MSNBC reporter Andrea Mitchell said it was "appalling" that the U.S. moved its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem without obtaining any concessions from Israel.
Mitchell expressed astonishment at the Trump administration placing the blame for violence solely on Hamas, who instigated riots along the border in Gaza. White House principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah on Monday did not call for Israel to soften its response to the riots, leading Mitchell to decry the administration’s support for Israel.
"I've never seen anything like that," Mitchell said. "Even the strongest supporters of Israel in administrations Republican and Democratic would at that point say, ‘Be proportional and be cautionary.’"
She blamed Israel’s actions on their empowerment due to closeness with the administration, specifically on Iran.
"There was no restraint," Mitchell said. "Israel is now so empowered because of the administration's enmity with Iran that they now feel, clearly, that they can do anything."
She opined that it was "appalling" the U.S. moved its embassy to Jerusalem without extracting concessions from Israel on its settlement-building.
"It's just to me appalling that we have no vision at all, we got nothing for it, no pullback on settlements. There's no balancing act here," Mitchell said.
She also argued King Abdullah of Jordan is the "real loser," in addition to the Palestinians, because his country has such a large Palestinian population.
"King Abdullah will lose his country," Mitchell said. "He's completely vulnerable and at risk and the fact that [other Arab countries] are now mouthing generalities about the Persian Gulf world about the Palestinians, who they don't really care about, but those on the front lines care."
She also explained the Palestinians are suffering because they’ve had "dreadful leadership for decades."
"The Palestinians are losers; they've had dreadful leadership for decades," she said. "We all know that, and it's not just Hamas — it's both branches of the Palestinian government. Abbas is a disgrace by now. So they've been disempowered."