NewsNation Chief Washington Anchor and On Balance host Leland Vittert was a foreign correspondent for four years in Jerusalem. He gives you an early look at tonight’s 7 p.m. ET show.
With the war restarted, a leaked transcript of Antony Blinken’s meeting with the Israeli War Cabinet previews the coming battle between the Biden administration and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- From the Times of Israel:
“Defense Minister Yoav Gallant: The entire Israeli society is united behind the goal of dismantling Hamas, even if it takes months.
Blinken: I don’t think you have the credit for that.”
The transcript is a translation from English to Hebrew back to English. “Credit for that” likely means something more like “I don’t think you have that much time.” Or “I don’t think you have that much good will.” It could be more direct: “You don’t have that much credit with the United States.”
- Blinken’s warning over a timeline on American support will greatly anger the Israelis and only harden their position.
- Watch: Last night’s interview with the father of a killed IDF officer. He explains the Israeli position better than I ever could.
Sadly, for President Biden, war in the Middle East doesn’t follow the timeline of American politics.
- Israel would love nothing more than for Hamas to surrender. That won’t happen. This will be a long and bloody conflict.
It is impossible to understate the level of frustration the Biden administration has with the political problem Israel has caused them.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking in Tel Aviv, appeared far more concerned with humanitarian corridors for Gazans than protecting Israelis from future attacks.
- Watch his demands.
- Thought bubble: Blinken’s standards for the Israeli military far exceed how the United States acted in Afghanistan, Iraq and the campaign against ISIS.
The talk of conditioning American aid should concern Israel.
- Biden’s political team now realizes he faces an existential political threat because of the Democratic divide on Israel. American financial aid and ammunition delivery gives Team Biden extraordinary leverage.
- Biden’s favorite morning show is demanding more of him.
- Joe Scarborough floats conditioning aid on ousting Netanyahu: “The United States has the right to say, ‘If we’re going to continue propping up your government, if you don’t have faith in this guy who knew this was coming a year away, we need a better partner.’ And Benjamin Netanyahu is not that partner.”
- Ground truth: Netanyahu is as, if not more, of a polarizing figure in Israel than Trump or Biden is in America. That said, no country likes to be bullied by another. And the pro-Israel lobby in the United States will go nuts if Biden tries to condition aid. There is a battle coming.
- Thought bubble : If the Biden administration quietly and privately told Israel to do what it needed to and the United States would support them, or at least not criticize them, the war would be over a lot quicker.
- Tonight: Ambassador John Bolton leads the show with the coming clash between Netanyahu and Biden.
There are 137 remaining Israeli hostages. These hostages, including Americans, are still in Gaza and are lost in the noise.
- What they are likely going through, from the accounts of those that have already been released:
- They are being forced to watch videos of the Oct. 7 attacks.
- They are undergoing surgeries by veterinarians.
- They are held at gunpoint and threatened with execution.
- They are branded with motorcycle tail pipes so they can’t escape.
- In one instance, Hamas psychologically tortured an Israeli father by forcing him to watch pictures of his murdered ten-month-old baby.
Speaking of the Democratic Civil War
The “Squad” used to be the darling of the progressive left. Now they’re all getting primaried over their pro-Hamas stances.
Is the squad falling apart?
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez suddenly worries about how expensive it is in New York City, according to Wall Street Journal writer James Freeman (@FreemanWSJ).
- Carl Campanile from The New York Post says, “AOC claims working class residents fleeing NYC because it’s too expensive.”
- Ryan Grim, author of “The Squad: AOC and the Hope of a Political Revolution” joins us tonight with some particularly fun details about the Squad’s inner workings.
- Some details shared in the Huffington Post highlight the conflicts between her and Nancy Pelosi, including this excerpt:
- “‘The amount of times she {PELOSI} told me that stupid ‘I have protest signs older than you in my basement’ s***. Like yeah, but mine don’t collect dust,’ Ocasio-Cortez said of the Democratic speaker.”
- Some details shared in the Huffington Post highlight the conflicts between her and Nancy Pelosi, including this excerpt:
Once Again the “Experts” Cover Up for China
We learned nothing from COVID-19, even though “experts” can’t tell us why Ohio, Massachusetts, D.C. and other states face epidemic levels of pneumonia or “white lung” in kids. They are sure it doesn’t come from China…sounds familiar.
Never mind that the first reports of overrun hospitals came from China. China lies and Americans die. Never mind that the Chinese ordered masking, social distancing and a massive coverup. The experts, like Chinese-born Dr. Leana Wen, will cover for China and tell us not to worry. Wen gained fame during COVID-19 for her extremely enthusiastic endorsement of the Chinese-esque COVID-19 policies including famously saying, “We can’t trust the unvaccinated.”
Tune into “On Balance with Leland Vittert” weeknights at 7/6C on NewsNation. Find your channel here.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation.