JUST IN: State Department Holds Press Briefing After Biden Halts Arms Shipments To Israel
On Thursday, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller held a press briefing.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Okay, Matt, four days, four days in a row, I'm sorry, I was walking out here, I was remembering
00:18our exchange about this yesterday and thinking, oh, I'm gonna get it in the world.
00:22It's all very quiet.
00:23Everything is fine.
00:24I again, my lack of opening remarks does not indicate lack of anything to say.
00:29Right.
00:30Okay.
00:31Can you explain to us what the impact, what the practical impact, at least for the State
00:36Department, is of the President's comments last night about arms shipments to arms transfers
00:42to Israel and whether or not this plays into the NSM report that I guess is coming today
00:51and maybe tomorrow?
00:53So let me speak first with the NSM report.
00:55It doesn't have any practical impact on the NSM report.
00:57The NSM report is a backwards looking report where we're looking at a number of things
01:04over the past for conduct from last year and then up to when we send the report.
01:08It doesn't have any impact either on the content of the report or the timing of that report,
01:12which won't be today.
01:13But again, I expect in the very near future, it's just a matter of days that we'll be able
01:17to get that report up to the Hill.
01:20And then with respect to the larger question.
01:22So what the President made clear is that we have concerns about a potential military
01:28operation in Rafah.
01:29I don't think that's any secret.
01:30We've been making those concerns known publicly and we have made those concerns quite clear
01:34to the Government of Israel.
01:36And as the President noted, there are certain types of military assistance that we will
01:41not make available to Israel for use in a campaign in Rafah.
01:44Okay.
01:45But I was under the impression that you guys didn't speak to hypotheticals.
01:51So we have made quite clear for some time our concerns about a Rafah operation, something
01:57the Israel Government has signaled is likely to be coming.
02:01And so yes, we have been engaged with them on that.
02:03Well, I get it.
02:05But isn't it if – isn't there a big if in here?
02:09Certainly.
02:10That would be our hope.
02:11We don't want to see an operation go forward, and we're making that clear.
02:15No, I know.
02:16But every time you're asked any question that's got the word if in it or it's not
02:20something that has already happened, you refuse to answer.
02:24And now –
02:25I wouldn't say every time.
02:26I wouldn't say every time.
02:27Pretty much.
02:28Look, I – so I – just to be – I should be serious about this.
02:32I'm not trying to be – make light of it.
02:34I just – but I just – you guys have been – or the President has made a policy prescription,
02:40apparently, based on something that hasn't happened yet.
02:44He has –
02:45Right?
02:46Right.
02:47Because we have been in close conversation with the Government of Israel about this fact.
02:52There is a different than – there is a very real difference, obviously, between coming
02:56to the briefing room and getting a question about something that might happen, and something
03:00that we're engaged with a foreign government that they say they intend to do.
03:04And we treat those differently for quite obvious reasons.
03:06Okay.
03:07So you're saying you won't tell us the whole truth, but you will.
03:11I am saying it's different when a reporter raises a hypothetical question versus a government
03:15saying this is what we intend to do, this is what our policy is going to be, and we
03:18have to make determinations about our policy.
03:19Is it your understanding that the President has decided that what Israel has done in Rafah
03:23so far is – crosses the red line?
03:26We have not yet seen indication of a major military operation.
03:30That's something that we are watching closely, and the President made that clear in his comments.
03:34And yet he already decided to halt or to suspend these shipments.
03:40We have –
03:41That's not something that hasn't happened.
03:42We have paused one shipment and are reviewing others in the context of a potential operation.
03:47But again, we hope that there is no operation.
03:50That I think would be the best outcome for everyone involved.
03:53Okay.
03:54Thank you.
03:55Go ahead.
03:56Just a follow-up.
03:57Just what is your definition exactly of a major operation in Rafah?
03:59I mean, you have tanks there, you have bombings going on every day, they took control of the
04:08Rafah crossing.
04:10What is your definition of a major operation?
04:14So I'm not going to get into too much detail about that from here, but I would differentiate
04:17it from the types of operations that we have already seen from the beginning when it comes
04:21to Rafah.
04:22We have seen Israel execute strikes against Rafah.
04:25We have seen – when I mean strikes, I mean airstrikes.
04:28Going back to last October, it's something that they have engaged in.
04:31The operation that we saw to take control of the Rafah crossing appeared to be a limited
04:36operation.
04:38A major invasion of a civilian area, neighborhoods packed with people, thousands and thousands
04:45of people.
04:46So when we talk about a major operation, we're talking about a campaign targeting these civilian
04:50areas that are densely packed with civilians, in many cases civilians who are refugees from
04:57their homes, sometimes refugees twice over who have moved once, twice, three times, and
05:01are now taking refuge in a place that is literally their last resort where there's nowhere
05:04else for them to go.
05:07Matt, on the NSM report, can we get the latest ETA on when State will submit that?
05:13In the coming days.
05:14So —
05:15It's the very near future.
05:16I don't have a date to affix on the calendar for you, but it will be very soon, I can assure
05:19you of that.
05:20So is there a chance it might slip into early next week?
05:22I am not going to give any timetable at all other than to say the coming days, which is
05:26what I said yesterday.
05:27I can assure you it will not be long.
05:28Okay.
05:29A couple of other things.
05:30In your answer to Matt, you said the report is going to be retrospective, right?
05:35Correct.
05:36It's looking at past conduct.
05:38Right.
05:39And he asked you, I think, if I got it right, how — whether there is going to be any practical
05:44impact on President's comments on the report.
05:47Correct.
05:48So — but the President's comments last night also covered the past.
05:53He talked about — let me find the quote here — he talked about civilians have been
05:58killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs.
06:02So can you explain to us how his comments have no practical impact on the report?
06:08What I was taking Matt's question to mean is — Matt's question was related to the
06:13decision that the President announced last night, or that the President made public,
06:17to not provide Israel certain military weapons for a RAFA campaign.
06:23That is a forward-looking decision.
06:27We have all — the report is a backwards-looking thing.
06:30Now, the report does — will obviously look at allegations of violations of international
06:36humanitarian law.
06:37That's a different thing than what the President — I'm speaking just to a determination
06:43going forward versus a backwards-looking report.
06:45Okay.
06:46Well, let me ask it in the way that I sort of was thinking about asking.
06:50It is a report that is assessing whether or not Israel's assurances are credible on
06:56two things, and one of them is using U.S.-supplied weapons in accordance with international humanitarian
07:01law.
07:02And the President of the United States yesterday said civilians have been killed in Gaza as
07:06a consequence of those bombs, in reference to the 2,000-pound bomb.
07:11So can you explain again, like, how his comments — maybe that's not a determination as a
07:18result of a legal process, but those are comments from President of the United States.
07:23How does that not have any impact on the findings of the report?
07:28So I think you have to look at two separate things.
07:32One is the tragedy — the tragic loss of civilian life throughout this conflict, which
07:39we have spoken to many times, the President has spoken to, the Secretary has spoken to,
07:43other members of the Administration have spoken to.
07:46And we have said that far too many people have died, that Israel needs to do more to
07:51minimize civilian harm, that the actions they have taken have not yielded sufficient
07:58results.
07:59All of those things we believe to be true, still believe to be true.
08:03That is different than a legal question of whether there have been violations of international
08:07humanitarian law.
08:08That's a different question — it goes to not just questions of civilian life — or,
08:14I'm sorry, loss of civilian life, but whether international humanitarian law was violated
08:19in the loss of that life.
08:20And those questions are something that we continue to look at and have not yet — not
08:24reached any determinations.
08:25And how do you determine whether international humanitarian law is violated with those killings?
08:32Is your criteria intent?
08:33So there are all sorts of things when you look at — I'm obviously not a lawyer, but
08:37when you look at the standards that have been applied in every conflict around the world,
08:41it goes to questions of intent, it goes to questions of proportionality.
08:44There are other things you have to look at when making those determinations.
08:46Okay.
08:47Let me wrap my head around this.
08:48How do you think — I'm just trying to wrap my head around this.
08:53In his comments, the President has also said, in the other part of the sentence, and in
08:59other ways in which they go after population centers, going after someone or something
09:06does imply, to me, intent.
09:09And also, the bombs in question are 2,000-pound bombs, and their impact when dropped in a
09:15population center are known.
09:18We know that Gaza is already very — it's very densely populated, and there are people
09:23squeezed in a small place.
09:25So how can any country claim there was no intent if you're dropping a 2,000-pound bomb
09:31on a population center?
09:32So this goes back to the very difficult problem that Israel has faced from the beginning,
09:38is that you have Hamas embedded in these population centers.
09:42So yes, the Israeli military very clearly is operating within population centers, because
09:46that's where Hamas was.
09:47That's where their military targets have been.
09:50And I will say, as we have looked at this conflict from the beginning, obviously we
09:55react to facts on the ground.
09:56So at the outset of this conflict, you saw Hamas that was well-entrenched in civilian
10:01areas and was able to launch not just the attacks of October 7th, but dozens and dozens
10:06of rocket attacks for a while.
10:07They were launching them every day for the first month of this conflict.
10:10And Israel, in the first stages of the conflict, was able to degrade Hamas's ability to the
10:15fact that those attacks, while they still happen, are sporadic, they're not as frequent.
10:21And the Hamas battalions in northern Gaza and central Gaza have largely been defeated
10:26and have been dismantled, though clearly there is still a Hamas population that exists in
10:31all of those areas.
10:33What we have also seen over the course of this conflict is Israel take measures to try
10:40and reduce civilian harm, and we have seen the numbers come down.
10:43Just if you look at the death toll from back in October and November, as Israel implemented
10:48additional measures, the civilian death toll did go down, but we haven't seen it come down
10:54far enough.
10:55And so when you look at, you take all those facts and you overlay them with a campaign
11:02in Rafah where you have a denser civilian population than we – than Israel would have
11:09faced anywhere else just because of the people that have fled there, and you look at their
11:13track record at previous points in the operation, it leads us to believe that there would be
11:20incredible civilian toll, and it's something that we can't support.
11:24Okay, truly, final one, and I apologize to my colleagues.
11:27Can you tell us where we are on the hostage talks?
11:30And there are Israeli officials – I believe perhaps Prime Minister Netanyahu – saying
11:34a deal on the hostage talks collapsed because of President's decision and because President
11:39signaled this decision.
11:40What would you say to that?
11:41So first of all, I'm not going to respond to anonymous officials – is that a on-the-record
11:48quote from someone?
11:49I'm not going to respond to anonymous officials, but I would just say that is not at all our
11:52assessment of the hostage talks.
11:56We actually think that a Rafah operation would weaken Israel's position both in these
12:01talks and writ large.
12:03We've talked about this before, that a major military operation in Rafah would further
12:10weaken Israel's standing in the world, would further create distance from its partners
12:15in the region who actually share Israel's goal of seeing Hamas defeated and want to
12:19see Hamas replaced with a different governance structure in Gaza.
12:27And then also, if you just look at Hamas's track record, they have never cared about
12:33Palestinian civilian lives.
12:35If they did, they wouldn't have launched these attacks in the first place, which they
12:37knew would produce a response, they wouldn't hide behind civilians, and they would have
12:41agreed to a ceasefire long ago.
12:42So I just don't think that that argument holds any water.
12:48With respect to the talks itself, so we continue to engage with the Israeli Government on the
12:55amendments to the proposal that Hamas submitted earlier this week.
13:00There continues to be – we continue to work to try to finalize a text, try to get an agreement,
13:05and I will just say that any effort like this is incredibly difficult.
13:12This one has certainly been incredibly difficult, but we will continue to stay engaged to try
13:16to get a deal, because we believe it's in the interest of all relevant parties.
13:20Thank you.
13:21So just to – it wasn't an anonymous official, it was the Prime Minister of Israel that you
13:25–
13:26So I hadn't seen it on the record, that's why.
13:27I had seen anonymous quotes earlier.
13:29I think my comments – I did give a substantive response in any regard, so I can apply to that.
13:35Okay.
13:36Substantive.
13:37I don't know by whose definition.
13:38But anyway, when you say that –
13:39Ouch.
13:40I thought it was pretty substantive.
13:41When you said that the death toll – when you said prior – that the death toll continued
13:46or has fallen since October, it's come down, but not yet enough.
13:52Whose death toll are you talking about here?
13:54Whose figures are you accepting?
13:57So we are looking at the figures that are released by the –
14:00By who?
14:01The Ministry of Health, which we do have –
14:02By Gaza, but by the –
14:03Yeah, which you know that we have –
14:04Which is run by Hamas.
14:05Which you know that we –
14:06And you have –
14:07Let me just finish.
14:08We do have – we don't have any way of verifying those figures on our own.
14:12Well, then how do you know –
14:13But they are the only figures that are available.
14:15And look, the UN relies on them.
14:17We look at them.
14:18Okay.
14:19We do think there are probably issues with the numbers, but they do capture a large death
14:23toll and a large civilian death toll.
14:25But you're fairly certain that, at least in terms of the trend, they're accurate?
14:35I can't say accurate with any degree of certainty, like I can't give you a what
14:40percentage accuracy.
14:41Well, then what –
14:42But – no, no, hold on.
14:43But if you look at –
14:44With any degree of certainty?
14:45No, no.
14:46I can't say if they're –
14:47Like if you can zero percent?
14:48No.
14:49Hold on.
14:50If they're off by 10 percent, by five – I can't say something like that.
14:51Well, I mean, they might be off by 50 percent.
14:52Who knows?
14:53But just – just – but stipulate whatever they're off by.
14:54They have come down.
14:55And so they have come down over time.
14:57The daily number has come down over time when you look at where they were last October and
15:01November to where they are today.
15:02All right.
15:03Let me ask you something really briefly, just on – there's this whole hypothetical thing
15:06because when Humeyra started her question, it was about my question to you.
15:10And it is a hypothetical because you have the President making a determination on something
15:16that hasn't happened yet, right?
15:18He is making United States policy based on conversations with the Government of Israel
15:24where they tell us what they plan to do.
15:26Let me put it – let me put it in a very flip way.
15:30Like, should I be bringing an umbrella home with me when I leave work today?
15:35I have not looked at the forecast.
15:36I can't quite answer that.
15:37Right.
15:38So that's a hypothetical.
15:39So you don't know, right?
15:41I don't have control over the forecast.
15:43The Government of Israel – hold on.
15:44The Government of Israel has control of what it's going to do, and so when they tell
15:47us that they intend to do something, we make our policy in reaction to that.
15:49Okay.
15:50Okay.
15:51Yeah.
15:52Just a point of clarification on that very front, because Admiral Crobery said this morning
15:54that the Israelis have been saying their Raqqa operation is limited, precise, and of a short
15:58duration.
15:59That's not what you're going to monitor.
16:00So are they – have they told you that they are going to undertake a big operation in
16:05Raqqa and that's the reason for this policy?
16:07They have made quite clear they intend to conduct an operation.
16:10The operation that they have conducted so far has been limited.
16:14They have talked, I think, quite openly about conducting a major military operation in Raqqa.
16:20We are opposed to that, but we'll see what happens.
16:22We have made quite clear we don't want to see it happen.
16:24We continue – and I should say we do continue to engage with them about other options that
16:29they can pursue.
16:30We have presented a full range of other policy choices that they can make that we think would
16:35achieve the goal of dismantling Hamas and choking off the Hamas battalions that remain
16:41in Raqqa without further endangering civilians there and without causing this mass population
16:47displacement with no place for them to go.
16:51And so they may end up taking that option, but right now we'll wait and see what happens.
16:56Have you had any indication in conversations since this policy shift was announced that
17:01they are considering a different tactic?
17:03I'm not going to talk about our private conversations with them, but you can look
17:07at their public remarks and draw conclusions from that.
17:09Okay.
17:10The original reason, going back to April 4th, that both the President and the Secretary
17:13have said that the U.S. would shift its policy was because Israel needed to boost the amount
17:18of humanitarian aid getting into Gaza.
17:22That picture looks about as bleak as it has ever been, with Raqqa being closed, Creme
17:27Shalom being open, but nothing going in.
17:30So is this suspension meant to also address the humanitarian effect, or are there other
17:36potential consequences that the administration is considering on the humanitarian front?
17:40So I don't want to get into previewing any other potential policy options.
17:44I will say, first of all, you're right.
17:46We have been very clear that the level of humanitarian assistance needed to come up
17:50and it need to stay up, and it is not at the level it needs to be this week.
17:53That said, Creme Shalom is open today, and some trucks have moved through Creme Shalom.
17:58So we are – have had a bit of an increase from where we were yesterday.
18:01I don't have the number, but I – just before I came out here, I told that some trucks
18:05moved through.
18:06Some trucks also moved through Erez.
18:07So there are trucks that have gotten in.
18:09Not enough, clearly not enough, not at the level that they should be.
18:12And so that's why we'll continue to push, continue to work with humanitarian partners
18:16to try and get them back up, as well as to get RAFA open.
18:21That will continue to be a priority for us.
18:23But are there any additional – because that was April 4th, so that was a month ago, over
18:26a month ago.
18:27So are there any additional consequences at this stage being considered for – specifically
18:31for the humanitarian –
18:32I am not going to preview specific steps, but we have always made clear when it comes
18:36to humanitarian assistance and the need to have it increased and sustained that we will
18:42make our policy determinations based on the facts on the ground.
18:46And that's the case.
18:47Okay.
18:48And one follow-up on Humayun's question about the hostage talks.
18:49How can you say with such confidence that the policy shift the U.S. has just announced
18:53didn't meaningfully affect the trajectory of those talks, either by undercutting the
18:58Israelis at the negotiating table or emboldening Hamas at the negotiating table?
19:02So it is just not our assessment based on actually being in the middle of these talks
19:06and seeing how it's happening and what Hamas is actually demanding and what their incentive
19:11structure actually is.
19:12That's just not how we see it.
19:14But also, again, to my point, the idea that – we just have never seen Hamas as having
19:23any interest in civilians and civilian life in Rafah.
19:32So the idea that a Rafah invasion that would kill civilians is something that they lose
19:39sleep over just isn't backed up by the facts, isn't backed up by their track record,
19:44the past seven months, when they have put civilians in harm's way time and time again.
19:49If a full-scale Rafah operation goes forward, is it safe to assume that it eliminates the
19:55prospects of a ceasefire and hostage deal altogether?
19:58We will continue to work for a ceasefire that brings the hostages home no matter what it
20:04takes.
20:05That will continue to be the goal that we will try – that we will work for.
20:07Thank you.
20:08Just one question on the NSM delay.
20:10Is there any reason that you can provide to us for the delay?
20:14That we just continue to work to finalize it.
20:16Okay.
20:17I'm curious about President Biden saying that those 2,000-pound bombs were used to
20:24kill civilians, and now the United States won't allow those bombs to be used or doesn't
20:30want those bombs to be used.
20:32But we know that all of Gaza is so intensely populated, so is there a differentiating factor
20:39in terms of how many civilian lives you'll allow to be killed with those bombs?
20:45No.
20:46First of all, we have always made clear that we don't want to see any civilian loss of
20:52life, and we have consistently pressed the Israeli Government to take additional steps
20:59to minimize the loss of civilian life.
21:02But the assessments that we make are informed by what happens on the ground.
21:06And we are in a very different place today than we were last October.
21:10So I made clear a minute ago in response to – I think it was to Humera's question
21:13– where you have seen Hamas significantly degraded.
21:17You have seen their ability to launch the kind of attacks that they did on October 7th
21:24significantly degraded, if not completely eliminated.
21:26They couldn't launch an attack of that scale today.
21:28Their weapons production factories underground have been eliminated.
21:34Much of their battalion leadership in the north and in central Gaza has been eliminated.
21:39So Israel has achieved a great number of its military objectives.
21:43So that's one thing that is different now versus then.
21:46But the other thing that's different now versus then is that we have watched the experience
21:50of those few months, and even when Israel has taken additional steps to minimize civilian
21:56harm, we've still seen results that were – we've still seen results where far too
22:02many civilians were dying.
22:03So we talked about this on some of the trips where there was one in November where the
22:06Secretary went and pressed Israel to take additional civilian harm measures.
22:11They did.
22:12They announced some of those.
22:13We talked about them publicly.
22:14And we still saw an unacceptable loss of civilian life.
22:17So when you look at all of those factors, both where the battlefield – the battle
22:22versus Hamas stands today and the track record over the last few months, it leads us to believe
22:27that the loss of civilian life in Rafah, where you have a situation unlike anywhere else,
22:32both because of the concentration of people and because there's nowhere left to go,
22:36because all these people have come down to Rafah and there's nowhere for them to go
22:39now, it leads us to believe that the results would be disastrous from a civilian harm perspective.
22:46Okay.
22:47And then –
22:48Yes.
22:49Tennessee.
22:50Tennessee's John Kirby said earlier today that Biden doesn't want certain categories
22:54of American weapons used in particular operation in a particular place.
22:59Can you just clarify for us, is this review of the future shipments of U.S. weaponry based
23:07on what those weapons are, or is it just based on the possibility of delaying or halting
23:14all U.S. weapons to Israel?
23:16So I'm not going to get ahead of what the President said last night.
23:20We are reviewing – we have paused one shipment.
23:23We are reviewing others.
23:24But as the President made clear, we will always be committed to Israel's defense.
23:29He talked about continuing to provide them defensive weapons.
23:32We will always be committed to Israel's security.
23:34We will always be committed to helping Israel defend itself against Hamas, Hezbollah, the
23:40threat from Iran, the threat from other terrorist groups and malign actors.
23:44But when we look at a potential operation in Rafah, the President made clear that we
23:50are not going to provide them certain weapons that they could use in such an operation.
23:53And then just last question.
23:54Kirby also said that Biden was forth – was as forthright in his conversations with Netanyahu
24:00about the possibility to pause weapons shipments as he was in the conversation publicly on
24:08CNN yesterday.
24:09Was the Secretary also as crystal clear in his private conversations as President Biden
24:16was publicly yesterday?
24:18Yes.
24:19I don't – we have been quite clear with the Government of Israel some time – for
24:26some time that we are opposed to a major Rafah operation.
24:31And the Secretary in his conversations has made that quite clear and made quite clear
24:36the potential implications, as has – as the President did.
24:40He's made clear which shipments might be paused.
24:44I'm not going to get into details, but you can be fully assured that the Government of
24:48Israel understood our policy.
24:49Sorry, did he make that warning in last week's trip?
24:52I'm not going to get into details.
24:54As I said, there is no doubt that they understood what our policy was should they launch a Rafah
25:00operation, or what our policy would be, I should say.
25:02Thank you.
25:03Matt, before I ask about the – I want to bring your attention to two days from today,
25:09May 11.
25:10It will mark the second anniversary since an Israeli sniper killed our colleague, Shireen
25:16Abak, the Palestinian-American journalist.
25:19And I want to ask you, are you satisfied that everything that could have been done to bring
25:23those responsible, to hold them accountable, has been done?
25:28And do you consider that case to be closed?
25:32That death continues to be a tragedy, one that was investigated by the Israeli Government,
25:38one that we investigated, and I don't have anything further to add to what we said before
25:43– what we said in the past.
25:44So the case is closed?
25:46I just don't have anything further to say on what we've said many times from what we've said.
25:50All right.
25:51Now, on Rafah, Matt, I know there is – or what you guys keep saying, that there is no
25:57major operation, but there are little, tiny operations.
25:59They just killed a family of eight last night in an area that is to the west, not to the
26:05south or to the east, in Tell el-Sultan.
26:07I mean, I don't want to name all their names, but four were children.
26:13Ahmed Abdel-Rahman, 10 years old, Lana Nahed, 12 years old, Mohamed Ramzi Lulu, five years
26:18old, Jenna Mohamed Lulu, one year old.
26:21I mean, so these things go on day in and day out.
26:25Every one of those deaths is an absolute tragedy, Said.
26:28Right, right.
26:29But I mean, it is obvious that the Israelis are not heeding the President's call, your
26:35call, to sort of hold back and so on.
26:38My own thought or what we heard is that once they raise the Israeli flag on the Rafah crossing,
26:45that maybe things will not, you know, go south from there, but they are, right?
26:50So I don't know where you heard that, Said.
26:53Every death is a tragedy.
26:55We have made clear we want to see them take additional steps to reduce civilian harm.
27:01But that doesn't change the fact that just as a factual matter, we haven't seen a full-scale
27:04major military operation.
27:06So again, what we're talking about is like the kind of operation you saw in Khan Yunis,
27:09like the kind of operation you saw in Gaza City, just as a factual matter, that has not
27:12yet begun.
27:13Yeah.
27:14By the way, you said that, you know, Hamas is hiding among the civilian population.
27:19It was not Hamas that drove the people south.
27:22It was actually the Israelis.
27:24They told them to go and, you know, hunker in Rafah, you know.
27:29So Said, you're getting to my exact point, which is it was appropriate to evacuate people,
27:36when there was, hold on, when there was some place for them to go, right?
27:39When there was Rafah, which was, if not completely safe, safer than Gaza City, safer than Khan
27:46Yunis and some place for them to go.
27:48That's not true anymore.
27:49There are not sufficient, there's not sufficient infrastructure in Khan Yunis or elsewhere
27:55in Gaza for the people that moved to Rafah to go somewhere else.
27:59That is why we are so opposed to a military operation there.
28:02Yeah.
28:03Which takes me to my next question.
28:04I mean, if the Israelis, as you said, have already achieved their goals, and if there's
28:08no place for these people to go anywhere, why can't the United States say, you know,
28:14no invasion of Rafah?
28:16This operation must end now, full stop, because obviously it is, you know, a wall or a dead
28:22end or whatever it is.
28:24I think we have said no major invasion of Said.
28:27No.
28:28Hold on.
28:29You're just listening to the initial part of this briefing.
28:30But that said, hold on, hold on.
28:32There are still Hamas fighters there.
28:34We have never said that Israel shouldn't be able to do anything to take on the Hamas
28:40battalions that are there.
28:42There are things that we support.
28:43We have made clear in private conversations with them alternative paths for taking out
28:48and degrading and choking off those Hamas battalions.
28:52That continues to be our position, and it continues to be our position that Hamas could
28:56end all of this right now if they would, if those battalions would lay down their arms,
29:01if Sinwar would come out of the tunnels, and if they would stop fighting.
29:03It's another way that you could end all of this.
29:05And lastly, on the aid, it seems that there was another attack by Israeli settlers on
29:09aid trucks a couple days ago.
29:12Are you aware of that report, and is the United States doing anything about it?
29:14I am aware of that report.
29:16In fact, we – if you looked at the statement we put out, I think it was the day before
29:21yesterday, the Secretary talked with the foreign minister of Jordan about that attack and made
29:28clear that the Israel – the Israeli Government needs to do everything possible to prevent
29:32those attacks and to hold people accountable.
29:35It's our understanding that the Government of Israel arrested six people in response
29:39to those attacks.
29:40That was after they had arrested three people in response to the previous attack.
29:44That is clearly the right thing to do, but they need to do more to prevent these attacks
29:48from happening in the first place.
29:49These are attacks on aid convoys delivering humanitarian assistance to civilians.
29:55They have nothing to do with this – with the conflict with Hamas.
30:01They should not be impeded, delayed, obstructed in any way.
30:05Well, they have nothing to do with it except that it wouldn't be needed.
30:08You know what I mean.
30:10What I mean – you know what I mean, is if your goal is to deprive Hamas of something,
30:17stopping these convoys for civilians does nothing to achieve that goal.
30:21Thank you.
30:22Yeah, Josh.
30:23Hey.
30:24Thanks.
30:25I just wanted to clarify something you said at the top.
30:28I think I heard you say there are certain types of military systems that we will not
30:31make available to Israel for use in a RAFA campaign.
30:35Does the President's statement preclude delivering those weapons, shipments, or analogous
30:41ones to Israel for use in other areas during this timeframe?
30:46I am just not going to get beyond what the President said last night at this point.
30:51We've made clear what our policy is.
30:53We will engage with the Government of Israel about this question and others.
30:58But as I said at the top, while we are opposed to – just to speak about this generally
31:03– while we're opposed to a major RAFA military operation, we do still support Israel's
31:10right to defend itself against other threats.
31:11That has not changed.
31:13That will not change.
31:15The President's commitment to Israel's security is ironclad.
31:19And I should have said this earlier, so I'll make the point now.
31:24We actually do believe that a RAFA campaign actually, in addition to all the harm it would
31:30cause to the Palestinian people, actually weakens Israel's security, doesn't make
31:34it stronger.
31:35It's one of the other reasons we're opposed to the campaign.
31:37So – and this is just – as a practical matter, do you assess that Israel requires
31:42the weapons in these shipments to proceed with the operation?
31:45I am not – I just am not going to get into the details of how they would conduct an operation
31:48at all.
31:49Okay.
31:50Okay.
31:51So, well, then, on Hamas's incentive structure, granted that – granting your point that
31:59they're not concerned in these negotiations about civilian casualties, you have said before
32:03– you even alluded just now – there is Hamas – there are military targets in RAFA.
32:10Does Hamas in these negotiations feel an incentive to release hostages in order to preserve that
32:18military infrastructure?
32:19We think the only thing the Hamas leadership cares about is protecting themselves, not
32:28–
32:29Right.
32:30Fine.
32:31All the Hamas – all the Hamas assets –
32:32Is themselves.
32:33So I'm going to – I'm kind of limited in what I can say here, but ultimately, when
32:37you look at the things that are on the table in the hostage deal, the point of a hostage
32:41– this deal, the things that Hamas gets out of it are things that would benefit the
32:48civilian population of Gaza.
32:50These aren't things that they have shown they have a huge interest in advancing.
32:54Right.
32:55And I'm just trying to think about how – obviously, this is a big issue that has a lot of really
33:00important components, but I'm just trying to zoom in on how it affects the hostage negotiations.
33:04I've talked – I spent a fair amount of time this week interviewing the families of
33:12Israeli Americans.
33:13They're – I think every one of them was very complimentary of how the Administration
33:17and this building has been supportive of them.
33:20But I can't help but wonder, as we watch what Hamas says, and so much of this negotiation
33:26seems to hinge on sticking point of a ceasefire, of an end to the military campaign, if – do
33:34you assess that the President coming out up front and saying that they will – that the
33:40U.S. would not provide weapons in this context, does that not undermine Israel's leverage
33:47in a negotiation?
33:49Or do you just think that the military issue here is not – and I mean, I heard what you
33:53said earlier about how you think this would play out, but however self-serving Hamas is,
33:58does not the – do you just not think the threat of military losses on that file are
34:04relevant to the negotiation?
34:05No, it just hasn't been our assessment that that is how the negotiations have played out
34:09at all.
34:10Okay.
34:11Mark.
34:12So I want to go back to the talks and following up on that question.
34:16There are some reportings that the talks are now in pause because the Israelis brings
34:21a new demand of excluding Rafah from any ceasefire – agreed ceasefire and Gaza Strip.
34:29Can you comment on that?
34:30Can you confirm or deny?
34:32Or is this will be something acceptable for you, to exclude areas from ceasefire?
34:37So I'm not going to get into the kind of peculiar details of leaked reports, but largely
34:43speaking, broadly speaking, the ceasefire negotiations have been about a ceasefire for
34:49all of Gaza, not isolating any one particular area.
34:53No exclusions?
34:54No seclusions.
34:55They've been a ceasefire for all of Gaza.
34:56And two days ago, you were positive that a deal is possible and bridging the gap is still
35:03possible in the negotiations.
35:05Is it still your assessment?
35:07It remains our assessment that it's possible.
35:10This has always been difficult, though.
35:11It's been difficult from the beginning, and when you get to the end of these types
35:14of negotiations, it remains – it can – you've heard the Secretary say this before – oftentimes
35:20the last issues are the hardest ones to reach.
35:23There were other periods where we thought we might be close to a deal.
35:26All I can say is that we think there's space for a deal still, and we're going to continue
35:32to stay engaged with our partners in the region to try to push for one.
35:35Go ahead.
35:36Thank you.
35:37Go ahead.
35:38Thank you.
35:39Thank you.
35:40Reaching the topic?
35:41Yeah.
35:42Yeah.
35:43Two questions on Iraq.
35:44Under Secretary al-Zarziya was in Baghdad yesterday, and she was in Erbil today, and
35:48she met with the different officials.
35:50I want to know if there is any connection between her visit to Baghdad and the recent
35:56law that was passed by Iraqi parliament anti-LGBTQ, and overall, how does the U.S. view the human
36:04rights and democracy in both Iraq and Erbil?
36:07So this was a long-planned trip to advance regional humanitarian human rights and civil
36:14security priorities.
36:15She had three objectives there – one, promoting democracy and partnering with Iraqis to support
36:20a vibrant civil society, two, advancing the protections of human rights, including press
36:24freedom and freedom of expression, third, advocating to create safe, informed, voluntary,
36:31durable solutions to internally displaced persons throughout Iraq.
36:35But of course, our position on that law is well known.
36:37We made that quite clear.
36:39And secondly, in her meetings with the KRG officials, what we saw from the KRG statement
36:46also – her meeting with the president of Kurdistan – they touched about the situation
36:50in Sinjar, the current situation in Sinjar, and also the agreement of Sinjar.
36:55How do you see the current situation in Sinjar and the agreement of Sinjar that was agreed
37:00in 2022 – in 2020, sorry, but it hasn't been applied?
37:05Let me take that back and get you a full answer.
37:07Go ahead, Willie.
37:08Thanks, Pat.
37:09Are you worried that – I mean, this is – the weapons has kind of been your trump card.
37:13Are you worried that by using this card now, you've lost your leverage and your ability
37:19to influence Israel, particularly on the humanitarian front?
37:23So we have – I've gotten this question a lot about leverage.
37:25We've never seen it just as a question of leverage.
37:30Israel is a longstanding ally of ours.
37:33We have a deep relationship with them at a government-to-government level.
37:36We have a deep relationship with them at a people-to-people level.
37:39We have always seen this – understood this relationship is between two sovereign countries.
37:44Israel is going to make the decisions that they're going to make.
37:46They have to take – make a full assessment of the situation they face in Gaza.
37:53They have to take a full assessment of what that will mean for the policies of their allies
37:58and partners.
37:59And we have to do the same thing, and we will.
38:01That said, we will continue to give Israel our best advice about what they should and
38:07should not do, as we have from the beginning.
38:11We will continue to have – it's loud, Kylie – we'll have very direct at times,
38:17I'm sure, conversations about both how they operate their military campaigns and the provision
38:23of humanitarian assistance.
38:24I don't expect that to change in any way.
38:26Those channels remain just as open today after the President's interview on CNN as they
38:31did –
38:32We have continued to have conversations with the Israeli Government today, I can assure
38:36you of that.
38:37Alex, go ahead.
38:38Thank you, Matt.
38:39Happy Europe Day.
38:40Sure.
38:41The EU approved a plan to use some of the funding generated by profits from Russian
38:47– frozen Russian assets to buy weapons for Ukraine.
38:50Are you on the same page with them now that the RIPPLE Act is the law of the land?
38:54I don't have any announcements to make.
38:56We continue to work with our European partners to ensure that we use those assets that remain
39:03frozen and that will remain frozen, that we use those assets for Ukraine's benefit,
39:09but I don't have any further announcements to make about it.
39:11On the supplemental, do you feel an urgency in terms of obligating the fund that you have
39:16available – the DOD already announced 7 billion immediately, but you have 2 billion
39:20available for the state to meet the urgent needs in Ukraine?
39:26What was the question about it?
39:28What was the question about it?
39:29The State Department has –
39:30When was the question?
39:31When we're going to –
39:32To meet the urgent needs.
39:33Stay tuned.
39:34If the question is when, I didn't hear the first part of the question, but stay tuned.
39:38Yeah.
39:39On Georgia, I know we discussed that yesterday, but an awful lot happened since yesterday.
39:42We have seen graphic pictures of them beating up protesters, some young protesters are being
39:49beaten up in and outside of their apartments.
39:52Where are you standing?
39:53I know that you made it clear that you stand with the people of Georgia.
39:56Is there any obvious example you can give us to prove that's the case?
40:01So we are deeply troubled by the actions taken against those protesting against the draft
40:05law and the actions taken to advance it.
40:08We are aware of increased reports of harassment and physical assault of civil society and
40:12opposition activists and journalists.
40:14We condemn this and we call for a full, independent, and timely investigation.
40:20And I will just say, and kind of in response to the broader question, we have enjoyed a
40:24successful partnership with Georgia for more than 30 years.
40:28We would like to continue to work with Georgia.
40:31There is still time to work collaboratively with Georgia, but the Georgian Government
40:35needs to change course for that to be the case.
40:37But clearly, they ignored every warning from this field.
40:41Is it time for the Secretary to step in and pick up the call, call them and say enough
40:45is enough?
40:46I always appreciate the very prescriptive policy options you have to offer us in this
40:49briefing, but we will take – we will –
40:51That's a general sentiment.
40:53What's that?
40:54That's sentiment in Georgia.
40:55No, no, I understand, but we have made clear what our policy is, and we will continue to
41:01make that clear, and I'm not going to preview any actions that we are going to take from
41:04this podium.
41:05I have a question for me.
41:06Let me just – let me just – go ahead.
41:07I'm afraid I may have just gotten my answer, but stay tuned.
41:11But now that the battle in Congress is over for aid and American support, what is going
41:16to be the main focus?
41:17And if Ukrainian manpower is now a concern, what, if anything, can the U.S. do to help
41:22in that regard?
41:23So when it comes to manpower, that is a question that Ukraine, of course, has to answer for
41:27itself, and we have seen the Ukrainian Government take steps to that question.
41:33What we can do as a partner of Ukraine is to continue to support them militarily and
41:38to continue to support their economy, and most of all, to do what we can to help – to
41:42get them to a place where they can stand on their own two feet, and you have seen us implement
41:46a number of policies in that regard.
41:48We've started to see the money that was passed in the supplemental flow.
41:50I can assure you there will be more announcements coming – upcoming in the next few weeks.
41:57Go ahead.
41:58QUESTION.
41:59Senior UNRWA official Scott Anderson told Politico the other day that IDF units are
42:05already on the ground in Rafah killing dozens of people there, including kids.
42:08He also said one of the units is the same that killed seven World Central Kitchen workers,
42:13including an American, of course.
42:14So he's saying the IDF is already killing people, to Said's point, kind of in a way
42:18that questions this line between major and minor operations, and one of these units is
42:24one that ostensibly killed an American.
42:26So how is the U.S. letting an Israeli unit that killed an American now continue to kill
42:30Palestinians?
42:31Like, is that not a red line?
42:32MR PRICE So I'm just not able to verify that report,
42:34and since I'm not able to verify that report, I'm not able to comment on any implications
42:38of it.
42:39QUESTION.
42:40Okay.
42:41But conceivably – I mean –
42:42MR PRICE I don't – conceivably –
42:43QUESTION.
42:44Sure, sure.
42:45MR PRICE Red line.
42:46I – bottom line, I cannot – I mean, I can't verify that to be true, so I can't
42:47talk about any possible implications for something I don't know to be true.
42:48QUESTION.
42:49Yes.
42:50But just to follow up on that, what is the latest on the unit that did kill the World
42:52Central Kitchen workers?
42:54MR PRICE I don't have any updates to offer on that.
42:55QUESTION.
42:56Okay.
42:57Okay.
42:58And then secondly, it's been 101 days now since Himderjah, her family members, the medics
42:59sent to save her were killed.
43:01So first question related to that is, is there an update on the investigation into that attack?
43:05MR PRICE I don't have any one.
43:06I'm happy to go back and get you the latest.
43:08QUESTION.
43:09Okay.
43:10Okay.
43:11So she's one of 14,000 kids killed.
43:12Israeli forces have killed those central – World Central Kitchen workers.
43:14Of course, there's 100 more.
43:16President Biden admits Israel has killed civilians with U.S. weapons.
43:19We have the delay of the memo as to whether or not the U.S. determines whether Israel
43:24has violated national law.
43:27With all of this, I understand there's been a pause in one shipment of weapons.
43:31You have said other shipments are under review.
43:33But how did the U.S. feel comfortable sending Israel 17 billion if we can't get answers
43:37to any of this?
43:38And how can it justify sending any more weapons at this point?
43:41MR PRICE So two things can be true at the same time,
43:44and two things are true at the same time here.
43:46One, that we have – do have concerns about certain ways that Israel has conducted operations.
43:52We've been open and forthright about those.
43:55We've engaged with the Government of Israel about ways they can improve their operations
44:00to minimize civilian harm.
44:01We've seen some – we've seen them take some steps.
44:04We haven't seen them take enough.
44:06And of course, that has led us to have concerns about how a RAFA operation would unfold.
44:11That is one thing that's true.
44:13The other thing that's true is that we are committed to Israel's defense.
44:17Israel is a democracy in the Middle East that is a longtime ally of the United States with
44:22whom we share many values, that faces a number of threats from its neighbors, faces a number
44:26of threats from terrorist groups.
44:28And we are not going to abandon Israel in the face of those threats, and that includes
44:31spending every dime that is contained in the supplemental for Israel's defense.
44:36I would also add that there is money in that supplemental for humanitarian relief efforts
44:40for the Palestinian people, and we intend to spend every dime of that money as well.
44:45To what end?
44:46I know you've said still Hamas remains there, but as we've discussed before many times
44:51in this room, there is the possibility not just of Hamas sustaining for many more months,
44:56but that this might turn more people to sort of join Hamas after being bombarded.
45:00So to what end does an operation remain just committed to, like, removing Hamas from, like,
45:06threatening Israel, given that there's always the concern of hostages?
45:08Like, four have been killed, three have been saved.
45:11I feel like you have been listening and internalizing the Secretary's speeches, because what the
45:16Secretary has made clear is that there has to be a political path forward, that there
45:20can't be only a military operation.
45:24There has to be a military operation that is followed by a political path forward that
45:29meets the legitimate political aspirations of the Palestinian people, or you will have
45:35a continuation of this endless cycle of violence, and that is why we have engaged in diplomacy
45:39in the region to try to create that political path forward.
45:41Go ahead.
45:42Thank you, Matt.
45:43Three quick questions, if I may.
45:44Yesterday, Russia accused the United States of meddling in the Indian election, and also
45:50stated that the U.S. has not yet provided any reliable evidence regarding the murder
45:57plot against a U.S. citizen named Pappannu by Indian nationals.
46:02Could you comment on this?
46:03So with respect to the first – no, of course, we don't involve ourselves in elections
46:10in India, as we don't involve ourselves in elections anywhere in the world.
46:12Those are decisions for the people of India to make.
46:16With respect to the second question, there is a publicly returned indictment that contains
46:22alleged facts – they're allegations until they're proven before a jury that anyone
46:26can go and read.
46:27I won't speak to them here because, of course, it's an ongoing legal matter, and I'll
46:30leave it at that.
46:31Yesterday, Bangladeshi citizens were shot dead by Indian security forces at the Bangladesh-India
46:36border, and this continues a concerning trend of civilian killing at the border, which appears
46:43to violate international law.
46:46Could the U.S., given its strong partnership with India in the region, request that India
46:52assess these killings and ensure accountability for any violations?
46:57So we are aware of the reports about this incident.
46:59We understand the Indian and Bangladeshi border security agencies are in communication
47:03with one another, and I would defer to them to speak to their respective investigations
47:07in the circumstance of the shooting.
47:08One more, quickly.
47:09One more, thank you.
47:10Following the sham election in Bangladesh in January 2006, the ongoing local government
47:14election which is being boycotted by the main opposition party, BNP, is experiencing issues
47:21of intimidation, voter rigging, harassment, attack on journalists, and low voter turnout.
47:27Will you provide an update on the U.S. visa policy as announced last year for those responsible
47:33for undermining democratic election in Bangladesh?
47:36I don't have any updates to announce.
47:37We obviously made that policy public.
47:41At times we make designations under that policy public.
47:44At times we keep them private.
47:45I don't have anything to announce today.
47:46Go ahead.
47:47Thanks, Matt.
47:48I take your point a few moments ago about the word leverage, that you don't love that
47:52word.
47:54President Biden's announcement about the armed shipment I think would be seen by most people
47:58as the most assertive move toward trying to rein Israel in.
48:05With approximately 35,000 people dead, approximately 80 percent of the population of Gaza displaced,
48:13and the U.N. saying there's a fully blown famine in the north, what do you say to critics
48:17who say that such a move should have come earlier?
48:19I spoke to this earlier and said that our policy responds to the facts on the ground.
48:24We made clear at the outset of this conflict we wanted to see Israel defeat Hamas.
48:28We wanted to see Israel dismantle Hamas and prevent its ability to launch the terrorist
48:35attacks of October 7th again.
48:38They've largely succeeded in that goal.
48:39As I said, Hamas could not launch attacks again today.
48:42We also respond to the increasing civilian death toll.
48:45And while we've seen the daily count come down because of steps that Israel has taken
48:49that we have urged, it hasn't come down enough.
48:51And so when you look at all of those things in total, that leads us to believe that an
48:56operation going forward would have enormous impact on civilian harm.
49:00And I do just want to say, again, every time I get this question about the number of civilians
49:06that died in this conflict, it gets posed to me as a question about the government of
49:10Israel.
49:11And remember, it is Hamas that hides behind civilians.
49:16It's Hamas that has built tunnels under hospitals and schools and mosques and at times hides
49:22in those facilities and puts civilians at harm's way.
49:26So I get there are very fair questions about how Israel has conducted this war, and I stand
49:31here and answer them, and the Israeli government answers them too.
49:35But it is also true that a lot of the harm to civilians is because of the way Hamas decided
49:41to embed itself in the civilian population in the first place.
49:44That in no way changes the burden on the government of Israel.
49:47But respectfully, Matt, I mean, they're dead because the armed forces of Israel killed them.
49:53Going after Hamas fighters who were hiding behind civilians, that has been true since
49:58day one.
49:59It remains true today.
50:00Go ahead.
50:01In the back.
50:02Just to follow up on his question, it makes it, your answer makes it sound like it's an
50:05okay number for 40,000 people to be killed.
50:07That is not, that is not, hold on, that is not at all a fair reading of what I said.
50:12I made quite clear that, we have made quite clear for months and months and months that
50:18far too many Palestinians have been killed in this conflict.
50:22And we have engaged with the government of Israel to bring down the level of civilian
50:26death and convince them to take additional steps to reduce civilian harm.
50:31When we look at the operation in Rafah, it is a landscape like no other, both because
50:36of the densely, the way people are densely packed into such a small area.
50:41People from Gaza City, people from Conyers, and unlike with respect to an operation in
50:47Gaza City or Conyers, there's nowhere for them to evacuate to.
50:50And that is a critical difference when it comes to a Rafah operation that didn't exist
50:53for previous ones.
50:54So the Israeli army says that it has the munitions it needs for the Rafah operation and for any
50:58planned operations.
51:00Does that mean, do you think, that that is their way of saying, we will go into Rafah?
51:05I will let them speak for themselves on those questions.
51:08And just more about the aid.
51:09You say that every dime in that U.S. aid to Gaza will be spent.
51:14How do you plan to spend it in Gaza, given that settlers are stopping convoys from going
51:22into Gaza?
51:23Delaying.
51:24Delaying, not stopping.
51:25And today, UNRWA was set on fire by settlers as well.
51:30So first of all, they delayed those convoys.
51:32They did not stop them.
51:33Those are convoys eventually got through.
51:35And those attacks on those convoys are just one route into Gaza.
51:39That's a specific route coming from Jordan, being delivered into Erez.
51:42There are other routes.
51:43There's deliveries from Ashdod that are coming straight into Erez, as well as hopefully we'll
51:48get Kerim Shalom back open and running at a significant level, as it has been for several
51:52weeks.
51:53And of course, we want to get Rafah open.
51:54That's what we've been working on.
51:55Can I ask a question about Zidane?
51:56Just because that was three and we've been going a while, let me go –
51:58Zidane.
51:59Go ahead.
52:00Thank you, Matt.
52:01I'm going to go back to the NSM report.
52:05Okay.
52:06The timeline.
52:07It starts in 2023.
52:08January 2023.
52:09Correct?
52:10I was wondering, when is the cutoff?
52:12When does the report stop that review?
52:17I am going to defer that answer.
52:19I know this will be unsatisfying until you can see a public piece of that in the coming
52:24days.
52:25All of the questions about what's contained in the NSM will be answered.
52:28Okay.
52:29Maybe not all, but a number.
52:30All right.
52:31I have a couple more, please.
52:34Have humanitarian organizations had any input in this report?
52:38And if so, how was it decided to be incorporated in the report?
52:43So the report is written by people here in the State Department as well as with input
52:48from the Defense Department.
52:49It's not written by outside organizations.
52:51Of course, it can't be.
52:52It is a report by the United States Government, so they don't have input in the sense that
52:56they are actually looking at the report, editing, contributing components to it.
53:00But that said, we interact with humanitarian organizations all the time.
53:03We take their feedback.
53:04We take their input.
53:05And it is reflected in all of the work that we do.
53:07Okay.
53:08Two more now, moving away from Israel.
53:11Just a little.
53:12Two more.
53:13Two more.
53:14Earlier when you talked about defending – still defending Israel's security, you mentioned
53:19a couple of threats to Israel, including Iran.
53:23Now, I was wondering if you mean Iran the country or the rulers, the people in power
53:30in Iran.
53:31I certainly don't mean the people of Iran.
53:33I mean the regime in Iran that has financed terrorism against Israel and recently launched
53:39more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel.
53:43It seems like Iran is feeling a little threatened because today another senior advisor of Ali
53:51Khamenei, the leader, said that if Iran's existence is threatened, they will review
53:57their military and nuclear doctrine.
54:01I was wondering how –