(AGENPARL) - Roma, 6 Giugno 2024 - (AGENPARL) – mer 05 giugno 2024 You are subscribed to Department Press Briefings for U.S. Department of State. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.
Department Press Briefing – June 5, 2024 [ https://www.state.gov/briefings/department-press-briefing-june-5-2024/ ] 06/05/2024 06:14 PM EDT
Home [ https://www.state.gov ]Department Press Briefing – June 5, 2024 hide
Department Press Briefing – June 5, 2024
June 5, 2024
1:18 p.m. EDT
*MR MILLER:* All right. I do not have opening comments today, so Matt?
*QUESTION:* Yeah. So, before we get into the rest of the Middle East, can you just give us an update if you have one – or even if you don’t have one – on what happened in Beirut?
*MR MILLER:* So yes. Earlier today there was a shooting incident outside of our embassy in Beirut. One member of the embassy’s local guard force was seriously injured. The gunman was arrested after the incident. The U.S. embassy remains in contact with the Lebanese authorities as they investigate the incident. In terms of embassy security, the embassy was secured immediately. We achieved full accountability of all official U.S. citizens and locally employed staff, and the embassy closed today following the incident but plans to be open for business as usual tomorrow.
*QUESTION:* Okay. Do you have any idea about who did it?
*MR MILLER:* So —
*QUESTION:* You’re relying entirely on the Lebanese?
*MR MILLER:* So, we are – the DSS is coordinating with the Lebanese to answer that question. We are aware that the – the individual who was arrested was wearing what appeared to be ISIS insignia. But we are conducting a full investigation with the Lebanese authorities into the actual motivations.
*QUESTION:* Thank you.
*MR MILLER:* Yeah.
*QUESTION: *Same subject. There now have been five people, along with the shooter, that have been apprehended in Lebanon. Can you say, at this point, is there any indication indeed that there is some kind of cell working against the embassy?
*MR MILLER:* (Coughs.) Excuse me, as I got something —
*QUESTION:* Sorry.
*MR MILLER:* — stuck in my throat. It’s an ongoing investigation; I don’t want to get ahead of that.
Yeah.
*QUESTION:* Staying in the region, how worried are you given the Israeli’s prime minister’s comments on the northern front at Lebanon? How worried are you that that could spin out of control at any time?
*MR MILLER:* So, we do remain incredibly concerned about the risk of isolation along the Israel-Lebanon border. It’s something we’ve been concerned about since the immediate aftermath of October 7th, and we have been engaged in intense diplomatic conversations and intense diplomatic negotiations to try to avoid that conflict from escalating beyond control.
Now, a few things. Number one – and you heard me say this yesterday – it is an untenable situation for Israel right now that there are tens of thousands of Israeli citizens who cannot return to their homes in the north of Israel because it’s not safe to do so because of the risk of – not the risk, but the reality of constant Hizballah shelling and drone attacks in the area. That said, the Government of Israel has long maintained privately to us – and they’ve said it publicly, too – that their preferred solution to this conflict is a diplomatic one, and we continue to pursue a diplomatic resolution because we don’t want to see that escalation of the conflict, which would lead to further loss of life from both Israelis and the Lebanese people, and would greatly harm Israel’s overall security and stability in the region.
So, we – kind of two things. One is this track we’ve been pursuing all along, but then secondly, one of the reasons we think a ceasefire in Gaza is so important is because that ceasefire would unlock the potential for us to actually achieve lasting calm in the north. And it is one of the reasons we continue to pursue it.
Said.
*QUESTION:* Thank you. Today marks the —
*MR MILLER:* I finally got whatever it was in my throat out, so hopefully – hopefully —
*QUESTION:* Right.
*MR MILLER:* – hopefully I can be —
*QUESTION:* You could borrow my bottle of water.
*MR MILLER:* I don’t know if I’ll be any more clear in my answers, but hopefully I won’t be choking on them. (Laughter.)
*QUESTION:* All right. Well, we’ll take it, frog and all. Today marks the 57th anniversary of the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza. And just to give you some of the things that happened on a daily basis, they blew up two homes in Jalbun. They – there’s a statement by the UN saying that the killing of people in the West Bank is unacceptable – 500 people – and so on and so on, and so on. I mean, my question to you: How long must the Palestinians endure? Should they endure another 57 years of occupation? Shouldn’t – isn’t it time for the United States of America to make good on its so many commitment, so many times over the decades, that this occupation must end? Or maybe you don’t feel that this occupation ought to end.
*MR MILLER:* So Said, if you like at the work that we have been doing, it is to establish an independent Palestinian state —
*QUESTION:* Right.
*MR MILLER:* — to answer the Palestinian people’s legitimate political aspirations. One of the things you heard the President speak to in – on Friday, when he outlined this ceasefire proposal that is still pending with Hamas, is that we want to resolve the immediate crisis in Gaza. We want to see an end to the death and destruction there. But then we also believe that the acceptance of that proposal could lead us to long-term peace, long-term stability, and of course self-determination for the Palestinian people.
*QUESTION:* Well, looking at what this President has done, or former presidents have done in terms of exercising or leveraging the weight and the prestige of the United States on Israel to make good, to stop the settlement, you have not. To end the killing, you have not. I mean, we see –
*MR MILLER: *So —
*QUESTION: *We see this war that has been going on for the past eight months, which is just a small part of the past 57 years. It has already – already more than 40,000 Palestinians, maybe more, have been killed, many of them women and children. The entire Gaza is probably destroyed, or part of it is destroyed. The same thing goes on and on every day in the West Bank, which seems to have disappeared from the radar screen.
*MR MILLER:* So —
*QUESTION:* That is my point. When will we see —
*MR MILLER:* So —
*QUESTION:* — a real action by the United States of America to move the —
*MR MILLER:* So, if you want to talk about how we are going to use the influence of the United States and the prestige of the United States, you have seen it over the past few days —
*QUESTION:* Right.
*MR MILLER:* — in working with Egypt and Qatar to negotiate a proposal that Israel put on the table to achieve an immediate ceasefire that we would work to try to turn into long-term, lasting peace. And I would note, as I did yesterday when you asked similar questions and as I did the day before when you asked similar questions, the obstacle to that proposal getting off the ground right now is not Israel, it’s not the United States, it’s not any of the countries in the region – it is Hamas. I would also point you to the fact – the work that we have been doing with the Government of Saudi Arabia and with our other Arab partners to try to find long-term normalization of relations with Israel, and one of the things that would be included in normalization is a pathway to an independent Palestinian state.
So the United States has been actively engaged in this question, not just speaking to it from podiums, not just giving speeches about it, but actively engaged with partners in the region to try to establish an independent Palestinian state; to try to take all the carnage of the past eight months, all the death of the past eight months, and to come out of that with real, tangible progress to answer the Palestinians’ legitimate hopes and aspirations.
*QUESTION: *One last comment. We also see that the President of the United States yesterday, the – this administration signing a deal with Israel to give it one more wing of F-35s that have been solely used in Gaza and nowhere else, giving $50 billion of arms and so on for this war to continue. We’ve seen the President basically say that Mr. Netanyahu is – wants this war to continue for political reasons, and then he backtracks and so on. I don’t think these signals would in any way sort of show the red eye or – as we say in Arabic – or show the stick, so to speak, to the Israeli Government to end its atrocities in Gaza.
*MR MILLER: *So a couple of things. First of all, when it comes to Israel’s long-term security, and when you referred to this negotiation over providing F -35s, that is a commitment to Israel’s long-term security. These are planes that would be delivered four years from now in 2028. We are committed to maintaining Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region. That’s something we’re required to do by law, and it’s something we support and something that we will continue to do. That said, we also are pursuing to – an end to the conflict in Gaza.
And as I said, despite the premise of your question, it is not Israel that is the roadblock to a ceasefire right now. It is not Israel that is a roadblock to hostages being returned, 600 trucks a day of humanitarian assistance coming in, Palestinians been able to return, safely return, to their neighborhoods and eventually get to the reconstruction of Gaza. It is Hamas. All that is on the table in a proposal that is sitting with Hamas, as it has been sitting with Hamas for six days now. And we await their – and we await their – and we await their answer.
*QUESTION: *Did Israel accept the proposal? Did Israel accept the proposal?
*MR MILLER: *Go ahead.
*QUESTION: *Thank you.
*MR MILLER:* Go ahead.
*QUESTION:* Can I follow up on the Hamas thing?
*QUESTION:* You just said it’s with Hamas.
*MR MILLER:* Please don’t interrupt.
*QUESTION:* Sam, can I just —
*MR MILLER:* We’ve had – Sam —
*QUESTION:* Please, can I just —
*MR MILLER:* Sam, we’ve had this conversation before.
*QUESTION:* I’m – I’m trying to get clarification. It’s all about Hamas.
*MR MILLER:* Please don’t interrupt me; please don’t interrupt your colleagues.
*QUESTION:* I’m not interrupting her, I’m asking for clarification.
*QUESTION:* Thank you, thank you. Sam, can I just follow up with my question, please?
*QUESTION:* Has Israel accepted?
*MR MILLER:* I think you are interrupting her. Nadia, go ahead.
*QUESTION: *Okay. All right. Thank you. Actually, a spokesman for Hamas just told Al Arabiya an hour ago that they wanted a guarantee from the Biden administration to make sure that Israel implement what the President has asked for in the three phases. Can you respond to that?
*MR MILLER: *So first of all, I’m not going to negotiate with Hamas in public. There is a proposal that has been transmitted to Hamas. And we will await Hamas’s response through official channels. I think that’s the appropriate way for these discussions to take place. That said, Israel has made clear they are committed to this proposal. They made clear to us they were committed to this proposal before they sent it. They have made clear to us since they sent it that they are committed to the proposal.
Now, that doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be negotiations as we end – well, I should say if Hamas accepts, it doesn’t mean there won’t be negotiations as we get from phase one to phase two. That is built into the negotiation process. And I’m sure as we – as – if we get there, as we make that transition, there are demands that Hamas would have; there are demands that Israel would have. What we would do is push Israel to engage in good-faith negotiations. Qatar and Egypt have said they would push Hamas to engage in good-faith negotiations. And as long as those negotiations are going on, the ceasefire would continue.
*QUESTION: *And I don’t want to follow up on Lebanon. I know that you gave the answer that the U.S. has been working to de-escalate from opening a front in the north. But the statements coming from Netanyahu and his ministers are more extreme and more serious, to the degree they’re actually discussing it in the cabinet, in the Knesset – in the war cabinet tomorrow. So do you believe that Netanyahu is trying to open another front to escape any kind of accountability by prolonging this war from Gaza to the north?
*MR MILLER: *I’m not going to speak to what he may be trying to do. I will just speak to what they have said their policy is, both to us and publicly. They have said for some time now that they will seek to find a solution for Israelis to return to their homes and neighborhoods in northern Israel. They have said their preference would be to resolve it diplomatically, but they were also prepared to do so militarily. We continue to prefer a diplomatic approach. That’s what we continue to pursue, and as I said, is one of the reasons we believe a – reaching a ceasefire in Gaza is so important, because it unlocks the potential of getting that diplomatic resolution in the north.
*QUESTION: *And finally, the” New York Times” said that Israel has spent $2 million on creating fake accounts trying to influence lawmakers and the U.S. officials on their pro-Israel narrative. How do you see this differently from what Iran, Russia, and China all do when you accuse them that they’re interfering in U.S. election and influencing U.S. politics?
*MR MILLER: *So I’ve seen that report. It’s a press report, not a U.S. Government report, so I don’t have any comment on the underlying facts. But I will say we have very clear laws on the books in the United States about foreign influence campaigns. We enforce those laws vigorously and we expect everyone to comply with them.
Tom, go ahead. Come —
*QUESTION: *Thanks, Matt. The BBC is reporting today about the aftermath of the al-Shifa raid by the Israelis, which happened in a two-week period at the end of March. Now, the Israeli Government had said that this was a precise and surgical operation; there was not a single civilian casualty. Palestinian civil defense workers speaking to the BBC said they found corpses of women, children, individuals without heads, as well as torn body parts. Another said signs of field executions, binding marks, gunshots wounds to the head, and torture marks on the limbs were observed on some of the bodies. I mean, is the U.S. Government – has the U.S. Government been looking at this particular incident? And if so, what is your view on what’s taken place there?
*MR MILLER:* So with respect to your report, I apologize. I haven’t read that story yet today. And with respect to what we are looking at, without confirming any one incident, as we never do, we have made clear that we are looking at a number of incidents inside Gaza to assess Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law and those assessments continue.
*QUESTION:* I mean, this particular case – is this one you’ve been looking at? I mean, this was a very significant raid, and I think it’s – the importance of it was that the Israelis went in once in the middle of November, pulled out, and then they went back in several months later —
*MR MILLER:* Correct.
*QUESTION:* — which is sort of indicative of perhaps military strategy but also this very significant number of dead people in Palestinians describe as mass graves.
*MR MILLER:* So I will say with respect to military strategy, you’ve seen us make the point that the fact that they had to return to this location – as they’ve had to return to other locations that they had said they had previously cleared, is a sign that in our view you need more than a military strategy for eventually ending this conflict. You also need a political strategy as well.
With respect to the specific claims of what happened there, I’m just not going to get into which incidents we are assessing, but I’ll say we do have a number of incidents that remain under assessment where we’re looking at Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law.
*QUESTION:* Can I – just one final thing on this because it raises the wider point, which we talked about before, about the ban and the lack of ability for international journalists to get into Gaza – and the fact that the Israelis and Egyptians will not still allow this despite large numbers of humanitarian workers now being able to get in and out and assess things. What are the Israelis saying to you about what is the reason that international journalists cannot find out what is happening in Gaza – because these situations are a very good example about the need for transparency so that we can all understand what’s going on?
*MR MILLER:* So I’m loath to speak for the Israeli Government. I know that they have said —
*QUESTION:* I just wonder what they’re telling you.
*MR MILLER:* I know. I know. I – well, I know that they have said publicly there are safety issues, but I don’t want to speak for them. I will – what I will say is we have raised this issue with the Israeli Government at senior levels to make clear that we think journalists ought to be able to operate inside Gaza. Now, of course, there are safety issues. You have to have a – the ability for them to do so without jeopardizing military operations. That’s standard when the military operate – when any military operates in a conflict zone and journalists are either embedded or in – or they’re actively covering. But we think journalists ought to be able to cover the war in Gaza, and that includes journalists from outside Gaza. A lot of what the world knows is happening in Gaza is precisely as you pointed out – is because of the work that journalists do, sometimes with incredibly tragic consequences. We support that work and we want to see it continue. And we think they ought to be allowed into Gaza.
*QUESTION:* But apart from safety issues, which media organizations are expert at working in war zones and they make their own risk assessment decisions on this, do you know of any good reason why international journalists shouldn’t be able to get into Gaza?
*MR MILLER:* I’m just going to say on behalf of the United States we think they should be allowed into Gaza.
Jillian.
*QUESTION:* Question on Gaza and question on Russia, if I may. I was going to ask – I think my question still holds up whether Hamas has responded formally or not in the last hour. So it was six days ago that the President announced publicly that the new ceasefire deal was on the table, already agreed to by the Israelis. I was going to ask if there’s any concern or if this is just as you would expect it to be that six days in there didn’t seem to be any back and forth, any movement on Hamas’s side?
*MR MILLER:* So a couple of things about that. Number one, it sometimes takes a bit of time to get an answer back from Hamas, because Qatar transmits a response to the Hamas political officials who are not in Gaza. They transmit it to Sinwar and the Hamas military wing that are in Gaza. For reasons you can imagine, communications with them are a little strained, a little difficult, and it takes time to get an answer back. That said, we don’t think this ought to be a process that takes a long time for Hamas to consider given that the proposal that was submitted to them last Thursday evening is virtually identical to one that they said several weeks ago they would agree to. So we would hope for a response from them as soon as possible, because the benefits that this proposal offers to the Palestinian people are real. They’re tangible. They would be immediate, and so we think Hamas ought to accept as quickly as possible.
*QUESTION:* Just for – so – clarity, when you saw a version of what they agreed to a few weeks ago, is that the one that they spoke publicly about and said they would agree to and then it fell apart?
*MR MILLER:* That Hamas did. Correct. Yeah, correct.
*QUESTION:* Okay.
*MR MILLER:* Yeah.
*QUESTION:* Next question is Russia – can I go to another topic?
*MR MILLER:* Of course. We’ll —
*QUESTION:* Can we finish this – okay.
*MR MILLER:* The – yeah. Go ahead, and then we’ll —
*QUESTION:* Yeah.
*MR MILLER:* We’ll —
*QUESTION:* There is pretty widespread reporting now that Russia is trying to essentially scare the international community but Americans and particularly – in particular off the Olympics. So – and they’re putting out fake terror warnings. They’re putting out reporting online that people are sort of giving back their tickets and canceling flights because it’s going to be so unsafe to attend the games. The French spoke out about this back in April, but it seems like the efforts have ramped up. I was just wondering if you had a message for Americans hoping to attend the games, if there are concerns or if it’s just fully fabricated.
*MR MILLER:* So – yeah, I would say first of all it’s not surprising to see that the Kremlin is seeking to disrupt the games with disinformation. We’ve seen them sow disinformation across any number of fronts. And it’s especially not surprising that they’re doing it with respect to the Olympics, where their athletes are banned from competing under the Russian flag because of the Kremlin’s long history of abusing fair competition in the Olympics.
When it comes to a message for people who – that want to attend the Olympics, I think they should look at the information that law enforcement puts out, look at the information that the French Government puts out. We have been working with the French Government for some time to ensure a safe, secure Olympics, and we’ll continue to do so.
*QUESTION:* I just want to come back to Nadia’s question on the Lebanese – Israel-Lebanon border. So you’re kind of asking us to ignore the public statements of Prime Minister Netanyahu and other members of the Israeli military that they’re ready to launch an offensive. And behind the scenes they tell you they don’t want a war, but are you – could you say whether sort of the U.S. has intelligence or is able to see whether Israel is actually preparing on the ground for a possible offensive? Because the language that they’re using suggests that they are.
*MR MILLER:* So I’m not going to answer the second question with respect to intelligence matters. I will say – and I also – I don’t think you should ignore what they say publicly. What they say publicly is important. But I will also say what they’ve said publicly about this tracks what they have said privately to us. They have made clear all along that they want to resolve this situation one way or the other, and they’ve said that to us in private using largely the same language that you’ve seen them use in public, including the language that you’ve seen them use in public over the past few days. But they have also emphasized – and this has been in some of their statements over the last few days as well – that they want to see a diplomatic resolution but they are prepared for another option.
And so we are trying to avoid military escalation in the north. We are trying to pursue a diplomatic resolution. But as I said, the – this goes back kind of to the situation that we’ve been in since October 7th. The longer the conflict in Gaza goes on, the more risk there is of further regional escalation, the more risk there is of escalation in the north of Israel, the more risk there is of that turning into a full-scale conflict with Hizballah, the more risk there is of further conflict in the West Bank, the more risk there is of other proxy groups being drawn into the war, as we saw flare up earlier in this – earlier in the past eight months when we were dealing with sustained proxy attacks in Iraq, sometimes against U.S. forces and U.S. interests.
So we are continuing to try to manage that escalation and prevent it from happening, but that’s why – that is just at the – I know I keep coming back to this answer – it’s why at a fundamental strategic level we are trying to pursue this ceasefire, because we do think it helps unlock region-wide stability or makes region-wide stability much more possible, including in the north of Israel.
*QUESTION:* Right, but – so this is a potential action that Israel could take in terms of crossing the border and escalating from their side. When it comes to Rafah, we had this – you’ve been quite clear that the U.S. disapproves of a full-scale operation in Rafah. So there’s a sort of a warning attached to that and there’s a potential for the U.S. to change policy towards Israel based on that, but in the north you sort of say you don’t want them to go in, but if they do, there’s no sort of warning attached to that that you might actually change policy.
*MR MILLER:* You know I’m just not going to deal with a hypothetical. I would note, though, that the statements from the Israeli Government saying that they are ready for a military operation if necessary is different than saying that they have made a decision to conduct a military operation. We are still in a place where we believe they prefer a diplomatic solution. That’s what they’ve said to us and that’s what we’re pursuing.
*QUESTION:* Sure.
*MR MILLER:* Kylie.
*QUESTION:* Just to be clear on this, you’ve said that obviously you guys want this ceasefire in order to avoid the risk of escalation in the north, but this ceasefire wouldn’t actually include any kinetic potential operations in the north, right?
*MR MILLER:* The ceasefire is an agreement between Israel and Hamas. Obviously the north is a different terrorist organization, Hizballah, so no, it is a different process. But we believe a ceasefire to the conflict in Gaza unlocks the possibility of further diplomacy in the north.
*QUESTION:* And then, just when it comes to the proposal that’s on the table right now, obviously you guys have gone to great lengths to try and pressure regional allies and regional players to put pressure on Hamas to accept the deal. Many of them have put out public statements. I’m wondering if the Biden administration feels like these countries are doing enough privately to pressure Hamas as well.
*MR MILLER:* So, there are only a few countries in the region that have relationships with Hamas.
*QUESTION:* Okay, fine. Qatar and Egypt, do you think they’re doing enough?
*MR MILLER:* We do. We do. We have seen them exert significant pressure on Hamas. I’m not going to get into the details of that here. We have seen both countries play I think an incredibly important role in mediating this deal, in making clear that this deal is in the interests of the Palestinian people, and doing so appropriately.
*QUESTION:* And what – can you just be a little bit more clear about what the consequences for Hamas will be if they don’t accept it? I mean, you keep saying they must accept it, they must, but, like, to what end?
*MR MILLER:* Look, I think the consequences are that the war continues. I think that’s very clear. Without a ceasefire, the war will continue, and —
*QUESTION:* They don’t necessarily want the war to end, so that’s not —
*MR MILLER:* Well, so that gets to this question I’ve dealt with a bit the last couple of days, which is it may be that Sinwar, sitting in a tunnel, believes he’s safe and so makes that decision because he thinks my personal safety is assured and I don’t care about the Palestinian people who continue to die in conflict, and who continue to struggle from a lack of humanitarian assistance because of all the barriers and impediments to getting it in and getting it properly distributed. We can’t make that decision for him, obviously. All we can do is put a deal on the table that is in the interests of the Palestinian people, hope that enough countries in the world make clear that Hamas ought to take this deal. But ultimately the responsibility for that lies with Hamas, and the responsibility for the consequences if they don’t accept this proposal – which, as I have said, and I’ll keep harping on it, is nearly identical to one they said they would agree to – the consequences are – rest with Hamas if they decline to now take it.
*QUESTION:* But will there also be consequences for Hamas outside of the battlefield if they don’t accept this deal?
*MR MILLER:* What do you mean? You mean for the Hamas operatives that are not inside Gaza?
*QUESTION:* Yeah.
*MR MILLER:* So look, Hamas is a designated terrorist organization. We have long made clear there ought to be consequences for members of Hamas outside of Gaza who are engaged in terrorist activities. I don’t have anything to preview at this time.
*QUESTION:* Okay. And then just one more line of questioning. We’ve now seen I think it’s like nine or 10 resignations of State Department officials, USAID officials, protesting this administration’s approach to the war. I wonder if any of those resignations have had any impact on the administration’s policy.
*MR MILLER:* So we certainly understand that people have incredibly strong feelings about this proposal. That includes people, obviously, in senior officials – senior officials in this government have incredibly strong feelings about the conflict in Gaza. And we listen to people. We want to hear their opinions. We want to hear the expertise that they bring to bear. But ultimately, it is the President, the Secretary, other senior officials that make the decisions about what the policy of the United States ought to be.
But I would say to all of those who disagree or have disagreed with the policy that the United States has pursued: Look at the work that we have done to try and get a ceasefire in Gaza, to get the proposal that’s on the table to the line and then over the line. This isn’t work that started last Friday when the President laid out this proposal. This is work that has been going on for months to try to find a way to get a ceasefire and bring a durable end to this conflict. It is what we have been focused on. It’s not always apparent. It’s not always evident to the public. But we have been trying to find a way to end this conflict in a way that is durable and lasting, that doesn’t ensure that Israel is fighting another war against the Palestinian people in three months or six months – or even a year or two years, and in a way that provides real security for Palestinians and Israelis alike.
*QUESTION:* Can I have a follow-up?
*QUESTION:* Well, hold on a second.
*MR MILLER:* Yeah.
*QUESTION:* You said that doesn’t ensure that Israel is fight – is going to fight a war against the Palestinian people. I thought the whole point was that they’re not fighting the Palestinian people, they’re fighting Hamas.
*MR MILLER:* It’s – it is a good correction. Fighting – it is a good correction, Matt. I thank you. It is a war against Hamas that, unfortunately, has had tragic consequences for the Palestinian people, but of course.
*QUESTION:* Can I just follow up on a point that wasn’t, I don’t think, a slip of the tongue, because you’ve said this before, in relation to Kylie’s question, which is that you say that Hamas and Sinwar should bear in mind that what should draw them to a ceasefire is that Palestinian people are being killed. But your position is that no civilians – no Palestinian civilians should be being killed. So why do you raise that point as a point of pressure on Hamas?
*MR MILLER:* It is a – just a point of actual fact.
*QUESTION:* But it’s been your position that civilians should not be being killed.
*MR MILLER:* This is a – no, the proposal – of course, of course. The —
*QUESTION:* So – but the fact you’re raising it, the U.S. Government raises this as a point of pressure on Hamas —
*MR MILLER:* No. The proposal on the table is a ceasefire – a ceasefire to a war that has led to thousands of innocent Palestinians been killed – being killed.
*QUESTION:* Yeah, and your position is that innocent civilians should not be being killed.
*MR MILLER:* That it should – that – of course, of course the —
*QUESTION:* But yet you raise this as a pressure —
*MR MILLER:* No, hold on, hold on —
*QUESTION:* You do. You’ve done this before, and so have other U.S. officials.
*MR MILLER:* Absolutely they should not be killed, but they are being killed in a war. And we want to see – and we want to see that war end —
*QUESTION:* And your position is that they – that – your position is that they should not —
*MR MILLER:* — and if Hamas accepted the proposal, the war would come to an immediate halt for at least six weeks, and we would try to turn it into something more durable.
*QUESTION:* But it just feels rather contradictory, if your position is that Palestinian civilians should not be being killed, to raise that as a specific point of pressure on Hamas to come to a ceasefire.
*MR MILLER:* It is acknowledging the obvious reality, the harsh reality of this conflict.
*QUESTION:* But – an obvious reality that —
*MR MILLER:* It is not at all an endorsement of the tragic consequences; it is an acknowledgment of reality. The President talked about this too. We’ve seen tremendous death and destruction over the past eight months. We want to avoid that going forward, and the way to do that is to get a ceasefire.
Go ahead.
*QUESTION:* But you vetoed a ceasefire resolution?
*QUESTION:* Yeah, two questions, Matt. One, Egypt is unhappy over rate of aid entering Gaza. Do you have any comment on that? Did they discuss this issue with you? And any updates on Rafah crossing?
*MR MILLER:* So we have been engaged in conversations with our Egyptian counterparts as well as other counterparts in the region for some time, really for months. It’s an ongoing conversation about how to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance in – through all crossings into Gaza.
I would say with respect to Rafah, and this is obviously related – I spoke to this some yesterday or the day before, maybe both – we are engaged in ongoing conversations with Egypt, with Israel about how to reopen that crossing, how to ensure that the crossing is administered not by Hamas on the Gaza side of it but by some other authority. We’re working through what that might look like and how we would provide appropriate security – I say “we,” not the United States – but how there could be appropriate security provided to ensure that the crossing is open and safely operated, and those discussions are ongoing.
*QUESTION:* And second, the UAE president has received yesterday Taliban interior minister, who is on the terrorist list, U.S. terrorist list. Do you have any comment on that?
*MR MILLER:* So I would just note that member-states hosting UN-sanctioned Taliban members must seek permission for travel through an exemption process, as outlined by the UN 1988 Sanctions Committee, and it’s important that member-states follow these procedures.
*QUESTION:* Did you discuss this issue with UAE?
*MR MILLER:* I don’t have any conversations to read out. So —
*QUESTION:* Change of subject.
*MR MILLER:* Let me just stick – I will come to you. Yeah, go ahead.
*QUESTION:* Thanks, Matt. So last week it was pretty widely reported that Biden gave the green light to Ukraine to use U.S. weapons on Russian territory. Is that true?
*MR MILLER:* With respect to targeting military targets just over the border in – outside Kharkiv.
*QUESTION:* Okay.
*MR MILLER:* So across the Ukrainian border into Russia outside Kharkiv.
*QUESTION:* And how far does that stretch into Russia?
*MR MILLER:* I’m not going to get into exact details from this podium. We’ve communicated them directly to the Ukrainian Government. But it was to allow the Ukrainians to defend themselves from a changing battlefield where Russia has rolled military equipment right up to the Russian border and used that equipment to shell civilians in Kharkiv. And the Ukrainians, in our assessment, needed the ability to be able to respond to that in a way that was appropriate, and so we’ve granted them the authority to target military targets just over the Russian border in that area.
*QUESTION:* Are you concerned about potential escalatory risks?
*MR MILLER:* I would say it is Vladimir Putin that has continually escalated this conflict over and over again, including by these latest actions. And we think this is an appropriate response.
*QUESTION:* Right. So, well, your response you don’t find escalatory?
*MR MILLER:* We do not. We will continue to take appropriate actions to respond to what President Putin has done, to allow Ukraine to defend itself. But again, it’s Russia that’s the aggressor here. It’s Russia that is rolling its military equipment right up to the border, and using it to shell civilian targets. And we think it’s appropriate that Ukraine be able to defend itself.
*QUESTION:* Follow on Putin?
*MR MILLER:* Go ahead.
*QUESTION:* Yeah. Thank you, Matt. A couple questions on Iraq. In recent days, the anti-American groups in Iraq targeted a U.S. branch and UK branch in —
*MR MILLER:* I – I – can you speak up just a little bit? I can barely —
*QUESTION:* Yeah. In recent days, the anti-American groups in Iraq, they attacked a U.S. branch and UK branch in Baghdad, and they are calling for attacking the other branch in other cities in Iraq. Are you going to conduct an investigation into these attacks? And what’s your assessment on that? Who do you blame for being behind these attacks?
*MR MILLER:* So, I’m not going to speak to any investigation that we may or may not undertake. But I would say that the attacks on these – what are essentially franchises of U.S. companies harm Iraqi workers, Iraqi patrons, and sometimes Iraqi capital that is being employed there. And so they are attacks against – eventually against the Iraqi people, and we think the Iraqi Government ought to take appropriate measures to respond to those attacks and hold people accountable for them.
*QUESTION:* And then today and yesterday the Iraqi interior ministry, they announced that they arrested assailants, and including the members of security forces. So what concerns do you have when the security forces in Iraq should protect the security of these companies and branch, but they are getting involved within the attacks and to this violence?
*MR MILLER:* Well, I would answer that by saying whenever attacks like these are carried out, whoever the perpetrator is, it is appropriate that those individuals be held accountable. And in this case, that’s what the Iraqi Government is doing, and we want to see them continue to do it.
*QUESTION:* And last thing, about the escalation in the region. Today the Iranian IRGC commander in chief said that the Israelis should wait for a response over the attacks that happened in Aleppo. What concerns do you have about that?
*MR MILLER:* I would just say broadly that we want to continue to avoid further escalation.
Go ahead. Yeah. Yeah, you. Go ahead.
*QUESTION:* Sorry.
*MR MILLER:* Sorry.
*QUESTION:* Thank you. Today a group of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian journalist Saif al-Qawasmi and journalist Nir Hasson of the Israeli newspaper “Haaretz”, who was protecting al-Qawasmi, in Jerusalem during the nation’s flag march. So first I’m just wondering if the U.S. has any response to this attack on our press colleagues.
*MR MILLER:* So attacks of that nature should be prevented when possible, and when they can’t be prevented, they should be fully prosecuted; people should be held accountable under the law.
*QUESTION:* And then following up on Nadia’s question on the “New York Times “and “Haaretz” reporting, a little over two months ago the U.S. announced sanctions on Russians for creating false websites and then using fake social media accounts to amplify the misleading content – so similar to what the Government of Israel has reportedly carried out. And of course, the U.S. has taken a similar stance for the past few years. So I’m wondering, I know that you said the U.S. has laws, you expect compliance. Will U.S. take similar action here?
*MR MILLER:* So as I said in response to Nadia’s question, right now we have a news report. It’s not U.S. Government information, so I’m not going to speak to it specifically. But I think I’ll leave it at that. And as I said, though, we do have laws that we vigorously enforce, and we expect people to comply with them.
*QUESTION:* Sure.
*QUESTION:* Does that mean that when the question was asked about the Russians and the Olympics in Paris, that you do have your own independent information? Because you gave a fairly detailed answer to that.
*MR MILLER:* The – we – we do have information as it relates to that, in fact, yeah.
*QUESTION:* So there is a U.S. Government report lurking out there –
*MR MILLER:* I’m not —
*QUESTION:* — about the Russians trying to disrupt the —
*MR MILLER:* There is information – there is information that we have engaged with our allies and partners with respect to that report, and I think I’ll leave it at that.
*QUESTION:* Okay. But – and – but in this case, though, this specific case that you’re being asked about now, there is nothing?
*MR MILLER:* Not that I am aware of.
*QUESTION:* Right. But just to finish. Sorry.
*MR MILLER:* Yeah.
*QUESTION:* If the U.S. does find that this reporting does bear out – and this is not meant to be like a hypothetical; this is meant to be more of a commitment towards norms – will the U.S. act in accordance with how it has before, and how it has with Russia? That’s not a hypothetical; it’s —
*MR MILLER:* It is – so it is somewhat of a hypothetical, only because you have to actually look at the facts of every case and see what the appropriate response is. But as is always the case, we look at violations of our law – a lot of that is carried out by other agencies within the United States Government – and develop the appropriate response. But I just – I can’t respond with any level of detail here, because the – it is always very fact-specific.
*QUESTION:* Okay. And then finally, it’s – I know I’ve asked about this before, but I’ll probably keep asking about it – it’s been 128 days now since Hind Rajab was killed and the medics sent to save her were killed, family members. Is there an update into this investigation?
*MR MILLER:* Let me get you an answer to that – on that and come back to you.
*QUESTION:* Can I ask you on the disinformation space?
*MR MILLER:* Yeah.
*QUESTION:* There was the video of you at the podium —
*MR MILLER:* I saw that.
*QUESTION:* — that was circulated over the weekend, a doctored video of you speaking about the Ukrainians potentially hitting Russian cities. Does the U.S. now know who created that video?
*MR MILLER:* We don’t have an official assessment; it’s something that we are continuing to assess, to find the actual provenance of that video. As I said in the response I gave to the” New York Times”, we have seen the Russian Government execute videos like this in the past and use disinformation to fool their own people, as well as people of other countries. But we don’t have an assessment of this official video.
I will say, just as a warning to everyone, if you see a video of me at the podium and my – my tie color and shirt color change from the time I’m asked a question to the time that I answer, it is probably a good – it is probably a good indication that it is not real.
*QUESTION:* It’s magic.
*QUESTION:* And that leads me to a second —
*MR MILLER:* Huh?
*QUESTION:* Magic.
*MR MILLER:* Yeah, it’s magic, it’s magic.
*QUESTION:* Do you —
*MR MILLER:* It’s also occurred to me that if I could get an AI version of myself, I can avoid a lot of Zoom meetings, but it’s not —
*QUESTION:* Is the assessment that this was – that whomever created this video used AI, or that it was just doctored video?
*MR MILLER:* So I don’t have – so I don’t have an official assessment. It’s something that people with a lot more technical expertise than myself are looking at at this point. I think clearly some of the video was from me at the podium. Whether the video itself was doctored, not exactly clear. The audio is not me at all, and whether it was spliced together clips from – I should say it’s not – whether it’s together – spliced-together clips from me saying one word and put together in different ways, or it’s an AI version, we don’t yet – we don’t yet know. We’re looking into it.
*QUESTION:* Okay. And then —
*QUESTION:* Is that really you up there right now?
*MR MILLER:* I think so. (Laughter.) Look around. It seems to be. Is my – has my shirt and tie changed halfway through the briefing?
*QUESTION:* I trust the —
*MR MILLER:* I think that’s – I think that’s the test.
*QUESTION:* Just a last question.
*MR MILLER:* There are also a couple – there are also a couple of words and phrases you can ask me that reveal my Texas accent, that I doubt an AI could duplicate, so —
*QUESTION:* How does this – seeing this video out there, are you expecting to see more doctored videos of this type leading up to the U.S. elections? How are you guys preparing for that? I mean, you still – it’s been six days now, you don’t know who created it.
*MR MILLER: *Yeah.
*QUESTION: *You don’t know exactly if it was doctored or AI. Like, how do you respond more quickly in a way that is effective?
*MR MILLER: *It is something that we are extremely concerned about. You have seen doctored videos of the President in the past. You saw an AI-generated video of the President several months ago that appeared in Africa. It is something that we are working on as part of our broad efforts to combat disinformation. The best thing that we can do is try to put out reliable information to the people of the United States, the people of the world every day, and to quickly call out disinformation when we see it.
That said, in some ways, some of these, there is no perfect answer. For example, with this Russian video, it was circulated on Telegram inside Russia. No good way to combat that. But when it comes to videos that are circulating in the U.S., in the West, we will continue to pursue a strategy of identifying those when we see them, calling them out when we see them – and trying to be present ourselves communicating what our actual positions are to somewhat counteract disinformation.
*QUESTION: *Thanks.
*MR MILLER: *Yeah, Alex. Then we’ll come to you next.
*QUESTION: *Thank you, Matt. A couple questions. On Ukraine question, are you seeing any initial impact on the battlefield besides how nervous the Russians have become?
*MR MILLER: *I am not going to make battlefield assessments here. We have – I will defer. I think the question is, if I’m understanding correctly, is respect – with respect to the use of weapons across the border.
*QUESTION: *Since they have been using —
*MR MILLER: *I’m going to leave it to the Ukrainians to make assessments about that.
*QUESTION: *Thank you. Moving to South Caucasus, I’m struggling to understand or define, actually, the current state of your relationship with Georgia. I know you told us that Secretary requested a review, and the ambassador is here, presumably for a chiefs of diplomatic missions summit. But then I look at the Georgian media. Only in the 24 hours, GD officials and PM himself managed to attack on the U.S., the U.S. Congress, those who testified yesterday on the Hill. They’re calling – he called them traitors. He appreciated China for the relationship. He pushed another law with – this time homophobic law. Have you downgraded the relationship? If not, why not? Why do you —
*MR MILLER: *So Alex, this is not the first time that the pace of our reviews have not met your demands for a four or five or six-day turnaround. We announced a review less than two weeks ago of our relationship given the law that Georgia has passed. And I’m being a little flippant in response to your answer, but it’s – it’s because there are actual serious policy ramifications here, not just rhetoric. It is about the amount of assistance that we provide to Georgia, some 390 million that was budgeted over the past few years, that is under review. It is about potential sanctions, visa restrictions that we announced as a policy less than two weeks ago, that we are studying right now whether and how and when to implement.
So, you will see more from us. You will hear more from us, as regards to this question, but I’m not ready to do so today.
*QUESTION: *The review at what level? Ambassador level or —
*MR MILLER: *It was – it – so it was the Secretary of State that announced this review. Ultimately it is conducted by others in the State Department in consultation with our colleagues across the interagency. And the Secretary will make decisions in consultation with those same colleagues.
*QUESTION: *Thank you. Moving to Azerbaijan, they arrested another prominent economist and journalist, Farid Mehralizade, as part of the investigation on Abzas Media, even though there are facts that he’s not even related to that media organization. Do you have any reaction to that?
*MR MILLER: *So we are deeply troubled by the continued arrest of members of Azerbaijani civil society. Those who exercise their fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, should not face arrest for doing so. And we continue to urge the Azerbaijani Government to immediate release – immediately release all individuals who are unjustly detained and to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all.
*QUESTION: *Thank you, and I have one more, if I may.
*MR MILLER: *Go ahead. Sorry, let me – let me just go – go ahead.
*QUESTION: *Within the last couple hours, there has been series of congratulatory messages to Prime Minister Modi and his coalition government there, including phone call by President Biden, tweet by Secretary Clinton. Is the U.S. planning to send any delegation for Prime Minister Modi’s swearing ceremony over the weekend?
*MR MILLER: *I don’t have any announcements to make today, but stay tuned. We’ll have something to say about that in the coming days.
*QUESTION: *And from – from the perspective of Secretary Blinken, what are the key priority areas for India-U.S. relationship for the next government?
*MR MILLER: *So we will continue to look to expand our partnership. We work with India on economic matters. We’ve worked with them to deepen people-to-people ties between our two countries, and of course we work for them – work with them on a free, secure, prosperous Indo-Pacific. And those will continue to be our priorities.
*QUESTION: *(Off-mike.)
*QUESTION: *Now the U.S. is also go – headed into an election season. And India-U.S. every year have the annual 2+2 dialogue. Do you think – do you have enough time between now and November to hold the 2+2 dialogue?
*MR MILLER: *So I don’t have any announcements to make with respect to that dialogue, but it is an important priority for us. It’s an important priority for the Secretary, and we will continue to hold it, but in terms of when it will happen, I can’t tell you standing here today.
*QUESTION: *Thank you.
*QUESTION: *(Off-mike.)
*MR MILLER: *Go ahead.
*QUESTION: *Thank you. The last decade, of course, has been Prime Minister Modi’s administration. What were the advantages of the last 10 decades, and going forward, the third term for Prime Minister Modi – what advantages does the U.S. see in this relationship?
*MR MILLER: *So I’m not going to speak to that in terms of the prime minister’s coalition and the different government. Those are all choices for the Indian people to make, and we respect the will of the Indian people. I will say that we will look to continue our work with Prime Minister Modi, as you’ve seen President Biden undertake since he took office. That’ll continue to be a priority through the issues I just spoke to a moment ago.
*QUESTION: *And now that the electoral test is over, a lot many people doubted democracy in India. What is the U.S.’s take on the democracy and the way the elections have played out and the results have played out?
*MR MILLER: *So India is, of course, the world’s largest democracy, and the election that just played out over the last six weeks was the largest exercise of democracy in the history of the world. And we commend the Government of India, voters, and poll workers for this massive undertaking.
Go ahead.
*QUESTION:* Thank you so much. As you called, largest democratic practice for Indian elections, but there is a dark side as well maybe overlooked by Department of State. So, from these elections, we have seen two jailed leaders got more votes than anyone else. From south Kashmir, Engineer Rashid that is in Tihar jail got more votes and defeat, like, the former chief minister in Kashmir region. And then believe separatist leader – a Khalistani leader may be – so Amritpal, he got more votes. So both are in jail, and they got more votes from their people. So how do you see their victories? Specifically, when will U.S. consider or recognize the elections in internationally disputed region Jammu and Kashmir where from August 15 – August 5, 2019, India unilaterally attempt to change its demography?
*MR MILLER:* So I’m just not going to comment – with respect to the first, I’m just not going to comment on Indian – internal Indian electoral or political issues. With respect to the second, let me take the question and get you an answer.
Go ahead.
*QUESTION:* Matt, good afternoon. Joe Donnelly leaving the position as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, July 8th. How quickly do you anticipate that position being filled?
*MR MILLER:* So I don’t have any announcements to make, but Joe Donnelly had an incredible tenure in that position, and we’ll look to fill it as quickly as possible.
*QUESTION:* And will the new ambassador, do you – I know you can’t say when, but do you think one will be in place before the presidential election in November?
*MR MILLER:* Look, I can’t just speak to that. We will look to have a new nominee as soon as possible, but it’s hard to answer that question because you’ve seen the Senate at times move quite slowly on some of our nominees. And over the last few days, you’ve seen senators announce that they would obstruct any nominee that the President makes. So we would urge those who wish to see our ambassador – ambassador nominees confirmed quickly to weigh in those senators who have said they’re going to block them.
*QUESTION:* Any names being floated that you can share right now?
*MR MILLER:* I’m not going to – certainly not going to speak from here, up here.
*QUESTION:* And finally, the job requirement – what requirements you’re looking for on the job? I’m not running – I’m not applying, obviously, but looking for the requirements that you’re searching for.
*MR MILLER:* Well, you can send an application in.
*QUESTION:* Right. Right.
*MR MILLER:* It’s open to – open to one and all.
*QUESTION:* Yeah.
*MR MILLER:* We look at someone that can – who can faithfully represent the interests of the United States.
Go ahead. And then we’ll wrap for the day.
*QUESTION:* So Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to address Congress for the fourth time. He’ll be the first world leader to do so. How does that – is that reflective of U.S.?Israeli relations?
*MR MILLER:* So we do have, as I’ve spoken to many times from here in the past, a longstanding partnership with the Israeli Government. And there are deep standing people-to-people ties between the American people and the Israeli people. And as it pertains to a speech to Congress, ultimately that’s a matter for Congress.
With that, we’ll wrap for the day.
*QUESTION:* Thank you.
*MR MILLER:* Thanks.
(The briefing was concluded at 2:05 p.m.)
# # #
Tags
Azerbaijan [ https://www.state.gov/countries-areas/azerbaijan/ ] Egypt [ https://www.state.gov/countries-areas/egypt/ ] Georgia [ https://www.state.gov/countries-areas/georgia/ ] India [ https://www.state.gov/countries-areas/india/ ] Iraq [ https://www.state.gov/countries-areas/iraq/ ] Israel [ https://www.state.gov/countries-areas/israel/ ] Lebanon [ https://www.state.gov/countries-areas/lebanon/ ] Office of the Spokesperson [ https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-public-diplomacy-and-public-affairs/bureau-of-global-public-affairs/office-of-the-spokesperson/ ] Palestinian Territories [ https://www.state.gov/countries-areas/palestinian-territories/ ] Russia [ https://www.state.gov/countries-areas/russia/ ] Ukraine [ https://www.state.gov/countries-areas/ukraine/ ] body { font-size: 1em; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; color: #333333; } ________________________________________________________________________
Stay connected with the State Department:
The Great Seal [ http://www.state.gov/ ]RSS Feed [ http://www.state.gov/misc/echannels/66791.htm ]Facebook [ https://www.facebook.com/statedept ]Flickr [ http://www.flickr.com/photos/statephotos ] YouTube [ http://www.youtube.com/user/statevideo ] Instagram [ http://instagram.com/statedept ]
________________________________________________________________________