Mehdi Hasan Lays Into Former IDF Spox in Heated CNN Debate: ‘You Then Killed Them After They Relocated’

Zeteo editor-in-chief and former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan laid into former Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Jonathan Conricus during a heated CNN debate on Israel’s bombing of Rafah, Monday.

After Conricus accused Hassan during the debate of “parroting Hamas talking points,” Hasan protested:

I think all of your viewers saw me quote the spokesperson for the Israeli hostages’ families, and the colonel then said I’m parroting Hamas talking points. He’s referring to the hostages’ families as Hamas, as parroting Hamas talking points, because I quoted them. I didn’t quote Hamas. In fact, tonight, the colonel knows that hundreds of people went to Netanyahu’s house and screamed, “You have blood on your hands.” Israeli protesters. I guess they’re all Hamas, right? The Israeli position now is anyone who disagrees with them is Hamas. I’m guessing tomorrow they’ll say CIA director Bill Burns, who was involved in this hostage negotiation deal, he’s Hamas too. Everyone’s Hamas. And as for deception, I mean come on. The colonel was a spokesperson for the IDF, which has spent the last six months lying, Abby. Your network has debunked multiple lies that the Israeli military has told.

He added, “So when we talk about deception, we’re learning from the masters here.”

CNN host Abby Phillip went on to press Conricus about Israel’s decision to bomb Rafah, after having previously instructed Palestinian civilians to move to the “safe zone.”

“Why is Israel doing this when they know that there is no safe place, as Mehdi was saying, for civilians to go, and Rafah is the place that initially the Israeli government told them to go?” questioned Phillip, to which Conricus responded, “I would take everything that my respected colleague to the panel here says with a lot of pinches of salt.”

Conricus argued, “There are various locations in Gaza, a few miles northeast of Rafah, northwest of Rafah where they can go and hopefully they will go,” as Hasan shook his head.

“I take the point that it is a harsh environment and not an ideal environment for anybody to live in. I wouldn’t want to be there, to be frank,” he continued. “But the sad reality is the responsibility for this situation lies on Hamas’ shoulders.”

After Conricus boasted that the Israeli military was able to successfully move many Palestinian civilians into supposedly safe zones, Hasan interrupted, “You then killed them after they relocated.”

He noted:

NBC News reported last month, Abby, that seven different airstrikes from Israel took place in what were designated as safe zones by Israel. Palestinians were told to go to safe zones by Israel and then killed in those safe zones by Israel. That’s reporting from NBC News, but I’m sure the colonel would say they’re Hamas as well. Everyone who disagrees with the colonel is Hamas.

Conricus disagreed with Hasan that the Israeli military was intentionally killing civilians, arguing that the IDF chief of staff “speaks relentlessly about not killing civilians” and “gives orders not to kill civilians.”

Hasan shot back, “Well you’re not doing a very good job of it, are you? 14,000 dead kids.”

Watch above via CNN.