords. We saw promising developments to try to strengthen their position and to promote peace in the Middle East. Now we are five months now into the Biden administration and here’s what we see,” she said. “It’s impossible not to see the behind-the-scenes effort to reenter the deal with Iran at play here.”
“We have dozens of Palestinian children who have been killed in the last week with American bombs,” Geraldo pushed back, conceding that he had no real solution himself but that it was important to remember that. “I want our audience — the fact that the United States of America is providing Israel many of the weapons Israel is using today to kill Palestinian civilians without even demanding a cease fire, Tlaib is right. That makes us complicit in an ongoing crime against humanity.”
“Geraldo, that such is a dishonest argument to make, to accuse the Americans and Israelis of deliberately targeting civilians when we know, on video, that Hamas deliberately places military targets in schools, in media buildings, in hospitals,” Pavlich shot back. “When the Israelis —”
“They have no place to run. Where are they going to go?” Rivera asked, continuing to insist that the Israelis were “killing civilians.”
“You are repeating Hamas propaganda. You are repeating Hamas propaganda,” Pavlich replied, adding, “They go out of their way to stop civilians from being killed and Hamas uses them as shields. It’s a known fact and you’re denying it.”