Piers Morgan Calls Out Israel Ambassador Labeling Photo of Palestinian Child ‘Blood Libel’: ‘He’s Clearly Not Eating!’
Piers Morgan and United States Israel Ambassador Danny Danon went at it over the state of Gaza and The New York Times adding an editor’s note to a report that included the photo of an emaciated child.
On Piers Morgan Uncensored, Danon accused Morgan of “spreading so many lies” as the host called out Israel’s strategy in Gaza. Danon zeroed in on Morgan’s comments about the Times photo, which he and Israeli officials have called a “blood libel” and “lie.”
The Times sparked controversy this week as they published an editor’s note to a report titled, “Gazans Are Dying of Starvation.” The editor’s note made clear that they learned Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, a Palestinian child included in the story, suffered from pre-existing conditions.
“We have appended an Editors’ Note to a story about Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, a child in Gaza who was diagnosed with severe malnutrition. After publication, The Times learned that he also had pre-existing health problems,” the note reads.
Morgan told Danon the child was “clearly” starving.
You’ve now allowed a minimal amount of food to be going in after a huge international outcry. You say that one child The New York Times put on the front page wasn’t starving, he clearly was starving, he just had other medical issues going on as well. And there are, we know from all the imagery — well, you can shake your head — but there are as you — let me finish, I’ll let you finish — that there are many, many images coming out of Gaza of starving children. We’re not making this up. And if you really believe it’s not happening, and all of this is a blood libel, then again, I’ve had this conversation with you before, you should be pressurizing your prime minister to allow international media to go into Gaza to verify exactly what is happening.
Morgan further accused Israel of not wanting to invite international press into Gaza because they would uncover the “utterly horrifying” effects of Israel’s strikes on the land as they continue their mission to wipe out the terror group Hamas.
“You’re spreading so many lies,” Danon told Morgan as Morgan showed a clip of the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen where he said Israeli officials told him not to film the destruction in Gaza.
“Now that’s the truth, isn’t it, Ambassador? You don’t want journalists to go in there because what they’re going to uncover and report to the world is utterly horrifying. You have destroyed two-thirds, if not more now, of the Gaza Strip. You’ve displaced two million people into a very small area of the Strip,” Morgan said.
Danon was not pleased with Morgan, accusing him of pushing lies in his lengthy rant. He denied there is starvation in Gaza, calling claims suggesting otherwise a “starvation campaign.”
“You’re sharing movies, you’re spreading lies,” he said, claiming it would take far too long to address each of Morgan’s accusations.
On the Times photo, Danon maintained it was “blood libel.”
“You spoke about The New York Times picture. Let’s speak about that for a minute. That was blood libel. When you put a picture of a sick Palestinian boy who has a disease and you claim that he was starving, that was a lie. And by the way, they retracted that. But the way they retract it was also shameful. They put it in a small page on their Twitter,” Danon said.
“But to be clear, I said the other children were starving. I said other children was starving. Do you deny that?” Morgan countered.
“No, you said this boy was also starving. You want to rewind it two minutes?” Danon asked, denying that the child was actually starving.
“The boy was clearly emaciated, Ambassador!” Morgan said. “Clearly emaciated. So, yes, he has a medical condition, but also he’s clearly not eating! Why deny what we see with our own eyes?”
Watch above via Piers Morgan Uncensored.
