The Journalist-NGO-Hamas Triangle trades in Lethal Narratives about Israel

Isa Soares interviews UNRWA Official Jan Egeland.

Another CNN broadcast with a Hamas Media Protocol Compliance in the high 90s. Isa Soares, again. September 12, 2024

Isa Soares: John, good to see you. You have. As you well know, as our viewers will know, you have staff on the ground. So let me first get your reaction to that Israeli strike that you heard our correspondent Nic Robertson talking about, that U.N. school turned shelter, which the IDF says was, quote, a precise strike on terrorists. Your thoughts?

Worth noting that the Norwegian Refugee Council has a very long rap-sheet as one of the worst NGOs when it comes to Israel and Hamas.

Jan Egeland NRC: Well, it's I mean, they they targeted a school filled with 1000 civilians. And even if if there's a big if the Hamas did the war crime of having some of the fighters blend into the civilian population, it's still a war crime to smash a school, kill women, children, aid workers, because it's in this preeminent warfare which the Israelis have undertaken with Western armies continuously since October of last year and they have set a world record, world record in killing eight workers, kill children, women, nurses, doctors, teachers. It's it's it has to end. And they these Western powers that have provided arms have the fingerprints all over the crime scene.

Hamas could not ask for better.

Isa Soares: And 220 UNWRA staff have died. Important point out of you since the beginning of this war. And today, of course, was the school. But early this week, John, as you know, was an Israeli strike on a humanitarian safe zone almost. Right. You have teams on the ground. Just tell just tell us what are they telling you? What are they reporting back? Because they must be so fearful but also so helpless at the same time, John.

Again, how could Hamas ask for more from a Western journalist? No mention of Hamas infiltration of UNRWA, and the completely uncritical participation of the Norwegian NGOs in the process. So this is Hamas unfiltered propaganda.

Jan Egeland NRC: Indeed. I mean, the Norwegian Refugee Council has been in Gaza and the West Bank for more than 20 years.

Yes, for twenty years. And CNN has been turning to them for over a decade. Remember Mads Gilbert?

I had 100 colleagues inside Gaza. Still, we have around 50 operational there. Many of these families, mothers and fathers, they've slept six, seven, up to nine times with their families. We have had to relocate. Our offices are warehouses by International aid workers time and again, because we're herded around like some kind of animals by this war machine. Sixteen relocate orders in August alone in almost that right dimension. Supposed to be a humanitarian safe zone. It's now 13% of this small area. There are more than 30,000 civilians now per square kilometers.

Again (this is getting monotonous), no mention of the reason for this relocation, because Hamas is embedded both below and above ground into the civilian population, that even if there’s a refugee zone, they will operate there. So the configuration forced by Hamas in a war campaign they started gets blamed on the war machine.

And even there Israel is attacking. It has to stop.

Here’s the “analysis” that drives Jan Egeland’s “report”: stop Israel.

I've written to the foreign ministers of these Western powers that are allies, Israel, and said they have an enormous responsibility to end this. Enough of this bloodbath among women and children and aid workers.

I’m sure he’s also written letters to Hamas and their allies like Qatar and Iran that support them about their responsibility in this tragedy. /s

Isa Soares: Yeah. And let me bring in that letter, because you have written a letter excuse me, to foreign ministers of Israel's allies. Of course. And in that letter you write, I'm going to read part of it, John. You write: “I write to express my deep concern regarding the grave violations of international humanitarian law taking place in Gaza and the West Bank.” And you go on. “In August alone, Israel issued 16 relocation directives in southern Gaza, displacing over 260,000 Palestinian civilians.” So we're almost, almost a year now into this war. War. What are you hoping to get out of this letter first of all?

Yeah, don’t expect journalism from Isa Soares. She’s here to amplify UNRWA’s message via this allied NGO from Norway. The fact that they have a graphic of his letter means this interview was selected in advance (she knew just what he was going to say, and he got to say it twice).

Jan Egeland NRC: That they they they do their job now [disconnect]… that they provide arms and political support… to to end this with a cease fire. They can. They must. And you just had an important report now from Ukraine. For the world. It is astronomical hypocrisy. The West is so concerned with occupation in Ukraine, but not when done by Israel. The killing of civilians by the hands of Russia. Horrible things. Same is done by Israel. The that they have become consistent in their moral policies.

This is classic Palestinian grievance. You don’t pay enough attention to meeeeee….’ when the vast majority of coverage in the legacy media is about Palestinian suffering. If one searches CNN’s site for “Ukraine: civilian casualties” the vast majority of the entries are about Palestinian and Lebanese casualties, and even the Ukrainian entries are rarely about civilian casualties. But anything short of complete obsession with the victims of Israel is inadmissible. He’s right, it’s astronomical hypocrisy… and it’s his.

Isa Soares: On that letter, John, did you get a response? Did anyone acknowledge your letter and your concerns, as you know, as secretary general, the Norwegian Refugee Council? What have you heard?

Apparently nothing Jan has said bothers Isa. She’s back on her hobby horse.

Jan Egeland NRC: Not so far, but I do get an answer back. I mean, we are we are getting something from these countries. They are among the most important to us in terms of humanitarian work. They listen to us. I hope they are reading the letter that we worked long on with our own lawyers, international experts, humanitarian law, where we also told them at the International Court of Justice have come in now with an opinion that binds these member states of the U.N. to act against Israel as they are doing this illegal occupation on the West Bank and in Gaza that are costing too many civilian lives. They have to act. Of course, we condemn what Hamas is doing. Of course we condemn the horrific taking the hostages still, etc..

wait for it…

But these this is a state this is a member of the U.N. and this is an ally of the West. But that that that is undermining also the Western policies in Ukraine and elsewhere.

Of course the NRG condemns Hamas for October 7, but not really.

Isa Soares: And, you know, you mentioned the West Bank. We have been seeing a growing escalation and things fair to say, of violence pretty much playing out the airstrikes in north killing Palestinians, according to local health officials. And again, Israel says it's dog in territories. And of course, just last week, as you will know, John, we saw a Turkish American activist who was killed by the IDF who says she was shot indirectly and unintentionally. I mean, just your reaction to this growing violence.

Is this an interview, or just an opportunity to vent?

Jan Egeland NRC: It is terrible. I mean, it seems that the IDF, the Israeli Defense Force, are out of control. I know Israel well. I have many friends there. I studied that. My brother was in the kibbutz 1967. I knew Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres very well. The IDF was a professional force that we respected and admired. It is they have lost control over all of these soldiers that are getting Western arms, including the killing of this poor girl. That was a peaceful protest after the protest was over. It is just horrific what they did in Jenin with the weather and the war machine into a refugee camp. Yes, there were militants there, but they erased a large part of it, like the refugee camp. It's totally indiscriminate and the settlers that are terrorists. But the Israeli illegal settlers act as terrorists with impunity, which the West, the IDF, the Israeli soldiers, when women and children are beaten and killed by these these settlers, it it is it is a terrible mistake done by the U.S. and others in not being firm here and having a consistent role as a military force in Ukraine as well as in Israel. Yeah.

Isa Soares: Jan Egeland, always great to get you on the show. Really appreciate. Thank you very much.

Jan Egeland NRC: Thank you.

Indeed it is a show. Not journalism, a show.