.@EliseLabott: "I think the U.S. has to make a really hard choice now about how it's going to support Israel. Is that with weapons? Is that with diplomacy? ...I think you're going to have to see President Biden maybe step it up in terms of the conditions themselves." https://t.co/lzKgR6lWrA
Video Transcript AI Summary
The images from the conflict are devastating and speak for themselves. President Biden has repeatedly outlined his concerns to Prime Minister Netanyahu, including limitations on actions in Gaza and potential violations of international law. Netanyahu has largely ignored these concerns, continuing his current course of action. The resulting international isolation of Israel is raising questions about whether this approach serves Israel's best interests. The US is considering its response, exploring options beyond military aid, such as conditioning weapon sales to influence Israeli actions. The situation is further complicated by Netanyahu's domestic political needs and growing calls, both internationally and within Israel, for his removal. Even some of Israel's closest allies are distancing themselves from Netanyahu's government.
Speaker 0: So I've written those statements before. Right. Right?
Speaker 1: Right. And and clearly, there's an investigation. They'll look into it. But what those
Speaker 0: the photos and the images are absolutely They speak for themselves.
Speaker 1: They're devastating.
Speaker 0: Right. So if
Speaker 1: you were sitting your old job at the state department or now, I mean, what would you be pushing and asking secretary Blinken and other officials about what they might be discussing and considering in terms of additional steps to change the behavior of the Israeli military?
Speaker 0: So if you look back for the past few weeks and you've been talking to your former colleagues over there, President Biden has been laying out certain things about Rafa. You know? Don't go into Rafa. Then he said, okay. If you wanna go into Rafa, be limited, or I'm gonna hold, you know, the, the aid.
Then he said, the humanitarian situation is so bad. And, oh, yeah. By the way, there may have been violations of international law. And so he keeps saying to, prime minister Netanyahu, he keeps laying out either what his red lines are, what he likes to see. And at every point, prime minister Netanyahu is pretty much ignoring Plowing forward.
Plowing forward. And I think what you're hearing now is this discussion in The US and other circles is even if, Jen, and we don't wanna do that, but even if we wanted to put the humanitarian suffering, the deaths, the the aid, all of that aside for a second and not even focus focus on Israel and whether this is in their best interest. When you see the isolation that Israel is facing and in the wake of this attack, France, Germany, Italy, The United Nations, the isolation is deepening. Now Egypt, One of its only allies, you know, that it has a peace treaty with, is also you see a lot of tension on that border right now. And one of their soldiers was was killed.
Was killed, and they joined, you know, this ICJ, case about whether it's a genocide or not. We put that aside. But is this all in Israel's best interest? And, you know, you've heard Jake Sullivan. You've heard the president say, we don't think it's in Israel's best interest.
We wanna go to a two state solution. At what point when Israel's interests and US interests and beliefs are totally antithetical, I think The US has to make a really hard choice now about how it's going to support Israel. Is that with weapons? Is that with diplomacy? What are the Some
Speaker 1: of it is like the holding back of military system, which has been done in the past, but as you know from covering, it's significant when that actually happens. Right? The holding back of military aid to Israel, if they did more of that.
Speaker 0: I don't think The US is ever gonna hold back the kind of aid that would stop it per se from defending itself against Iran or defending itself against Hamas. But these kind of weapons that are allowing them to launch air strikes, you can condition them for very specific things that they can do and what they can't do. And I think you're gonna have to see president Biden maybe step it up in terms of the conditions themselves. Because clearly, he's saying again, this is not in your interests. Mhmm.
And what ally that continues to give Israel or any other country aid, would we be giving Ukraine aid if they're basically, like, like, pissed off?
Speaker 1: But then as you know, prime minister Netanyahu may decide be deciding it's in his personal political
Speaker 0: party. Oh, he needs this war. Which which is a part of it. You know, I, I saw Mike Johnson, the house speaker, was going to the Israeli, National Day the other day, speak on the whole idea of Israeli independence and invited prime minister Netanyahu. So I went to go hear the speech, and I saw a lot of Israelis there that are all talking about Netanyahu has to go.
Netanyahu has to go. The head of the European Union is saying, I'm not even going to say Israel anymore. I'm going to say the Netanyahu government because they think that it's the Netanyahu government's policies that are really against Israel's best interest. And now more, you see the Israeli public saying that too.
