‘Do You Condemn What You Saw Yesterday?’: Reporter Presses Biden Admin On Anti-Netanyahu Protests

4 months ago

During Thursday’s White House press briefing, National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby was asked about the protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit.

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Transcript

00:00John, we heard from the Vice President earlier with comments – sorry, strong comments related

00:07to the vandalism and the protests that we saw yesterday.

00:10We haven't heard yet from the President or from the White House at large.

00:13Do you condemn what you saw yesterday?

00:14How do you characterize the protests, including what we saw at Union Station?

00:18Well, we did put out a statement last night from the White House, but absolutely condemn

00:23any violence in protest activity.

00:25I mean, it's the First Amendment, right, to peacefully protest?

00:28We fully support that.

00:29We know that there are strong views about what's going on in Gaza.

00:33And some of those views are in opposition to some of the policies that we're pursuing.

00:38We get it.

00:39That's democracy.

00:40But when it turns violent, and when you burn an American flag and pull it down off a U.S.

00:44Government site, that's just absolutely unacceptable.

00:49And obviously, we condemn all that.

00:51Are these protests pro-Palestinian, pro-Hamas, anti-Israel?

00:54How do you characterize what we're seeing?

00:56I think it's a little bit of all those things.

00:58I mean, I can't speak for the protesters.

01:00Obviously, I don't share their views.

01:02But obviously, they took great exception to the Prime Minister speaking on Capitol Hill.

01:07And as I said, many of them have taken exception with our policies with respect to Gaza.

01:13Today, we heard from one of the family members who's going to be meeting with both the Prime

01:16Minister and the President a short time from now, Aviva Siegel.

01:18She was a former hostage of Hamas.

01:20She says, I want to ask President Biden if Bibi is not able or willing to agree to the

01:25ceasefire and hostage deal to bring the Americans home.

01:28Is there anything more that President Biden is prepared to do unilaterally to try to bring

01:32those hostages home?

01:34I wouldn't get into hypothesizing and speculating about options one way or the other.

01:43We want to get all the hostages home, clearly the Americans in particular.

01:47And that's why this deal is so important, Peter.

01:52And we are close.

01:54We are closer now.

01:55I believe, than we've been before.

01:57The gaps are closable, no question about that.

02:00And we believe, the President believes, that getting that hostage deal in place, getting

02:04that six-week ceasefire, that's the best way to get all these loved ones back with their

02:07families.

‘Do You Condemn What You Saw Yesterday?’: Reporter Presses Biden Admin On Anti-Netanyahu Protests

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