Rob O'Neill States Torture Categorically Does Not Work Based on 400 Combat Missions
"I'm going to start this off by saying I'm not a journalist either. I'm fortunate though, over 400 combat missions, I was what we call the battlefield interrogator until we softened it to tactical questioner. I'm gonna tell you, from the first time I did that in Iraq to the last time I did it, probably in Afghanistan or Pakistan, I learned along the way torture does not work at all."
About this episode
Piers Morgan hosted an explosive debate on Uncensored examining two bombshell reports on sexual violence in the Israel-Hamas conflict: one by the Israeli Civil Commission documenting October 7th atrocities by Hamas, and another by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist Nick Kristof alleging systematic sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners by Israeli security forces. The panel featured US-Israeli journalist Emily Schrader, former Navy SEAL Rob O'Neill, former IDF soldier and whistleblower Shaiel Ben-Ephraim, Young Turks host Anna Kasparian, and former IDF special forces commander Doron Kempel. While all panelists initially agreed sexual violence is universally wrong, the discussion quickly devolved into heated accusations, with Kasparian calling Schrader an Israeli intelligence operative and propagandist for a genocidal regime, which Schrader denied as defamation. Ben-Ephraim corroborated Kristof's most controversial claim that dogs were used to sexually threaten Palestinian detainees, based on direct testimony from Israeli prison guards. O'Neill provided battlefield perspective by categorically stating that torture does not work based on his experience conducting over 400 combat interrogations. The debate expanded to address Israel's newly passed two-tier death penalty law targeting Palestinians, the killing of over 200 journalists in Gaza, administrative detention without trial, and the US role in bombing an Iranian school with Tomahawk missiles that killed roughly 200 schoolgirls. Morgan pressed panelists on why the Israeli government bans international media from Gaza and why investigations into alleged IDF wrongdoing rarely produce public accountability. The second half featured an exclusive interview with GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen about his rejected $55 billion bid for eBay, where he dismissed critics including Michael Burry and called eBay's management team losers running a great business into mediocrity.
Key takeaways
- Former IDF soldier Shaiel Ben-Ephraim confirmed Israeli prison guards used dogs to sexually threaten Palestinian detainees, corroborating Nick Kristof's New York Times reporting.
- Anna Kasparian accused Emily Schrader of being a Unit 8200 intelligence operative rather than a journalist, which Schrader denied as legal defamation.
- Rob O'Neill stated torture categorically does not work based on over 400 combat interrogations he conducted, saying it only makes detainees tell interrogators what they want to hear.
- Kasparian confirmed the United States bombed a school in Manab, Iran with four Tomahawk missile strikes, killing approximately 200 schoolgirls.
- Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir celebrated with champagne after passing two-tier death penalty legislation that applies to Palestinians but not Israeli terrorists.
- New York Times doubled down on Kristof's reporting, calling him one of the world's best on-the-ground reporters on sexual violence in conflict zones.
- GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen called eBay's management team losers and defended his $55 billion takeover bid despite widespread skepticism about financing.