JUDGE JEANINE: With me now terrorism analyst with the Investigative Project, Steve Emerson. All right Steve, your expertise on the Middle East is unparalleled. What is your interpretation of what is going on here with what the Prime Minister Netanyahu said and the shelling that apparently is still going on?
STEVE EMERSON: Well first of all Jeanine the definition of insanity is repeating behavior that you know is insane. And what this administration has done – and let me be very, very clear and blunt – is bordering on the criminally insane that has resulted in murder, and I'm not using those words lightly, because the President knows that Hamas is a terrorist group that is unrelentingly committed to the destruction of Israel. It is a child of the Muslim Brotherhood which the President has embraced. The President sent tonight its Middle east envoy Frank Lowenstein to Cairo to negotiate with Hamas on the resurrection of a new ceasefire, the seventh ceasefire, all six of the previous ones have been violated by Hamas.
JUDGE JEANINE: And you know Steve I don't mean to interrupt you but that is insanity. Why if Hamas, within 90 minutes of a 72-hour ceasefire violates a ceasefire, why is the United States continuing to negotiate with Hamas? Why?
EMERSON: Why is the US recognizing and rewarding Hamas when in the very beginning of this conflict, when Hamas abducted three Israeli teens, one of which had American citizenship, and killed them immediately, Hamas should have been indicted on murder charges instead of being rewarded and being recognized by the United States either directly or indirectly through the government of Qatar, which is also a supporter of terrorism. And instead of being embraced by the United States Qatar should be on a list of countries supporting terrorism and sanctioned.
JUDGE JEANINE: But Steve we need Qatar. We need them so we can find out what the five worst terrorists so we can release them for one alleged deserter. But let me ask you finally, why or what do you see as the future? There will continue to be shelling but Israel thinks they've gotten all the tunnels?
EMERSON: First of all, three things here. One is Hamas claimed that it didn't have or it didn't take , kidnap the soldier. I have here a claim that MEMRI translated a tweet from the Qassam Brigades – the military arm of Hamas – saying openly that they claimed credit for the kidnapping of the soldier. Number two, the fact that he was declared dead does not exonerate Hamas. In fact I can tell you that it is likely that Hamas killed him in captivity. Number three, Hamas tonight said [ there will be] no ceasefire without "our own conditions." And that means that Israel is going to have to endure an eternal situation of unrelenting rocket fire, continued tunnel murderous attacks and Hamas aggression. [But] that can be stopped, it can be stopped if the United States would say to Qatar, unless you stop all arms and financial equipment and supplies to Hamas we are going to sanction you Qatar. And they're not doing that.
JUDGE JEANINE: Steve gotta go. It is always great hearing your point of view. Thanks so much Steve Emerson.