WE’LL GET TO MUCH MORE ON THE
CHANGES TO STATE MASK GUIDELINES
IN JUST A MOMENT.
BUT FIRST, AFTER A BRIEF
STOPPAGE IN FIGHTING OVERNIGHT,
VIOLENCE CONTINUES BETWEEN
ISRAEL AND HAMAS.
AND NOW LEBANON THIS MORNING.
SMOKE, CLOUDS, AND FLAMES COULD
BE SEEN RISING FROM GAZA
BUILDINGS AT SUNRISE FOLLOWING
OVERNIGHT ATTACKS FROM ISRAELI
WAR PLANES.
THIS WHILE SIRENS BLARED THROUGH
AN ISRAELI CITY NEAR THE GAZA
BORDER, WARNING OF A HAMAS
ROCKET ATTACK.
THE ISRAELI MILITARY SAYS CLOSE
TO 90 ROCKETS WERE LAUNCHED FROM
GAZA OVERNIGHT, BRINGING THE
TOLD TO MORE THAN 3,300 SINCE
THE CONFLICT BEGAN LAST WEEK.
ISRAELI FORCES ALSO REPORTED A
SHELLING OF LEBANON LAST NIGHT
IN RETALIATION FOR SIX ROCKETS
FIRED TOWARD ISRAEL.
TENSIONS HAVE BEEN HIGH AT THE
ISRAELI/LEBANESE BORDER, WHERE
PROTESTERS HAVE COME OUT IN
SUPPORT OF THE PALESTINIANS
AFTER A MEETING WITH TOP DEFENSE
OFFICIALS, ISRAELI PRIME
MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU SAID
YESTERDAY THAT ISRAEL WOULD,
QUOTE, CONTINUE TO STRIKE TERROR
TARGETS FOR AS LONG AS
NECESSARY.
GAZA’S HEALTH MINISTRY SAYS 212
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED SINCE
AIR STRIKES BEGAN LAST WEEK,
INCLUDING 61 CHILDREN.
ISRAELI OFFICIALS HAVE REPORTED
TEN DEATHS WITH TWO BEING
CHILDREN.
WILLIE?
>> MEANWHILE, ON A CALL WITH
ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER
NETANYAHU, THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS
PRESIDENT BIDEN, QUOTE,
EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR A
CEASE-FIRE.
ACCORDING TO A WHITE HOUSE
READOUT OF THAT CALL.
THE PRESIDENT, QUOTE, REITERATED
HIS FIRM SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL’S
RIGHT TO DEFEND ITSELF WHILE
ALSO, QUOTE, ENCOURAGING ISRAEL
TO MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ENSURE
THE PROTECTION OF INNOCENT
CIVILIANS.
THE CAREFULLY WORDED STATEMENT
COMES AS A NUMBER OF DEMOCRATS
URGE THE PRESIDENT TO SPEAK OUT
MORE FORCEFULLY AGAINST ISRAEL.
JOINING US NOW, LONGTIME FOREIGN
CORRESPONDENT, MARTIN FLETCHER,
WHO’S REPORTING FOR NBC NEWS IN
TEL AVIV.
MARTIN, GOOD MORNING.
WHAT’S THE VERY LATEST FROM
WHERE YOU’RE SITTING?
>> HI, WILLIE, GOOD MORNING.
IT WAS A FAIRLY QUIET NIGHT IN
MOST OF THE AREA AND IT SUDDENLY
TOOK OFF IN THE MORNING WITH
ISRAELI JET AND WAR PLANE
ATTACKS ON GAZA, ROCKETS FROM
GAZA INTO ISRAEL.
YOU MENTIONED THE NEW TWIST, IF
YOU WOULD LIKE, WHICH IS THE
FACT THAT ROCKETS WERE FIRED
FROM LEBANON TOWARDS ISRAEL IS
ACTUALLY THE SECOND TIME THAT’S
HAPPENED.
SIX ROCKETS FIRED FROM LEBANON
TOWARDS ISRAEL.
APPARENTLY, THEY ALL LANDED
SHORT AND ISRAEL RETALIATED WITH
ARTILLERY FIRE AGAINST THE
SOURCE OF THOSE ROCKET ATTACKS.
BUT THE FEAR, OF COURSE, IS THAT
AS LONG AS THERE’S NO
CEASE-FIRE, THE GREATER THE
POSSIBILITY OF THE CONFLICT
SPREADING, LEBANON BEING AN
OBVIOUS POSSIBILITY OF EXTRA
WARFARE HERE.
SO THERE’S PRESSURE BUILDING FOR
A CEASE-FIRE, PRESSURE ALSO FROM
THE UNITED STATES ON ISRAEL.
BUT MY POLITICAL SOURCES HERE
TOLD ME YESTERDAY, IT’S PRESSURE
FROM AMERICA, BUT IT’S NOT WHAT
THEY CALL, QUOTE, STRONG
PRESSURE.
SO ISRAEL SEEMS TO HAVE THE
GREEN LIGHT FROM THE UNITED
STATES TO CONTINUE KNOCKING OFF
THOSE TARGETS THAT IT HAS IN
GAZA, THE TUNNELS, THE HOMES,
AND OFFICES OF ISLAMIC MILITARY
LEADERS IN GAZA.
AND AT THE MOMENT, THERE’S NO
SIGN THAT THERE’S ANY REAL
MOVEMENT TOWARD A CEASE-FIRE,
FROM EITHER SIDE, WILLIE.
>> SO, MARTIN, JOE SCARBOROUGH
HERE.
IN CALLS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL
DAYS, IT SEEMS DIPLOMATS IN THE
REGION, ALSO FOREIGN POLICY
LEADERS IN THIS COUNTRY KEEP
QUIETLY SAYING THE SAME THING.
WE’RE FOCUSING RIGHT NOW ON
HAMAS AND ON THE MISSILES, BUT
WHAT ISRAELIS SHOULD BE MOST
WORRIED ABOUT IS THE CIVIL
UNREST.
ARABS MAKE UP 20%, OBVIOUSLY OF
ISRAEL AND THE AIR RAPP ISRAELIS AND THE ISRAELIS FOR THE FIRST
AND THE ISRAELIS FOR THE FIRST
TIME INSIDE THE COUNTRY REALLY
EXPERIENCING FLASHPOINTS.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT AND THE
LONG-TERM DANGER THIS POSES FOR
THE NATION OF ISRAEL?
>> ABSOLUTELY, JOE.
LOOK, AS YOU INDICATE, THIS IS
THE FIFTH ROUND OF FIGHTING
BETWEEN HAMAS AND ISRAEL IN THE
LAST 15 YEARS.
SO THERE’S A CERTAIN CYCLE,
PRESUMABLY, THEY’RE,
UNFORTUNATELY, GOING TO BE MORE
ON BOTH SIDES, THAN THERE’LL BE
A CEASE-FIRE NEGOTIATED EDD OF S
KIND AND THE CONFLICT WILL GO ON
HIATUS UNTIL THE NEXT ROUND.
WHAT IS NEW, THE FIGHTING
BETWEEN ISRAELI ARABS AND
ISRAELI JEWS.
THAT IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT
DETERIORATION IN RELATIONS
INSIDE A COUNTRY THAT IS
EXTREMELY FRAGILE, BASED ON
THAT -- ON AN EASY RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN JEWSs THAN ARABS.
THAT IS NOW FALLING APART.
TODAY, FOR INSTANCE, THERE’S
BEEN A CALL FOR A GENERAL STRIKE
AMONG ARABS ON THE WEST BANK AND
ARABS INSIDE ISRAEL.
ARABS ARE GATHERING ON STREET
CORNERS, ALL OVER THE AREA.
THERE’S BEEN ANOTHER TERROR
ATTACK FOILED ON THE WEST BANK.
THAT’S EIGHT TERROR ATTACKS
FOILED ON THE WEST BANK IN THE
LAST THREE DAYS.
SO IT’S BUILDING UP.
AND THE POSSIBILITY OF PUTTING
THAT GENIE BACK IN THE BOTTLE,
IF YOU WOULD LIKE, OF ARAB
UNREST AGAINST ISRAEL.
AND NOT ONLY ARAB UNREST AGAINST
ISRAEL, I HAVE TO POINT WUT,
IT’S ALSO ARAB UNREST AGAINST
THE ARABS.
THESE ARE BASICALLY MOBS ON BOTH
SIDES WHO ARE NOT FIGHTING EACH
OTHER, MOB AGAINST MOB, IT’S
BOTH SIDES, BEATING THEM UP AND
IN SOME PLACES KILLING THEM.
ONE ISRAELI JEW WHO WAS SEVERELY
BEATEN A FEW DAYS AGO, HE DIED.
THAT WAS ONE ISRAELI BEATEN TO
DEATH BY A PALESTINIAN AND
PALESTINIANS HAVE ALSO BEEN
KILLED BY ISRAELIS.
SO THIS IS AN EXTREMELY TENSE,
DANGEROUS, VOLATILE SITUATION
THAT IS GOING TO NEED SOME
SERIOUS THOUGHT ABOUT HOW TO
MAKE -- HOW TO GET JEWS BACK ON
THE SAME PAGE INSIDE ISRAEL.
THIS IS BEING PLAYED OUT IN THE
ATTEMPT TO FORM A NEW
GOVERNMENT.
PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU HAS
GATHERED SUPPORT FROM THE RIGHT
WING OVER THE LAST SEVERAL
ATTEMPTS TO FORM GOVERNMENTS.
HIS FOURTH IN TWO YEARS, BY
WHIPPING UP DISCONTENT WITH THE
ARABS.
AND THE ARABS FEEL DISASSOCIATED
FROM THE COUNTRY.
THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT COMES
JUST FROM THE VIOLENCE IN GAZA
NOW.
IT’S SOMETHING THAT’S BEEN
BUILDING UP FOR MANY YEARS,
WHIPPED UP BY RIGHT-WING
POLITICIANS IN ISRAEL, AND ARABS
FEELING DISENCHANTED, SEPARATED
FROM THE STATE, LOSING THEIR
ROLE AND ALSO UNSURE OF THEIR
POSITION INSIDE THE COUNTRY
ANYMORE.
THEY’RE YOUNG, THEY’RE ANGRY,
THEY’RE HOPELESS BECAUSE MANY
DON’T HAVE JOBS.
THIS IS A VERY VOLATILE
SITUATION.
JEWS AND ARABS INSIDE ISRAEL