Channel 12 News analyst Amit Segal clashed Saturday evening with MK Ayman Odeh on Israel's "Meet the Press" program, after demanding that Odeh condemn Hamas and define it as a terrorist organization.
"I would be happy if you would say that Hamas is a terror group," Segal said. "You spoke about [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben Gvir a hundred times. Is Hamas a terror organization?"
Odeh responded angrily, asking, "Do you want me to answer you or not?"
Segal continued, "What are you puffing yourself up for? You are not willing to condemn Hamas. We are normalizing this situation where there is an MK who talks about everyone and about crime. Is Hamas a terror organization or not?"
Odeh replied, "I know who gave Hamas weapons already in the late 1980s. At first it was [former Prime Minister Yitzhak] Rabin and then [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu who strengthened Hamas. I oppose Hamas politically and ideologically. I have condemned October 7th a thousand times."
Segal continued to press him, arguing that Odeh "was circling around [the issue] while avoiding" explicitly calling Hamas a terrorist organization, adding, "You don't want people to notice that you do not call Hamas a terror organization."
Odeh responded, "I condemned all harm to civilians since the 1990s, and until now."
"But not [harm] to soldiers," Segal pointed out.
Odeh then accused, "A racist such as yourself did not condemn the killing of Palestinian babies and the intentional destruction of entire buildings."
Segal responded, "That was collateral damage. All the viewers should know that you call what the IDF did murder but from your perspective Hamas is not a terror group."
"I request that [everyone] take note of two important things: This is the second consecutive interview in which you refuse to condemn the infiltration into IDF bases in the sovereign territory of the State of Israel and the killing of 368 IDF soldiers, including female lookouts.
"This is also the second consecutive interview - and the hundredth since October 7th - in which you did not agree to say that Hamas is a terror group. That you call me a racist a thousand times will not change this."