Triggernometry - interview with Netanyahu

[Digitalhen]

Thoughts on this interview?

Massive scoop for the Trigger podcast.

Probably nothing he could possibly have said would have altered the views of people who think his government is committing war crimes though. Actually most of us agree that war crimes are probably being committed, it's other things we tend to disagree about on MN like genocide, etc.

But my point is, he wasn't about to change anyone's mind who already hates the Israeli government. Even on MN with our many debates, I would be surprised if one person's mind has been changed from hearing the other side's point of view.

But it was interesting just to hear his views. I agree he got off lightly on the question of hunger & malnutrition in Gaza. Unfortunately, those who used sick children for propaganda purposes did their cause a bit of a disfavour there because the propaganda backfired when it came out that a lot of the babies and children used for the media photos had genetic conditions, underlying health issues, etc. Not all of them I'm sure.

I disagree as think good journalism is where the interviewer allows the interviewee the freedom to talk. @Twiglets1

That's not Journalism, that's chat show.... Parkinson... ( God that dates me)

As I noted above - I am not sure his answers were entirely frank. It felt at times like a story he wants people who want to support Israel to hear.

Perhaps someone will post an interview with him that challenges his narrative.

Interestingly, one of the hostage family members had similar thoughts about his speech to the US congress, which similarly went unchallenged.

”“He’s using everyone and everything, including the American Congress which is too ignorant to see the difference between a lie and the truth, between reality and the movie he’s showing them again and again and they believe," she said.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg3ep0wll7qo.amp

Sorry if this is a bit of a derail, but I won’t let this sit.

Those babies weren’t starving because they had underlying medical issues. They were starving FIRST because they had underlying medical issues.

This is what Mohammad Al-Motawaq looked like before the man-made famine (the emaciated 18 month old wearing a bin bag as a nappy you will have seen).

And apologies if that’s not what you were implying @Twiglets1- I just felt it important to clarify.

I'm not a medical expert to know exactly why some babies with genetic conditions or underlying health conditions were so much skinnier than their siblings.

But I think it's fair to assume you are right in your view that they were starving first because they had underlying medical issues. That would have left them more vulnerable to lack of quality food or the special food or formula they needed.

Can you trust any politician to tell the truth? Probably not.

Was a good interview style, I thought. I prefer that kind to the ones where the interviewers prefer the sound of their own voice to letting their subjects just get on and answer the questions being asked.

We’ll have to disagree, as what is the point of an interview if all you get is a politicians soft talk. As you say - can you trust most politicians to tell the truth?

That does limit the utility of an interview when all you get is a PR exercise. Is this what he actually thinks - maybe it what he tells himself and others so that they can sleep at night whilst the bombs go off in Gaza and children starve.

Actually the technique did also remind me of Parkinson so that dates me too!

Maybe journalism was the wrong word as don’t know if the 2 interviewers do call themselves journalists? Not familiar with them before this interview.

They are not journalists. They are both failed comedians who started a podcast. Shame on them for platforming a wanted war criminal.

So they are not journalists… nothing wrong with being podcasters.

He’s the prime minister of a country and lots of people are interested in his views about the war and in particular how he views what will happen after the war. If you’re not interested then you don’t have to watch it and presumably didn’t 🤷🏼‍♀️

They have over a million subscribers. But yeah, failed 🙄

What was most disturbing about the interview was the fact that he was expecting his audience to believe the guff he was spouting, which conveniently for him, went unchallenged. It was insulting that he was treating his audience like fools.
Netanyahu is not stupid. He must know that the destruction of Hamas and the release of hostages are mutually exclusive. Once the former are on the verge of defeat it is likely that the hostages will be killed. And he knows that, yet he still wants us to believe that both are possible. His electoral base is amongst the more poorly educated, nationalistic Israelis, who quite readily fall for his ideas. He's the closest Israel comes to a Farage figure. He purports simple, radical solutions that have popular appeal. Unfortunately there are many simpletons who hear him and are all too eager to believe him. During the interview his deflections, evasions and empty denials were all too apparent. In reality his "solutions" are not practical and anyone with half a brain will see that. It has got to the stage now where even his military are telling him he needs to follow another path.

Really embarrassing interview. Nelks Boys 2.0... there are just too many things there to mention. https://watford.substack.com/p/konstantin-the-grifter Netanyahu's dismissal of the starving children as kids with congenital illnesses was disgusting, and there was no pushback from Kisin.

What does their (previously) being comedians have to do with anything? Aren’t people allowed to change careers?
Nowadays, they’re highly successful podcasters who interview a wide range of people.
You don’t need to listen to a Netanyahu interview if you don’t want to, but there is nothing shameful about Triggernometry talking to him.

There have been people encouraging us to watch this - as if it would give a more balanced view of the situation in the ME.

”I listened to it and thought it was very interesting. I wish more people who seem so entrenched in their views would listen/watch it with an open mind.”

Not sure what people thought this video would convince us of?

It didn’t go unchallenged though? He was challenged on what he has allowed his more extremist ministers to get away with saying for example, which has not helped Israel’s cause.

He was challenged on a few things he said but only gently I agree. Some people may disagree with the podcaster’s technique but it did allow listeners to actually hear Netanyahus opinions on important issues relating to after the war, which we wouldn’t have got to if the interview had descended into a hostile war of words.

It was an interesting interview, in my opinion. And I will say that about other leaders if I think it’s true.

People can choose not to watch it but it’s strange to criticise an interview if they haven’t watched it.

It was the second post on the thread- before people had criticised the video’s content.

I also listened to Putin’s interview with Tucker Carlson.

Both politicians trying to convince us of their version of facts. That’s why it is important to retain a critic mind!

From the substack you’ve linked:

‘The same old drivel repeated, almost verbatim: “butchered us; raped our women; beheaded our men; burnt our babies”.’ (…) ‘The lies also began early, with reference to rape, beheadings and burning. Even the Israeli prosecutor gave up on the rape allegations, with no witnesses or victims found. There is no evidence of beheadings and no babies were put into ovens.’

No beheadings, no rape, nothing to see here. Yep, definitely sounds like a person whose judgement one can trust 🙄

Obviously they have not heard of the Dinah project and the evidence of sexual violence used by Hamas as a weapon of war!

I found the interview very enlightening, finally being able to hear it from his mouth directly.

What I would have liked to hear is: what are his plans to de-radicalise the Palestinian population when he has won the war. Because it's hard to get survivors of horrors to feel any sympathy for those who perpetuated them. What is he going to propose to Palestinians that will allow them to grieve their people and put it all behind them? Because what he has been offering the Palestinians of the West Bank is not good to do it, especially when ultimately, what is currently happening there is only making things worse.

If he was genuine about wanting peace and the West to be behind him, he would share his plans for the aftermath.

I agree it is important to retain an open mind and not just believe what people say. But it’s also important to watch or read information from a variety of sources not just the ones you know in advance you are going to agree with.

Anyway, it sounds like you at least watched the podcast, unlike some commentators on this thread. Obviously we will all have different opinions on it.

Is that your substack? There's some very interesting articles on there. Like the one about how Zionists are worse than Nazis, how all Zionists are liars because it's in their DNA, the aforementioned rape denial, the praise of Putin, the praise of Hamas and my personal favourite, an article with the title "Was October 7 really that bad?" Not the worse I've seen posted here - that would be the x accounts that are straight up pro-Nazi - but it's up there.

Wow, I didn’t even look at the other articles, the one linked was bad enough!