‘We're Going To Continue To Be Really Clear’: Biden Admin Defends Delaying Bomb Shipment To Israel

4 months ago

During a White House press briefing on Monday, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about a potential plan for Palestinian refugees and the decision to delay weapon shipments for Israel.

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00:00 Where do deliberations stand on this potential White House plan

00:05 to allow a certain number of Palestinian refugees

00:09 into the U.S.?

00:10 So I don't have any updates for you.

00:12 I know I've been asked this question multiple times

00:14 about conversations happening here.

00:17 Don't have anything to share.

00:18 What I will say is, and I've said this many times before

00:21 in the beginning of what happened,

00:26 occurred on October 7th, we put in a plan.

00:31 There were about 1,800 Palestinian Americans

00:33 that were in Gaza, and we did everything that we can

00:38 to get them out if they choose to,

00:40 if that's something that they wanted to do,

00:42 and certainly we were able to do that.

00:44 As it relates to a refugee program

00:47 or anything in that nature,

00:48 I don't have any announcement to make,

00:51 and I'll just leave it there

00:53 because I want to be really mindful about that,

00:55 about getting ahead of that.

00:56 So the fact that a lot of Democratic senators

00:58 were sort of lukewarm on the idea

01:00 make it less likely that something like that would happen?

01:02 I wouldn't say that.

01:04 I wouldn't say that -- confirm that either way.

01:06 What I will say is we don't have any announcement

01:09 to make at this time,

01:11 and so obviously we're going to look at everything.

01:14 So the U.S. has withheld bomb shipments to Israel,

01:21 and on Friday, the State Department

01:23 sent a report to Congress.

01:26 So did the report further support

01:30 the administration's stance,

01:31 or are they having second thoughts about it?

01:36 Say that one more time.

01:38 So the U.S. has withheld bomb shipments to Israel.

01:42 Yeah, just one shipment, 2,000 bombs.

01:44 Yeah.

01:45 And so we have --

01:46 2,000 pound bombs.

01:47 So we have --

01:48 That is connected to what we have said,

01:51 and we have made very clear about our public --

01:54 and made this public and privately --

01:56 our concerns about a major military operations in Tarafa.

02:02 And so we have been very clear about that

02:04 because of the more than 1.4 million Palestinians

02:09 who were there who are -- they are seeking refuge.

02:11 And so we've been very clear about that.

02:12 So we have paused one shipment,

02:15 and that's what the President spoke to last week.

02:17 That's what Jake spoke to just moments ago.

02:20 The report, does it sort of further strengthen

02:24 what the President is doing, or is it giving him pause?

02:30 What do you think of the report

02:31 that the State Department sent to the Congress?

02:33 I mean, I think Jake spoke to that,

02:35 and he talked about the findings of the report,

02:38 how it wouldn't change our policies.

02:40 That's number one.

02:42 And this is an ongoing transparent process.

02:45 I don't have anything else to add beyond that.

02:48 Look, when you think about the pause on these 2,000-pound bombs,

02:54 the reason why we paused it is because we want to be mindful,

02:58 right, we want to -- we understand that there is --

03:01 in Rafah, there are dense areas

03:04 that have Palestinians who are seeking refuge.

03:08 And we want to make sure those civilian lives,

03:10 those innocent civilian lives, are protected.

03:12 That's why we've made very clear,

03:15 very clear about our concerns

03:17 about our major military operations there.

03:20 That is the reason.

03:21 That is the focus, understanding that fact.

03:24 And that is a fact.

03:25 And so we're going to continue to have those conversations.

03:27 You heard Jake talk about, in the upcoming days,

03:30 having an in-person conversation with his counterparts,

03:35 continuing these group meetings that they've been having,

03:40 with -- that NSC has been having with the IDF,

03:45 the Israeli government.

03:46 And so that's going to continue.

03:47 We're going to -- and we're going to continue

03:48 to be really clear about our concerns,

03:52 as we've been publicly, as also privately.

03:55 And so those conversations continue,

03:57 and that's why the President has been very clear.

03:59 There are 1.4 million civilians, innocent civilians,

04:03 that are in Rafah right now.

04:05 And we want to be really careful and mindful.

04:07 We want to see a plan that speaks to how are we going to --

04:11 how is Israel going to make sure that those lives are protected.

04:15 It is a pause of one shipment,

04:17 and that shipment is related to what we believe is --

04:21 it could be potentially an issue here in Rafah,

04:26 being very, very clear about that.

04:29 Okay.

‘We're Going To Continue To Be Really Clear’: Biden Admin Defends Delaying Bomb Shipment To Israel

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