Secretary Antony J. Blinken With Margaret Brennan of CBS’s Face the Nation
05/12/2024
Secretary Antony J. Blinken With Margaret Brennan of CBS’s Face the Nation05/12/2024 12:24 PM EDT
The Secretary of State
Washington, D.C.
QUESTION: Good morning, Mr. Secretary. I know military experts say Gaza is as complicated and challenging a battlefield as any modern warfare has seen. But back in December President Biden said Israel conducted indiscriminate bombing; in February he said Israel’s offensive was over the top; and then this past week he was asked on CNN about pausing the delivery of 3,500 bombs. Here’s what he said.
PRESIDENT BIDEN: Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers. And I made it clear that if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, to deal with that problem.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, is Israel living up to international humanitarian law standards?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, first, Margaret, good morning. The report that we put out lays out some of the concerns that we’ve had throughout this period when it comes to humanitarian assistance, particularly the early months after October 7th, and when it comes to the use of weapons, concerns about incidents where, given the totality of the damage that’s been done to children, women, men, it was reasonable to assess that in certain instances, Israel acted in ways that are not consistent with international humanitarian law.
It’s also critical to note that Israel itself has accountability processes to get at this. There are hundreds of ongoing inquiries looking at different incidents that have taken place since October 7th. There are criminal investigations that are going forward. Unlike most other countries in the world, Israel has the ability, the means, and the actions to self-correct. But we’ve been on this every single day.
QUESTION: So you have been able, then, to conclude that Israel has violated U.S. laws and weapons-sharing agreements?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: No, what we’ve concluded is, in the case of the use of weapons, as you said, this is an extraordinarily complex military environment in which you have an enemy, Hamas, that committed the most atrocious terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7th and then retreats to Gaza, hides behind and underneath civilians, in hospitals, schools, mosques, apartment buildings, and that makes it very difficult to determine – particularly in the midst of war – exactly what happened and to draw any final conclusions from any one incident.
So we have a number of incidents that we continue to look at to try to get the best possible assessment. The Israelis themselves are doing the same thing.
QUESTION: Yeah.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Our assessments will be ongoing. But as I said, given the totality of what we’ve seen in terms of civilian suffering, in terms of children, women, men caught in this crossfire of Hamas’s making who’ve been killed or been injured, it’s reasonable to assess that in a number of instances, Israel has not acted in a manner that’s consistent with international humanitarian law.
QUESTION: So I understand you’re still collecting evidence, but —
SECRETARY BLINKEN: That’s right.
QUESTION: — on the policy, can you clarify? Because even the lead Democrat on House Armed Services says it’s not clear. Is the U.S. slowing down the delivery of any weapons to Israel at this point beyond the 3,500 so-called dumb bombs?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: As you know, Margaret, most of the population from Gaza displaced from the north and from central Gaza has gone to Rafah.
QUESTION: Right.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: There are about 1.4 million people there. And we’ve said to Israel that we cannot, will not support an operation in Rafah – a major military operation – in the absence of a credible plan to protect civilians. We haven’t seen that plan.
QUESTION: And they still haven’t delivered it. So are you —
SECRETARY BLINKEN: We have not seen that plan.
QUESTION: — slowing the delivery of any weapons beyond these 3,500 bombs?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: No.
QUESTION: Are you pausing, for example, precision munitions, as some Republicans have claimed?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Right, the answer to that – the answer to that is no. What the President said and what he’s been clear about in private conversations with the Israelis – which unfortunately leaked to the press, so the President responded forthrightly when he was asked about it – but what we’ve been clear about is that if Israel launches this major military operation into Rafah, then there are certain systems that we’re not going to be supporting and supplying for that operation. But at present, the only thing that we’ve delayed and are holding back are these high-payload bombs because we’re in an ongoing conversation with Israel, given the impact that those weapons can have when they’re used in densely populated areas, including an area like Rafah.
QUESTION: So you still might deliver them?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: So we’re in an active conversation with Israel about that. We have real concerns about the way they’re used. But here’s something else that’s critically important, Margaret. We believe two things. One, you have to have a clear, credible plan to protect civilians, which we haven’t seen. Second, we also need to see a plan for what happens after this conflict in Gaza open – is over. And we still haven’t seen that.
Because what are we seeing right now? We’re seeing parts of Gaza that Israel has cleared of Hamas where Hamas is coming back —
QUESTION: Right.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: — including in the north, including in Khan Younis. As we look at Rafah, they may go in and have some initial success, but potentially at an incredibly high cost to civilians, but one that is not durable, one that is not sustainable.
QUESTION: Yeah.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: And they will be left holding the bag on an enduring insurgency because a lot of armed Hamas will be left no matter what they do in Rafah. Or if they leave and get out of Gaza, as we believe they need to do, then you’re going to have a vacuum, and a vacuum that’s likely to be filled by chaos, by anarchy, and ultimately by Hamas again.
QUESTION: Yeah.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: So we’ve been working for many, many weeks on developing credible plans for security, for governance, for rebuilding. We haven’t seen that come from Israel. We’ve been working with Arab countries and others on that plan. We need to see that too. We have the same objective as Israel. We want to make sure that Hamas cannot govern Gaza again.
QUESTION: Well —
SECRETARY BLINKEN: We want to make sure it’s demilitarized. We want to make sure that Israel gets its leaders. That’s what we’re determined to do.
QUESTION: Yeah.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: We have a different way – and we think a more effective, durable way – of getting that done. We remain in conversation with Israel about exactly that.
QUESTION: Well, Mr. Secretary, your National Security Memorandum that you signed says Israeli civilian harm mitigation efforts are, quote, “inconsistent, ineffective, and inadequate.” The prime minister himself said Israel assesses the IDF killed 14,000 terrorists and 16,000 civilians. Does the U.S. share the Israeli assessment that more civilians have been killed than actual terrorists?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Yes, we do. And I think the report makes clear that while Israel has processes, procedures, rules, regulations, to try to minimize civilian harm, given the impact that this operation, this war in Gaza, has had on the civilian population, that —
QUESTION: And yet you’re still surging weapons to Israel.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: — those have not been – those have not been applied consistently and effectively. There’s a gap between the stated intent and some of the result we’ve seen. But because it’s so complicated in the midst of a war – and particularly in the midst of a war where you have an enemy that hides in civilian infrastructure, hides behind civilians – to make final determinations on these individual incidents, we’re looking at the totality of what’s happened. We think it’s reasonable to assess, based on what’s happened, that there have been acts that have been inconsistent with Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law. But we haven’t drawn definitive conclusions. We need to pursue these investigations, just as Israel is doing itself.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, thank you for your time this morning.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thanks, Margaret.
Secretary Antony J. Blinken With Margaret Brennan of CBS’s Face the Nation
05/12/2024
Secretary Antony J. Blinken With Margaret Brennan of CBS’s Face the Nation05/12/2024 12:24 PM EDT
The Secretary of State
Washington, D.C.
QUESTION: Good morning, Mr. Secretary. I know military experts say Gaza is as complicated and challenging a battlefield as any modern warfare has seen. But back in December President Biden said Israel conducted indiscriminate bombing; in February he said Israel’s offensive was over the top; and then this past week he was asked on CNN about pausing the delivery of 3,500 bombs. Here’s what he said.
PRESIDENT BIDEN: Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers. And I made it clear that if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, to deal with that problem.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, is Israel living up to international humanitarian law standards?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, first, Margaret, good morning. The report that we put out lays out some of the concerns that we’ve had throughout this period when it comes to humanitarian assistance, particularly the early months after October 7th, and when it comes to the use of weapons, concerns about incidents where, given the totality of the damage that’s been done to children, women, men, it was reasonable to assess that in certain instances, Israel acted in ways that are not consistent with international humanitarian law.
It’s also critical to note that Israel itself has accountability processes to get at this. There are hundreds of ongoing inquiries looking at different incidents that have taken place since October 7th. There are criminal investigations that are going forward. Unlike most other countries in the world, Israel has the ability, the means, and the actions to self-correct. But we’ve been on this every single day.
QUESTION: So you have been able, then, to conclude that Israel has violated U.S. laws and weapons-sharing agreements?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: No, what we’ve concluded is, in the case of the use of weapons, as you said, this is an extraordinarily complex military environment in which you have an enemy, Hamas, that committed the most atrocious terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7th and then retreats to Gaza, hides behind and underneath civilians, in hospitals, schools, mosques, apartment buildings, and that makes it very difficult to determine – particularly in the midst of war – exactly what happened and to draw any final conclusions from any one incident.
So we have a number of incidents that we continue to look at to try to get the best possible assessment. The Israelis themselves are doing the same thing.
QUESTION: Yeah.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Our assessments will be ongoing. But as I said, given the totality of what we’ve seen in terms of civilian suffering, in terms of children, women, men caught in this crossfire of Hamas’s making who’ve been killed or been injured, it’s reasonable to assess that in a number of instances, Israel has not acted in a manner that’s consistent with international humanitarian law.
QUESTION: So I understand you’re still collecting evidence, but —
SECRETARY BLINKEN: That’s right.
QUESTION: — on the policy, can you clarify? Because even the lead Democrat on House Armed Services says it’s not clear. Is the U.S. slowing down the delivery of any weapons to Israel at this point beyond the 3,500 so-called dumb bombs?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: As you know, Margaret, most of the population from Gaza displaced from the north and from central Gaza has gone to Rafah.
QUESTION: Right.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: There are about 1.4 million people there. And we’ve said to Israel that we cannot, will not support an operation in Rafah – a major military operation – in the absence of a credible plan to protect civilians. We haven’t seen that plan.
QUESTION: And they still haven’t delivered it. So are you —
SECRETARY BLINKEN: We have not seen that plan.
QUESTION: — slowing the delivery of any weapons beyond these 3,500 bombs?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: No.
QUESTION: Are you pausing, for example, precision munitions, as some Republicans have claimed?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Right, the answer to that – the answer to that is no. What the President said and what he’s been clear about in private conversations with the Israelis – which unfortunately leaked to the press, so the President responded forthrightly when he was asked about it – but what we’ve been clear about is that if Israel launches this major military operation into Rafah, then there are certain systems that we’re not going to be supporting and supplying for that operation. But at present, the only thing that we’ve delayed and are holding back are these high-payload bombs because we’re in an ongoing conversation with Israel, given the impact that those weapons can have when they’re used in densely populated areas, including an area like Rafah.
QUESTION: So you still might deliver them?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: So we’re in an active conversation with Israel about that. We have real concerns about the way they’re used. But here’s something else that’s critically important, Margaret. We believe two things. One, you have to have a clear, credible plan to protect civilians, which we haven’t seen. Second, we also need to see a plan for what happens after this conflict in Gaza open – is over. And we still haven’t seen that.
Because what are we seeing right now? We’re seeing parts of Gaza that Israel has cleared of Hamas where Hamas is coming back —
QUESTION: Right.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: — including in the north, including in Khan Younis. As we look at Rafah, they may go in and have some initial success, but potentially at an incredibly high cost to civilians, but one that is not durable, one that is not sustainable.
QUESTION: Yeah.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: And they will be left holding the bag on an enduring insurgency because a lot of armed Hamas will be left no matter what they do in Rafah. Or if they leave and get out of Gaza, as we believe they need to do, then you’re going to have a vacuum, and a vacuum that’s likely to be filled by chaos, by anarchy, and ultimately by Hamas again.
QUESTION: Yeah.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: So we’ve been working for many, many weeks on developing credible plans for security, for governance, for rebuilding. We haven’t seen that come from Israel. We’ve been working with Arab countries and others on that plan. We need to see that too. We have the same objective as Israel. We want to make sure that Hamas cannot govern Gaza again.
QUESTION: Well —
SECRETARY BLINKEN: We want to make sure it’s demilitarized. We want to make sure that Israel gets its leaders. That’s what we’re determined to do.
QUESTION: Yeah.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: We have a different way – and we think a more effective, durable way – of getting that done. We remain in conversation with Israel about exactly that.
QUESTION: Well, Mr. Secretary, your National Security Memorandum that you signed says Israeli civilian harm mitigation efforts are, quote, “inconsistent, ineffective, and inadequate.” The prime minister himself said Israel assesses the IDF killed 14,000 terrorists and 16,000 civilians. Does the U.S. share the Israeli assessment that more civilians have been killed than actual terrorists?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Yes, we do. And I think the report makes clear that while Israel has processes, procedures, rules, regulations, to try to minimize civilian harm, given the impact that this operation, this war in Gaza, has had on the civilian population, that —
QUESTION: And yet you’re still surging weapons to Israel.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: — those have not been – those have not been applied consistently and effectively. There’s a gap between the stated intent and some of the result we’ve seen. But because it’s so complicated in the midst of a war – and particularly in the midst of a war where you have an enemy that hides in civilian infrastructure, hides behind civilians – to make final determinations on these individual incidents, we’re looking at the totality of what’s happened. We think it’s reasonable to assess, based on what’s happened, that there have been acts that have been inconsistent with Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law. But we haven’t drawn definitive conclusions. We need to pursue these investigations, just as Israel is doing itself.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, thank you for your time this morning.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thanks, Margaret.
Secretary Antony J. Blinken With Kristen Welker of NBC’s Meet the Press
05/12/2024
Secretary Antony J. Blinken With Kristen Welker of NBC’s Meet the Press05/12/2024 12:32 PM EDT
The Secretary of State
Washington, D.C.
QUESTION: And joining me now is Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Secretary Blinken, welcome back to Meet the Press.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Morning, Kristen.
QUESTION: Thank you so much for being here. I want to start with that State Department report that did not draw a definitive conclusion about Israel, whether it’s violated international law. Amnesty International says of the report, this is the, quote, “international version of ‘thoughts and prayers.’” Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen says it ducks the ultimate questions that the report was designed to determine.
Mr. Secretary, is the U.S. trying to avoid holding Israel accountable for its actions?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: No. We don’t have double standards. We treat Israel, one of our closest allies and partners, just as we would treat any other country, including in assessing something like international humanitarian law and its compliance with that law. I would invite people to read the report. They can see for themselves everything that we’ve laid out in the report.
The report also makes clear that this is an incredibly complex military environment. You have an enemy that intentionally embeds itself with civilians, hiding under and within schools, mosques, apartment buildings, firing at the Israeli forces from those places. It’s very, very difficult in the heat of war to make a definitive assessment about any individual incident, but what the report concludes is that based on the totality of the harm that’s been done to children, to women, to men who are caught in this crossfire of Hamas’s making, it’s reasonable to conclude that there are instances where Israel has acted in ways that are not consistent with international humanitarian law.
At the same time, Kristen, we continue to look at, investigate each of these incidents, but critically, so does Israel. There are hundreds, as we understand it, of open inquiries into particular incidents that have taken place since October 7th. There are criminal investigations that are going forward. Israel, unlike many other countries, has both the means and the will to try to police itself. So we need to let those play out, but our own process that has been underway for many months to look at individual incidents, that will continue as well. And when we can reach definitive conclusions, we will, but it’s very difficult to do that in the midst of a war.
QUESTION: And I hear you saying how complex the situation is on the ground, but here we are in the seventh month of this war, Mr. Secretary. How is it possible that the State Department, with all of its resources, was not able to reach a definitive conclusion on this critical question of whether Israel has violated international law?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Again, precisely because we continue to be in the midst of that war, and making these assessments in real time when we don’t have people on the ground, when we also have to make sure that we’re getting information from all concerned, that takes time, and we want to make sure that we can reach definitive conclusions.
But as the report makes clear, given the totality of the damage that’s been done to civilians, to children, to women, to men – given that, given the fact that Israel clearly has procedures, rules, regulations, laws that go into the targeting decisions they make, the way they conduct themselves – but the results that we’ve seen in terms of the horrible loss of life of innocent civilians, it’s reasonable to assess, as we say in the report, that there are instances where they’ve acted inconsistent with their obligations under international humanitarian law. Those investigations continue, both by us and by Israel.
QUESTION: Let’s zoom out a little bit and talk about U.S. policy. The U.S. has urged Israel not to invade Rafah, yet troops are already on the ground, and this weekend we learned that over 300,000 people are being evacuated. President Biden threatened to withhold certain weapons if Netanyahu goes into Rafah in a full-scale invasion, while at the same time sending in other weapons. Big picture, why should Israel believe that the U.S. is willing to back up its threats?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, first let’s step back for one minute. No one has done more to defend Israel when it mattered than President Biden. He was there in the days after October 7th, the first President to go to Israel in the midst of a conflict. When Iran mounted an unprecedented attack on Israel some weeks ago – 300 projectiles, including ballistic missiles, launched at Israel – the United States for the first time ever participated it its active defense and President Biden brought together a coalition of countries the helped defend Israel. So no one has done more than Joe Biden.
At the same time, what we’ve seen over the last few months is a deep concern on our part about the possibility of a major military operation in Rafah, given the damage it would do to civilians – there are more than 1.4 million Gazans in Rafah, most of whom have moved from other parts of Gaza. Absent a credible plan to get them out of harm’s way and to support them, the President’s been clear for some time that we couldn’t and would not support a major military operation in Rafah.
Now, at the same time, we share Israel’s objective in making sure that Hamas cannot govern Gaza anymore, that it be demilitarized, that Israel get its leaders – we continue to support them. But there’s a better way of achieving that than going headlong into Rafah. That’s what we’re talking about with Israel now. We have a better way of doing it. We’re engaged in conversations with them about that. But the President, in answering a question, was very clear about where we are on Rafah itself and what we would do or not do in the event that they go with a major military operation.
QUESTION: I hear you saying you haven’t seen a credible plan yet for how Israel would go into Rafah and mitigate any civilian casualties. Is it fair to see – say that President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu are not seeing eye to eye right now?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: There are two things. One is that, as the President said and as we’ve said in many conversations over the last couple of months, there has to be a credible plan for the civilians. We have to make sure —
QUESTION: Have you seen a credible plan?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: We have not.
Second, there’s something else that’s important. We also haven’t seen a plan for what happens the day after this war in Gaza ends, because right now the trajectory that Israel is on is even if it goes in and takes heavy action in Rafah, there will still be thousands of armed Hamas left. We’ve seen, in areas that Israel has cleared in the north, even in Khan Younis, Hamas coming back. So the trajectory right now is that going into Rafah, even to deal with these remaining battalions – especially in the absence of a plan for civilians – risks doing terrible harm to civilians and not solving the problem, a problem that both of us want to solve, which is making sure Hamas cannot again govern Gaza.
Israel’s on the trajectory potentially to inherit an insurgency with many armed Hamas left or, if it leaves, a vacuum filled by chaos, filled by anarchy, and probably refilled by Hamas. We’ve been talking to them about a much better way of getting an enduring result, enduring security, both in Gaza itself and, much more broadly, in the region. Those conversations continue. And that’s what partners, that’s what allies, do. We are clear-eyed and we speak the truth to each other as we see it. We have American interests first and foremost in mind; we also have Israel’s interests in mind.
QUESTION: Yeah.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: And there may be a difference in view in the best way to achieve them, but that’s also the nature of the relationship.
QUESTION: I want to drill down with you on President Biden’s threat to withhold weapons. What exactly is his red line, Mr. Secretary? What would trigger him to say, “I am now withholding weapons?”
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Look, we don’t talk about red lines when it comes to Israel. We talk, again —
QUESTION: President Biden did talk about a red line, though, Mr. Secretary, respectfully.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: So let me be – yeah, let me be clear. Let me be clear about two things.
QUESTION: What would trigger him to make that decision?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Sure. So first, we have been holding back – and we’re in active conversations with Israel about – the provision of heavy or high-payload weapons, large bombs, because of the concern that we have about the effect these weapons can have when they’re used in a dense urban environment like Rafah. We’re discussing that with Israel right now.
Second, what the President said is that if Israel goes in with a major military operation in Rafah, in that case there are certain systems that we will not provide to Israel that would aid in – aid that effort, because it’s something that we do not want to be part of given the damage that it would do to civilians, and again, not to achieve a durable, lasting, effective result for Israel and for its security. That’s what the President said. We’ve said that in conversations with our Israeli partners. It’s unfortunate that that leaked out, but the President responded forthrightly to a question when he was asked about it.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, I want to ask you about the very latest on the deal to get the hostages released, for a ceasefire. We know that the CIA director has since returned home. Did those talks fall apart because Prime Minister Netanyahu was threatening and is making moves to go into Rafah?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Look, it’s important, first of all, to remind ourselves that Hamas could have ended this on day one. Well, this never, of course, should have happened. There was actually a ceasefire before October 7th, on October 6th, that Hamas destroyed in the most barbaric way possible, humanly imaginable. But every day after that, Hamas could have decided to give up the hostages, stop hiding behind civilians, put down its weapons, and all of this would have been over.
It still has that possibility. The quickest way for this to end is for Hamas to give up the hostages. We will get a ceasefire that we can build on – and build to something more lasting and more durable. The different teams continue to talk. It remains our view that the fastest way to get to a ceasefire, the fastest way to get hostages home, is through an agreement, and we’re determined every single day to pursue that and to try to get it to happen. I think you can question whether Hamas actually wants to get this. It would also be the best way to make sure that we can really surge humanitarian assistance and better protect civilians in Gaza. Hamas purports to be interested in that; its actions certainly demonstrate the opposite.
QUESTION: All right. Secretary Blinken, thank you so much for your time this morning. We really appreciate it.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Kristen, thank you.
Secretary Antony J. Blinken With Kristen Welker of NBC’s Meet the Press
05/12/2024
Secretary Antony J. Blinken With Kristen Welker of NBC’s Meet the Press05/12/2024 12:32 PM EDT
The Secretary of State
Washington, D.C.
QUESTION: And joining me now is Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Secretary Blinken, welcome back to Meet the Press.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Morning, Kristen.
QUESTION: Thank you so much for being here. I want to start with that State Department report that did not draw a definitive conclusion about Israel, whether it’s violated international law. Amnesty International says of the report, this is the, quote, “international version of ‘thoughts and prayers.’” Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen says it ducks the ultimate questions that the report was designed to determine.
Mr. Secretary, is the U.S. trying to avoid holding Israel accountable for its actions?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: No. We don’t have double standards. We treat Israel, one of our closest allies and partners, just as we would treat any other country, including in assessing something like international humanitarian law and its compliance with that law. I would invite people to read the report. They can see for themselves everything that we’ve laid out in the report.
The report also makes clear that this is an incredibly complex military environment. You have an enemy that intentionally embeds itself with civilians, hiding under and within schools, mosques, apartment buildings, firing at the Israeli forces from those places. It’s very, very difficult in the heat of war to make a definitive assessment about any individual incident, but what the report concludes is that based on the totality of the harm that’s been done to children, to women, to men who are caught in this crossfire of Hamas’s making, it’s reasonable to conclude that there are instances where Israel has acted in ways that are not consistent with international humanitarian law.
At the same time, Kristen, we continue to look at, investigate each of these incidents, but critically, so does Israel. There are hundreds, as we understand it, of open inquiries into particular incidents that have taken place since October 7th. There are criminal investigations that are going forward. Israel, unlike many other countries, has both the means and the will to try to police itself. So we need to let those play out, but our own process that has been underway for many months to look at individual incidents, that will continue as well. And when we can reach definitive conclusions, we will, but it’s very difficult to do that in the midst of a war.
QUESTION: And I hear you saying how complex the situation is on the ground, but here we are in the seventh month of this war, Mr. Secretary. How is it possible that the State Department, with all of its resources, was not able to reach a definitive conclusion on this critical question of whether Israel has violated international law?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Again, precisely because we continue to be in the midst of that war, and making these assessments in real time when we don’t have people on the ground, when we also have to make sure that we’re getting information from all concerned, that takes time, and we want to make sure that we can reach definitive conclusions.
But as the report makes clear, given the totality of the damage that’s been done to civilians, to children, to women, to men – given that, given the fact that Israel clearly has procedures, rules, regulations, laws that go into the targeting decisions they make, the way they conduct themselves – but the results that we’ve seen in terms of the horrible loss of life of innocent civilians, it’s reasonable to assess, as we say in the report, that there are instances where they’ve acted inconsistent with their obligations under international humanitarian law. Those investigations continue, both by us and by Israel.
QUESTION: Let’s zoom out a little bit and talk about U.S. policy. The U.S. has urged Israel not to invade Rafah, yet troops are already on the ground, and this weekend we learned that over 300,000 people are being evacuated. President Biden threatened to withhold certain weapons if Netanyahu goes into Rafah in a full-scale invasion, while at the same time sending in other weapons. Big picture, why should Israel believe that the U.S. is willing to back up its threats?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, first let’s step back for one minute. No one has done more to defend Israel when it mattered than President Biden. He was there in the days after October 7th, the first President to go to Israel in the midst of a conflict. When Iran mounted an unprecedented attack on Israel some weeks ago – 300 projectiles, including ballistic missiles, launched at Israel – the United States for the first time ever participated it its active defense and President Biden brought together a coalition of countries the helped defend Israel. So no one has done more than Joe Biden.
At the same time, what we’ve seen over the last few months is a deep concern on our part about the possibility of a major military operation in Rafah, given the damage it would do to civilians – there are more than 1.4 million Gazans in Rafah, most of whom have moved from other parts of Gaza. Absent a credible plan to get them out of harm’s way and to support them, the President’s been clear for some time that we couldn’t and would not support a major military operation in Rafah.
Now, at the same time, we share Israel’s objective in making sure that Hamas cannot govern Gaza anymore, that it be demilitarized, that Israel get its leaders – we continue to support them. But there’s a better way of achieving that than going headlong into Rafah. That’s what we’re talking about with Israel now. We have a better way of doing it. We’re engaged in conversations with them about that. But the President, in answering a question, was very clear about where we are on Rafah itself and what we would do or not do in the event that they go with a major military operation.
QUESTION: I hear you saying you haven’t seen a credible plan yet for how Israel would go into Rafah and mitigate any civilian casualties. Is it fair to see – say that President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu are not seeing eye to eye right now?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: There are two things. One is that, as the President said and as we’ve said in many conversations over the last couple of months, there has to be a credible plan for the civilians. We have to make sure —
QUESTION: Have you seen a credible plan?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: We have not.
Second, there’s something else that’s important. We also haven’t seen a plan for what happens the day after this war in Gaza ends, because right now the trajectory that Israel is on is even if it goes in and takes heavy action in Rafah, there will still be thousands of armed Hamas left. We’ve seen, in areas that Israel has cleared in the north, even in Khan Younis, Hamas coming back. So the trajectory right now is that going into Rafah, even to deal with these remaining battalions – especially in the absence of a plan for civilians – risks doing terrible harm to civilians and not solving the problem, a problem that both of us want to solve, which is making sure Hamas cannot again govern Gaza.
Israel’s on the trajectory potentially to inherit an insurgency with many armed Hamas left or, if it leaves, a vacuum filled by chaos, filled by anarchy, and probably refilled by Hamas. We’ve been talking to them about a much better way of getting an enduring result, enduring security, both in Gaza itself and, much more broadly, in the region. Those conversations continue. And that’s what partners, that’s what allies, do. We are clear-eyed and we speak the truth to each other as we see it. We have American interests first and foremost in mind; we also have Israel’s interests in mind.
QUESTION: Yeah.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: And there may be a difference in view in the best way to achieve them, but that’s also the nature of the relationship.
QUESTION: I want to drill down with you on President Biden’s threat to withhold weapons. What exactly is his red line, Mr. Secretary? What would trigger him to say, “I am now withholding weapons?”
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Look, we don’t talk about red lines when it comes to Israel. We talk, again —
QUESTION: President Biden did talk about a red line, though, Mr. Secretary, respectfully.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: So let me be – yeah, let me be clear. Let me be clear about two things.
QUESTION: What would trigger him to make that decision?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Sure. So first, we have been holding back – and we’re in active conversations with Israel about – the provision of heavy or high-payload weapons, large bombs, because of the concern that we have about the effect these weapons can have when they’re used in a dense urban environment like Rafah. We’re discussing that with Israel right now.
Second, what the President said is that if Israel goes in with a major military operation in Rafah, in that case there are certain systems that we will not provide to Israel that would aid in – aid that effort, because it’s something that we do not want to be part of given the damage that it would do to civilians, and again, not to achieve a durable, lasting, effective result for Israel and for its security. That’s what the President said. We’ve said that in conversations with our Israeli partners. It’s unfortunate that that leaked out, but the President responded forthrightly to a question when he was asked about it.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, I want to ask you about the very latest on the deal to get the hostages released, for a ceasefire. We know that the CIA director has since returned home. Did those talks fall apart because Prime Minister Netanyahu was threatening and is making moves to go into Rafah?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Look, it’s important, first of all, to remind ourselves that Hamas could have ended this on day one. Well, this never, of course, should have happened. There was actually a ceasefire before October 7th, on October 6th, that Hamas destroyed in the most barbaric way possible, humanly imaginable. But every day after that, Hamas could have decided to give up the hostages, stop hiding behind civilians, put down its weapons, and all of this would have been over.
It still has that possibility. The quickest way for this to end is for Hamas to give up the hostages. We will get a ceasefire that we can build on – and build to something more lasting and more durable. The different teams continue to talk. It remains our view that the fastest way to get to a ceasefire, the fastest way to get hostages home, is through an agreement, and we’re determined every single day to pursue that and to try to get it to happen. I think you can question whether Hamas actually wants to get this. It would also be the best way to make sure that we can really surge humanitarian assistance and better protect civilians in Gaza. Hamas purports to be interested in that; its actions certainly demonstrate the opposite.
QUESTION: All right. Secretary Blinken, thank you so much for your time this morning. We really appreciate it.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Kristen, thank you.
Secretary Blinken’s Call with Israeli Minister Gallant
05/12/2024
Secretary Blinken’s Call with Israeli Minister Gallant 05/12/2024 08:09 PM EDT
Office of the Spokesperson
The following is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant today. The Secretary affirmed the ironclad U.S. commitment to Israel’s security and the shared objective of the defeat of Hamas. They discussed the situation in Gaza and ongoing efforts to secure the release of hostages. The Secretary reaffirmed the U.S. opposition to a major military ground operation in Rafah, where over one million people have taken shelter. The Secretary underscored the urgent need to protect civilians and aid workers in Gaza and urged the Minister to ensure assistance can move into Gaza and help address distribution challenges inside of Gaza as Israel pursues Hamas targets.
Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Elizabeth M. Allen’s Travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, and North Macedonia
05/13/2024
Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Elizabeth M. Allen’s Travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, and North Macedonia05/13/2024 08:53 AM EDT
HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Elizabeth M. Allen’s Travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, and North Macedonia
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Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Elizabeth M. Allen’s Travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, and North Macedonia
Media Note
May 13, 2024
Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Liz Allen will travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, and North Macedonia May 12-20 to deepen partnerships with Western Balkan countries and advance our shared goals of regional cooperation and European integration. Under Secretary Allen will emphasize the fundamental democratic values we share with the people of the Western Balkans and the importance of working together to protect free and open societies from malign influence.
In Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Under Secretary Allen will meet with students participating in the embassy’s Leadership, English, and American Democracy (LEAD) program to discuss their experiences learning English and developing community service projects that promote shared values and people-to-people ties. While in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Under Secretary Allen will also visit the Srebrenica Memorial Center, where she will honor the victims of genocide and meet with family members. Her trip will highlight how the United States is working with Bosnia and Herzegovina to secure a democratic, inclusive, and prosperous future for all citizens.
Under Secretary Allen will then travel to Belgrade, Serbia, where she will discuss opportunities to expand the U.S.-Serbia relationship and our shared goal of accelerating Serbia’s path to EU membership with Foreign Minister Marko Djuric and senior government officials. To highlight the critical importance of media freedom in democratic societies, Under Secretary Allen will participate in a panel discussion and present the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia’s annual awards for investigative journalism. She and Speaker of the National Assembly Ana Brnabic will visit the site of the future American Resource Center (American Space) at Ložionica, which will expand access to U.S. arts, culture, education, and entrepreneurship resources for Serbian youth. She will also speak at the annual conference of the English Language Teachers’ Association, the largest national network of English language teachers in Serbia, and present the Access Impact Award honoring the 2024 winner. Before departing Serbia, Under Secretary Allen will travel to Sjenica to address participants of the first Balkan Youth Leadership Program (BOLD) Summit, a regional network of young people working on civic engagement and economic development projects to make a difference in their communities.
In Pristina, Kosovo, Under Secretary Allen will meet with Kosovan President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti to discuss U.S. support for Kosovo’s path to Euro-Atlantic integration and our partnership with Kosovo to counter foreign disinformation and malign influence. While in Kosovo, Under Secretary Allen will visit U.S. service members deployed as part of the NATO Kosovo Force Peacekeeping Mission (KFOR) at Camp Nothing Hill, underscoring the United States’ commitment to the region’s stability and security. Under Secretary Allen will also hold discussions with diverse Kosovan students engaged in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classes at Rochester Institute of Technology – Kosovo. She will travel to Dresnik to uncover Roman-era mosaics archeologists are restoring thanks to support from the State Department’s Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation.
Finally, Under Secretary Allen will travel to Skopje, North Macedonia, where she will meet with experts on foreign malign influence. In respect for cultural diversity and North Macedonia’s rich heritage, Under Secretary Allen will visit an ancient Roman forum in Stobi, where U.S. government support through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation helps preserve one of North Macedonia’s most treasured archeological sites. While there, she will discuss with local partners the project’s potential to further expand economic development, tourism, and people-to-people ties.
Tags
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Kosovo North Macedonia Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Office of the Spokesperson Official International Travel Serbia Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Elizabeth M. Allen’s Travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, and North Macedonia
05/13/2024
Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Elizabeth M. Allen’s Travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, and North Macedonia05/13/2024 08:53 AM EDT
HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Elizabeth M. Allen’s Travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, and North Macedonia
hide
Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Elizabeth M. Allen’s Travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, and North Macedonia
Media Note
May 13, 2024
Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Liz Allen will travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, and North Macedonia May 12-20 to deepen partnerships with Western Balkan countries and advance our shared goals of regional cooperation and European integration. Under Secretary Allen will emphasize the fundamental democratic values we share with the people of the Western Balkans and the importance of working together to protect free and open societies from malign influence.
In Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Under Secretary Allen will meet with students participating in the embassy’s Leadership, English, and American Democracy (LEAD) program to discuss their experiences learning English and developing community service projects that promote shared values and people-to-people ties. While in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Under Secretary Allen will also visit the Srebrenica Memorial Center, where she will honor the victims of genocide and meet with family members. Her trip will highlight how the United States is working with Bosnia and Herzegovina to secure a democratic, inclusive, and prosperous future for all citizens.
Under Secretary Allen will then travel to Belgrade, Serbia, where she will discuss opportunities to expand the U.S.-Serbia relationship and our shared goal of accelerating Serbia’s path to EU membership with Foreign Minister Marko Djuric and senior government officials. To highlight the critical importance of media freedom in democratic societies, Under Secretary Allen will participate in a panel discussion and present the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia’s annual awards for investigative journalism. She and Speaker of the National Assembly Ana Brnabic will visit the site of the future American Resource Center (American Space) at Ložionica, which will expand access to U.S. arts, culture, education, and entrepreneurship resources for Serbian youth. She will also speak at the annual conference of the English Language Teachers’ Association, the largest national network of English language teachers in Serbia, and present the Access Impact Award honoring the 2024 winner. Before departing Serbia, Under Secretary Allen will travel to Sjenica to address participants of the first Balkan Youth Leadership Program (BOLD) Summit, a regional network of young people working on civic engagement and economic development projects to make a difference in their communities.
In Pristina, Kosovo, Under Secretary Allen will meet with Kosovan President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti to discuss U.S. support for Kosovo’s path to Euro-Atlantic integration and our partnership with Kosovo to counter foreign disinformation and malign influence. While in Kosovo, Under Secretary Allen will visit U.S. service members deployed as part of the NATO Kosovo Force Peacekeeping Mission (KFOR) at Camp Nothing Hill, underscoring the United States’ commitment to the region’s stability and security. Under Secretary Allen will also hold discussions with diverse Kosovan students engaged in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classes at Rochester Institute of Technology – Kosovo. She will travel to Dresnik to uncover Roman-era mosaics archeologists are restoring thanks to support from the State Department’s Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation.
Finally, Under Secretary Allen will travel to Skopje, North Macedonia, where she will meet with experts on foreign malign influence. In respect for cultural diversity and North Macedonia’s rich heritage, Under Secretary Allen will visit an ancient Roman forum in Stobi, where U.S. government support through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation helps preserve one of North Macedonia’s most treasured archeological sites. While there, she will discuss with local partners the project’s potential to further expand economic development, tourism, and people-to-people ties.
Tags
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Kosovo North Macedonia Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Office of the Spokesperson Official International Travel Serbia Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
Ambassador Murray’s Travel to Peru for the Second APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting
05/13/2024
Ambassador Murray’s Travel to Peru for the Second APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting05/13/2024 09:10 AM EDT
HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Ambassador Murray’s Travel to Peru for the Second APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting
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Ambassador Murray’s Travel to Peru for the Second APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting
Media Note
May 13, 2024
U.S. Senior Official for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ambassador Matt Murray will travel to Arequipa, Peru from May 13 to 18 for the Second Senior Officials’ Meeting and Related Meetings (SOM2) of the APEC Peru 2024 host year.
While in Arequipa, Ambassador Murray will engage in a series of working group meetings, workshops, and stakeholder engagements. He will collaborate with senior government officials, business leaders, and other stakeholders from across the Asia-Pacific region to discuss U.S. priorities for APEC and explore alignment with Peru’s objectives as host of APEC 2024.
The meetings will include two APEC ministerial meetings and a joint meeting between them: Acting Division Chief for Women’s Economic Security Sandrine Rukundo will serve as the U.S. Head of Delegation for the High-Level Policy Dialogue on Women and the Economy on May 16 and United States Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai will serve as the U.S. Head of Delegation to the Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting from May 17 to 18. On May 16, Ambassador Tai will also participate in a “Women in Leadership” fireside chat alongside Julia Torreblanca, APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) 2024 Chair, at the University of Santa Maria.
A joint meeting of the High-Level Policy Dialogue on Women and the Economy and Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting – headed by Ambassador Tai and Ambassador Murray – will convene on May 17, spotlighting the intersection of women and trade as a means to drive greater sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Ambassadors Tai and Murray will also visit the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) Fair, held at the Bi-National Cultural Center from May 16 to 18.
The meetings in Arequipa will also include a Public-Private Dialogue on Women and the Economy – Creating Change: Women’s Economic Empowerment on May 15, in which Special Advisor on International Disabilities Rights (SAIDR) Sara Minkara will discuss financial inclusion to promote women’s economic empowerment.
For further information, please contact the U.S. APEC Team at
DOSAPEC@state.gov.
Tags
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Office of Global Women’s Issues Office of the Spokesperson Official International Travel Peru
Under Secretary Fernandez’s Travel to New York for the Cobalt Congress
05/13/2024
Under Secretary Fernandez’s Travel to New York for the Cobalt Congress05/13/2024 09:41 AM EDT
HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Under Secretary Fernandez’s Travel to New York for the Cobalt Congress
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Under Secretary Fernandez’s Travel to New York for the Cobalt Congress
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