MSNBC’s Reid: Israel Was ‘Provoking Hamas’ — GOP Shouldn’t Blame Biden for Attack

On Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “The ReidOut,” host Joy Reid said that Israel “didn’t have any idea that the things they were doing were provoking Hamas” while also complaining that Republicans were putting some of the blame on President Joe Biden for the Hamas attack on Israel over the weekend.

While discussing the failure of Israeli intelligence to anticipate the attack with MSNBC National Security Analyst and former CIA Chief of Operations for Europe and Eurasia Marc Polymeropoulos, Reid said, “Could it be, there is some thinking that Netanyahu has been a little distracted. He’s got multiple indictments that he’s dealing with. He’s on a settlement expansion crusade, particularly in the West Bank, and grabbing territory. His — members of his cabinet are doing provocative statements and showing up at the Al-Aqsa Mosque to provoke Palestinians, you could go on and on. And also, of course, this crisis of trying to take over their Supreme Court, which, these massive protests — which stimulated these massive protests. Is this just a situation of a government that is distracted by its own pecuniary interests and just not paying attention? The Yom Kippur War, this is almost the anniversary, and they didn’t have any idea that the things they were doing were provoking Hamas?”

Polymeropoulos responded that the timing with the anniversary of the Yom Kippur War isn’t a coincidence, Israel will engage in a review of the intelligence failure, and that the political strife in Israel possibly was a distraction.

Reid concluded the segment by denouncing Republicans for placing some of the blame on President Joe Biden for the attack.

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett