Nicholas Fondacaro
Nick grew up in East Stroudsburg Pennsylvania. He graduated from Binghamton University in 2013 with a degree in Political Science. While at Binghamton he served as the Speaker of the Student Assembly and wrote for the Binghamton Review, where his love for journalism started. After graduating, he interned at the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity where he worked with Watchdog Arena.
During Monday’s CBS Mornings, the network mourned for militants as they whined that Israel had “doubled down on its mission to eliminate Hamas even as pressure rose for a cease-fire.” Foreign correspondent Ramy Inocencio seemed irritated that the Jewish State of Israel wasn’t backing down from those looking to carry out a genocide against them.
“Now to Israel where pressure is growing to pause the military campaign in Gaza,” announced CBS Morning co-host Vladimir Duthiers. “Meanwhile, the misery continues to pile up in Gaza. Even some of Israel’s closest allies are now calling for change in Israeli strategy.”
Ignoring the fact that Israel’s efforts to eliminate Hamas as a threat were still popular among Israelis, Inocencio focused on protests calling on the government to bring the hostages home after three were accidentally killed by Israeli Defense Forces:
INOCENCIO: Israel doubled down on its mission to eliminate Hamas even as pressure rose for a cease-fire after Israel’s military mistakenly killed three hostages Friday. Families of those still captive in Gaza more desperate than ever.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN (speaking at the rally): We don’t want them back in bags.
It’s worth noting that the IDF was seemingly not trying to cover up the accidental shooting of the hostages (or blaming it on Hamas), and were being rather open and honest about the details of what happened.
Speaking to former Israeli Ambassador the U.S. Michael Oren, Inocencio desperately wanted to know how withering U.S. pressure could be on Israel to get them to back down in their war against Hamas terrorists. Oren had bad news for him:
INOCENCIO: To what degree is U.S. pressure actually working?
OREN: It’s going to work to a degree. There may come a time where we would have to say to our American allies, ‘Thank you. Thank you for all you have done. But.”
“But that break has not happened, yet,” Inocencio lamented.
Inocencio ignored the fact that there was already a cease-fire not too long ago and Hamas was the party to break the agreement (multiple times). He grossly suggested that “until a cease-fire is agreed,” Israel was content with “destroying refugee camps, hospitals, homes and families.”
Without evidence, he suggested the IDF shot a little girl with a tank shell. “In Khan Yunis, an Israeli tank shell hit a crowded maternity ward, injuring several and killing a teenage girl,” he proclaimed. Translating for “a doctor,” Inocencio claimed: “The shell hit her head here…She was left with half a face.”
He closed out the segment with anticipation that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would knock some sense into Israel in a meeting “right this minute.” “In a couple of hours, we are expected to see both of them at a press conference to talk about any agreements or any disagreement about any military wind down,” he hyped.
The transcript is below
CBS Mornings
December 18, 2023
8:08:40 a.m. Eastern
VLADIMIR DUTHIERS: Now to Israel where pressure is growing to pause the military campaign in Gaza. At a rally in Tel Aviv over the weekend, Israelis demanded a deal to bring the remaining hostages home after the Israel Defense Forces confirmed they killed three hostages who were waving a white flag. Meanwhile, the misery continues to pile up in Gaza. Even some of Israel’s closest allies are now calling for change in Israeli strategy. Ramy Inocencio has more from Israel.
[Cuts to video]
RAMY INOCENCIO: Israel doubled down on its mission to eliminate Hamas even as pressure rose for a cease-fire after Israel’s military mistakenly killed three hostages Friday. Families of those is still captive in Gaza more desperate than ever.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN (speaking at the rally): We don’t want them back in bags.
MICHAEL OREN: We are kind of hanging on a thread and that thread is Joseph Biden.
INOCENCIO: Michael Oren is Israel’s former ambassador to the U.S.
To what degree is U.S. pressure actually working?
OREN: It’s going to work to a degree. There may come a time where we would have to say to our American allies, ‘Thank you. Thank you for all you have done. But.”
INOCENCIO: But that break has not happened, yet.
On Saturday, Israel’s prime minister revealed the restart of hostage talks with Qatar in Egypt. And on Sunday, Israel reopened its direct crossing for aid into Gaza at Kerem Shalom, requested by the U.S. As desperate Gazans ransacked a truck crossing from Egypt.
Piling on pressure now, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin landed in Israel hours ago.
What you expect he’s going to hammer home to Netanyahu?
OREN: He’s going to say start holding the operation.
INOCENCIO: If and until a cease-fire is agreed, Israel’s strikes against Hamas continue, but destroying refugee camps, hospitals, homes and families. In Khan Yunis, an Israeli tank shell hit a crowded maternity ward, injuring several and killing a teenage girl. “The shell hit her head here,” said a doctor. “She was left with half a face.”
[Cuts back to live]
And Secretary Austin should be in his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu right this minute. In a couple of hours, we are expected to see both of them at a press conference to talk about any agreements or any disagreement about any military wind down. Nate.
NATE BURLESON: Ramy Inocencio in Israel. Thank you.
