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ABC's Bob Woodruff Reluctant to Label Hamas a Terrorist Group

Posted by Brad Wilmouth on January 26, 2006 - 00:42.

On ABC's World News Tonight on Wednesday January 25, anchor Bob Woodruff showed some reluctance to label Hamas as a terrorist organization outright, but instead qualified the label by calling it a "militant" group "which the U.S. calls a terrorist organization." Woodruff also referred to Hamas once as a "radical group" and once simply as a "group."

During the opening teaser, while previewing a story on the Palestinian elections, Woodruff announced: "It's been an historic day in the Middle East. Palestinians voting for their future. The radical group Hamas gains strength and gets a warning from the Bush administration."

Introducing a story on the elections, in which Hamas won a substantial number of seats in the parliament, Woodruff asked: "Would Palestinians vote to keep the long-ruling Fatah movement in power or would the militant challenger, Hamas, which the U.S. calls a terrorist organization, prevail?"

After showing a sound bite of Israel's foreign minister relaying the Hamas goal of "demolishing" Israel, and after airing a sound bite of Jimmy Carter expressing hope that Hamas would change, Woodruff ended the piece referring to Hamas simply as a "group." Woodruff concluded: "With Hamas even as a minority part of the government, [aid from the U.S.] could dry up unless this group, which has fought violently with Israel for years, gives up its guns."

This reluctance to label Hamas as a terrorist organization is reminiscent of former ABC anchor Peter Jennings' approach to dealing with stories about Israel and Hamas. For example, as recounted by CyberAlert, on the March 17, 2003 World News Tonight, Jennings read this short item: "In Palestinian Gaza today an Israeli raid killed ten Palestinians, including a four-year-old girl, at a refugee camp. The Israelis say the camp is a stronghold of the Hamas group which they accuse of sponsoring terrorism."

Below is a transript of relevant portions of the the January 25 World News Tonight in which Woodruff discussed Hamas:

Bob Woodruff, in opening teaser: "I'm Bob Woodruff in Jerusalem. It's been an historic day in the Middle East. Palestinians voting for their future. The radical group Hamas gains strength and gets a warning from the Bush administration."

Woodruff, introducing the story: "Good evening from Jerusalem. In this region that has seen so much history, history was made again today. Nearly one million Palestinians have gone to the polls in the Palestinians' first election in 10 years. The stakes are very high not just for the Middle East, but for the U.S. as well. Would Palestinians vote to keep the long-ruling Fatah movement in power or would the militant challenger, Hamas, which the U.S. calls a terrorist organization, prevail?"

After detailing some events of the election day, Woodruff moved to discussing Hamas: "While Hamas may not have won, its candidates will have a major presence in the parliament and will certainly press for changes. Its Islamic influence could deeply effect this largely secular community. 'I am voting for Hamas because they are the Islamic movement,' this woman told us, 'and we are going to follow the Koran.' Although Hamas has downplayed its militant side during this campaign, there are serious questions about how it will deal with Israel. So far, it has refused to recognize it or get involved in negotiations. Israel's new foreign minister holds out little hope."

Tsipy Livney, Israeli Foreign Minister: "The essence, the reasons of the existence of the Hamas is not because they want to gain some political gains in the conflict. They are talking about demolishing the state of Israel, to erase the state of Israel from Earth."

Woodruff: "What no one knows is if Hamas will change now that it has gained political power. Former President Jimmy Carter came to monitor today's elections."

Woodruff, speaking to Jimmy Carter: "There are some who believe that Hamas will be pragmatic, though, once they have power-"

Jimmy Carter: "That's my hope. Everybody hopes that Hamas would be pragmatic because one thing is, maybe not for their own benefit, but for the benefit of the people they represent, because there's no doubt if Hamas is not, as you say, pragmatic, then there'll be a dramatic reduction in foreign aid assistance."

Woodruff: "Last year, the U.S. spent $500 million to help the Palestinians, $70 million directly to the Palestinian Authority. With Hamas even as a minority part of the government, that could dry up unless this group, which has fought violently with Israel for years, gives up its guns."

http://newsbusters.org/node/3755

Maybe NOW he has changed his mind?

Another idiotic liberal ... . Oh well.

See also, from www.thewmurchannel.com:

TheWMURChannel.com

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ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff, above, and a cameraman were seriously injured Sunday in an explosion while reporting from Iraq.

ABC News Anchor, Cameraman Injured In Iraq

POSTED: 8:56 am EST January 29, 2006

UPDATED: 8:59 am EST January 29, 2006

NEW YORK -- ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff and a cameraman were seriously injured Sunday in an explosion while reporting from Iraq, the network said Sunday.
Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt were hit by an improvised explosive device near Taji, Iraq, and were in serious condition at a U.S. military hospital, ABC News President David Westin said.
The two were embedded with the 4th Infantry Division and traveling with an Iraqi Army unit.
The U.S. military headquarters in Baghdad confirmed that the ABC News team was involved in an attack but declined to provide further details to The Associated Press. An official military statement was expected to be issued later Sunday.
Woodruff was named co-anchor of ABC News' "World News Tonight" with Elizbeth Vargas this month after the death of Peter Jennings. In an unusual approach to evening news shows, one of the two co-anchors typically reports from the studio in New York while the other reports from the field, as Woodruff was doing in Iraq.
Woodruff grew up in Michigan and became a corporate lawyer in New York. He took a leave of absence to teach at a school in China, helped CBS News during the Tiananmen Square uprising and became hooked on journalism.
"When I realized there was a job that existed in this world where I could be in the middle of huge world events and actually get paid for it, it was an epiphany for me," he told The Associated Press in a recent interview.
He has covered the Justice Department and reported from Iraq, Afghanistan, Belgrade and Kosovo.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.