On Wednesday afternoon’s CNN News Central, reporter Nada Bashir channeled her inner Omar Jimenez or Ali Velshi by denying reality as she declared the terrifying pro-Hamas riots outside the Israeli and U.S. embassies inspired the thoroughly debunked lie that Israel fired a missile targeting a Gaza hospital was “mostly peaceful.”
In the first of two live shots, Bashir proclaimed she and her crew had “seen hundreds of people taking to the streets...in a show of protest, in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people” and “crucially...against Israel's air strikes on the besieged Gaza Strip.”
Bashir acknowledged President Biden was supposed to have visited Jordan to see King Abdullah along with “the presidents of Egypt and the Palestinian Authority” before offering this pro-Hamas characterization of the hospital carnage: “That summit was canceled following the attack on the al-Ahli hospital inside Gaza.”
It’s anything but an “attack” considering it was a misfire from a Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket that was meant to hit Israel. It’s as if Bashir wants to blame Jews. Just last week, Bashir insisted Israeli warnings for Palestinians to evacuate Gaza amounted to “a war crime.”
Back on October 9, Bashir argued Palestinians (and thus the Hamas terrorists) were victims of “decades of...occupation” and “violation of Palestinian rights” by Israelis.
That said, it wasn’t surprising she fawned over the hospital chaos as having “really ignited an outpouring of anger, of outrage, of condemnation amongst the population here in Jordan” with protests in general having “been a daily occurrence...since the beginning of this war.”
Then came the punchline that, what to most sane people is anti-Semitism calling for Israel to be wiped out, was really nothing to be concerned about:
[T]he streets are packed. There are hundreds here chanting their solidarity with the Palestinian people. Where they are just behind me is just a few meters away from the Israeli embassy. And we saw yesterday hundreds of people gathering, some protests even attempting to storm — storm the Israeli embassy, so we have seen a bit of an increase in a security presence here, although it has been mostly peaceful. But look, this isn't just happening in Jordan. It's not happening just only in Amman. This is happening across the Middle East.
When she tried to spout off about “the occupied West Bank” and Israel’s response to Hamas’s mass slaughter on October 7, her signal cut out.
Bashir was back two hours later and again relayed “real outrage” in Amman over “the humanitarian situation, at the rising civilian death toll, and the ongoing Israeli air strikes on the besieged Gaza Strip.”
Saying nothing about the Jew-hatred in the Arab World, Bashir instead eagerly passed along that “[m]any of the people here that we have spoke to felt they had a duty to come out tonight” because standing with Palestinians “is really central to the Jordanian identity.”
If that’s the case, why wasn’t Jordan willing to take in Gazans told to flee ahead of a possible Israeli ground invasion?
She continued playing the role of Hamas propagandist (click “expand”):
BASHIR: So, this is a cause that is deeply personal to many here as it is across the Arab world and we have been speaking to people in the crowds. We’ve just moved a little further up to speak to you now, but take a listen to what one protest had to say to us a little earlier.
“PRO-PALESTINIAN DEMONSTRATOR” HADI BAYDI: The best thing we can all do is just to stand here and be the voice of the people. [SCREEN WIPE] It's pretty emotional. I mean, the whole thing has for, like, nearly — like, a lot of years, nearly a hundred years it's been going on, and I think it's about time that, you know, people know the truth and what's exactly going on.
BASHIR: Now, Anderson, it's important to note that these protests have been going on on an almost daily basis here in Amman, as they have done across the Middle East and they've been ignited and we've seen the protests intensify and grow in size, particularly after that attack on the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza yesterday. As we know, both sides are placing the game on each other, but as far as the Jordanian government is concerned, they have placed the blame of that attack squarely on Israel.
Bashir had a third live shot during the second hour of The Lead with much the same verbiage. But to wrap this report, she made no attempt to show sympathy for the loss of Israeli life or note how Ammon protesters had no concern for them, but instead decried Israeli’s response as “another example of an escalation of violence by Israel on civilians inside the Gaza Strip.”
Thankfully, CNN had other guests on like IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, and to Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy not only refute the Hamas narratives in the press but thoroughly lambaste this ongoing false equivalency between Israelis and Hamas.
To see the relevant CNN transcript from October 18, click “expand.”
CNN News Central
October 18, 2023
1:34 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan Issues Security Warning]
JAKE TAPPER: Let’s go to Nada Bashir right now. Can she hear me? She’s in Amman, Jordan.
NADA BASHIR: I can yes.
TAPPER: Tells us — tells us what’s going on in Amman, Jordan where you are.
BASHIR: Look, for yet another night, we've seen hundreds of people taking to the streets here in Amman in a show of protest, in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people but, of course, crucially, in protest against Israel's air strikes on the besieged Gaza Strip. And, of course, it's important to remember that on this very day we had anticipated to see a summit chaired by King Abdullah of Jordan, of course with President Joe Biden, as well as the presidents of Egypt and the Palestinian Authority. That summit was canceled following the attack on the al-Ahli hospital inside Gaza. And, as you can see here, this is really ignited an outpouring of anger, of outrage, of condemnation amongst the population here in Jordan. And it is important to note that this isn’t the first time we’ve seen protests. In fact, this has been a daily occurrence here in Jordan since the beginning of this war. It’s important to remember that around half of the population in this country are either Palestinian or of Palestinian descent. Of course — [SIGNAL CUTS OUT] — a little further away from the protest, just so that we can speak to you now and get a good signal. But, I have to say behind where we are, the streets are packed. There are hundreds here chanting their solidarity with the Palestinian people. Where they are just behind me is just a few meters away from the Israeli embassy. And we saw yesterday hundreds of people gathering, some protests even attempting to storm — storm the Israeli embassy, so we have seen a bit of an increase in a security presence here, although it has been mostly peaceful. But look, this isn't just happening in Jordan. It's not happening just only in Amman. This is happening across the Middle East. We have seen people taking to the streets in Lebanon, in Tunisia, in Iraq, in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank in protest against Israel's continued — [SIGNAL CUTS OUT]
TAPPER: Okay. So we're having coms issues there in Amman, Jordan, obviously. And we will continue to follow that major story in the Middle East.
(....)
3:34 p.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Protests Across Middle East After Gaza Hospital Blast]
ANDERSON COOPER: I want to go to CNN reporter Nada Bashir, who joins me from Amman, Jordan rally to support Palestinian people. Nara, what's the central message you are hearing?
BASHIR: Look, Anderson, we've been in the crowds all evening and the message that we are hearing from the protesters here is real outrage at the situation in Gaza, the humanitarian situation, at the rising civilian death toll, and the ongoing Israeli air strikes on the besieged Gaza Strip. Many of the people here that we have spoke to felt they had a duty to come out tonight. And, of course, it is important it know that, here in Jordan, this is a cause — this is an issue which is really central to the Jordanian identity. Almost half of the Jordanian population are Palestinian or descendants of Palestinians. So, this is a cause that is deeply personal to many here as it is across the Arab world and we have been speaking to people in the crowds. We’ve just moved a little further up to speak to you now, but take a listen to what one protest had to say to us a little earlier.
“PRO-PALESTINIAN DEMONSTRATOR” HADI BAYDI: The best thing we can all do is just to stand here and be the voice of the people. [SCREEN WIPE] It's pretty emotional. I mean, the whole thing has for, like, nearly — like, a lot of years, nearly a hundred years it's been going on, and I think it's about time that, you know, people know the truth and what's exactly going on.
BASHIR: Now, Anderson, it's important to note that these protests have been going on on an almost daily basis here in Amman, as they have done across the Middle East and they've been ignited and we've seen the protests intensify and grow in size, particularly after that attack on the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza yesterday. As we know, both sides are placing the game on each other, but as far as the Jordanian government is concerned, they have placed the blame of that attack squarely on Israel.
COOPER: Nada Bashir. Thank you very much.
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CNN’s The Lead
October 18, 2023
5:09 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Protests Erupt After Deadly Gaza Hospital Blast]
TAPPER: The hospital blast from Gaza ignited angry protests across the Middle East. In Lebanon pro-Palestinian demonstrators skirmished with police near the U.S. embassy, which is north of Beirut. Police fired tear gas and used water cannons against the demonstrators. CNN’s Nada Bashir is in Amman, Jordan where a large demonstration took place today near the Israeli embassy. It's after midnight there now. Have things calmed down?
BASHIR: Well, look, Jake, we left the protest just a short while ago and there was still hundreds of people there, carrying on with that protest. As we saw last night, those protests carried on to the early hours of this morning and this was certainly a huge show of solidarity with the Palestinian people, but of course, a huge show of protests against Israeli air strikes on the besieged Gaza Strip. And we’ve been speaking to protestors throughout the day. Many of them told us they felt it was their duty to come out and show their solidarity, to show their opposition as these air strikes continue to intensify. Take a listen.
BAYDI: The best thing we can all do is just to stand here and be the voice of the people. [SCREEN WIPE] It's pretty emotional. I mean, the whole thing has for, like, nearly — like, a lot of years, nearly a hundred years it's been going on, and I think it's about time that, you know, people know the truth and what's exactly going on.
BASHIR: Now, of course, Jake, these protests aren't new. We have been seeing protests taking here in Amman and across Jordan from the outset of this war on an almost daily basis. Protests across the Middle East as you mentioned, and, of course, this is a cause that has deeply resonated with the Arab World. Many have expressed outrage and concern over the mounting civilian death toll in Gaza. And, of course, a lot of the focus has been on the situation at the al-Ahli hospital inside Gaza. Hundreds killed, and as you mentioned there and as Erin mentioned, Israel has denied responsibility. Hamas and the Palestinian authorities has placed the blame, as well as the Jordanian government, on Israel. And when you speak to people on the ground here in Ammon and when you speak to across the Middle East, they feel that this is another example of an escalation of violence by Israel on civilians inside the Gaza Strip.
TAPPER: All right, Nada Bashir in Jordan. Thanks so much.
