Secom boss claims Jorge Pontual takes a “manipulative and cowardly stance on the war in the Middle East”.
Minister Paulo Pimenta (Secretariat of Social Communications) criticized this Saturday (November 4, 2023) the statements of the journalist Jorge Pontual of GloboNews on the war between Israel and Hamas. He said the channel’s analyst had taken a “manipulative and cowardly stance on the war in the Middle East.”
“It is unacceptable. It’s embarrassing. It is frightening. GloboNews commentator Jorge Pontual is known for his manipulative and cowardly stance on the war in the Middle East. “It is one thing to condemn acts of terrorism, the deaths and kidnappings of Israeli civilians, it is another to justify the barbarism, genocide and indiscriminate deaths of thousands of children and innocent Palestinians,” Pimenta said in the statement X (ExTwitter).
The minister shared in the publication a 1 minute and 47 second excerpt from a comment made by Pontual on Friday (November 3) on the channel’s Em Pauta program. At the time, 75yearold Pontual explained that the war situation was “complicated” but that it was “Israel’s right to attack Hamas fighters.”
The commentator was speaking about the bombing of an ambulance convoy outside AlShifa Hospital in Gaza’s North Rimal district, which left 15 people dead and at least 50 injured, including rescue team personnel.
In a statement, the IDF (English acronym for Israel Defense Forces) confirmed responsibility for the attack and said that “a Hamas terrorist cell was identified with the help of an ambulance.”
In his comments on Friday, Pontual said that Israel’s enemies were “unfortunately” among the civilian population, but that Israel Defense Forces had done what would be expected in the context of war.
“It is Israel’s right to attack Hamas militants and Hamas terrorists. Unfortunately, when they were in the ambulance, Israel had to do just that: target its enemies. It was an ambulance, it was in an ambulance convoy and people nearby were injured,” Pontual said.
“People who were nearby died. It wasn’t just Hamas people. This is an example of how complicated this situation is. The two sides have conflicting versions and Israel believes this to be the case [lado] right that it is doing what it has to do, in accordance with international law, which says it can only target combatants. “But what if the fighters hide among civilians?” said the journalist.
It is unacceptable. It’s embarrassing. It is frightening. Globo News commentator Jorge Pontual has become known for his manipulative and cowardly stance on the war in the Middle East. It is one thing to condemn acts of terrorism, the death and kidnapping of Israeli civilians, it is another… pic.twitter.com/D4KAGxpX30
— Paulo Pimenta (@Pimenta13Br) November 4, 2023
For Paulo Pimenta, anyone who does not work for peace and the creation of a humanitarian corridor so that civilians can escape the conflict is an “accomplice” in war. “Anyone who does not currently raise their voice to defend peace and a humanitarian corridor is complicit in what is happening and, above all, is contributing to the failure to find a solution for peace.” Enough!” explained the minister .
When contacted by the report, Globo’s press office did not respond to the minister’s comments until the publication of this text.
As Secom minister under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), Pimenta is responsible for the government’s relations with the media. In an interview on TV Cultura’s Roda Viva program, Pimenta explained that his and Lula’s party, the PT, has “never had a relationship with Hamas” and defends a state of Palestine as the “final solution” to the Middle East conflict.