James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
1:47 P.M. EST
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Chatty Friday. We were just saying everybody is chatty out here.
Oh my gosh, the first row.
Q Yes!
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Let's give it up — (applause) —
Q Almost the second —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — give it up to the ladies. (Applause.)
Q And no heels!
Q Yes, we're all wearing snow boots.
Q Should I move to the third row? It seems like —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Joe Joe, you have failed us in the second row. You have failed us in the second row. (Laughter.)
Q Almost.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Almost. Almost.
All right. With that, good afternoon. Happy Friday. Thank you for those who were able to show up in this winter — wonderful winter storm in D.C. I have a couple of things at the top.
So, today we got more evidence that President Biden's economic plan is delivering results that more and more Americans are feeling. Consumer sentiments increased 13 percent this month, rising to the — its highest level in more than two years.
In the last two months, sentiments has surged by 29 percent — the biggest two-month jump in more than 30 years. It's clear Americans are starting to feel President Biden's strong economy. Wages have risen faster than inflation for 10 months in a row. The unemployment rate has remained below 4 percent for the longest stretch in 50 years. Inflation has fallen by about two thirds. We have more work to do, obviously, but we are on the right path.
President Biden's agenda is a sharp contrast with congressional Republicans' plans to cut taxes for the wealthy and big corporations while raising healthcare and prescription drug costs for hardworking American families.
And a few moments ago — I saw some of you have already been reporting this — the President signed the continuing resolution passed by bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate that prevents a needless shutdown, maintains current funding levels, and includes no extreme policies.
Instead of wasting more time on partisan appropriation bills that violate the budget agreement two thirds of them voted for last spring, House Republicans must finally do their jobs and work across the aisle to pass full-year funding bills that deliver for the American people and address urgent domestic and national security priorities by passing the President's supplemental request.
Today, more good news, President Biden announced his administration is canceling debt for another 74,000 student borrowers across the country. With today's actions, the Biden-Harris administration has now canceled debts for 3.6 million Americans. And that's a big deal, as some will say around here — a big deal.
The — those receiving relief as a part of today's announcement include teachers, nurses, firefighters, and others who earn forgiveness after 10 years of public service.
It also includes people who have been in repayment for 20 years but never got the relief that they earned. And in practical terms, it means that today, thanks to President Biden and this administration, millions of American families have a bit more breathing room to start a business, save their — save for their kid's college, or buy their first home.
From day one of the — of this administration, the President vowed to improve the student loan system so that obtaining higher education provides Americans with opportunity and prosperity, not unmagi- — unimaginable burdens of student loan debt.
The President will continue using every tool at his disposal to get student loan borrowers the relief they need to reach their dreams.
Turning to this — this afternoon, the President's — obviously, his schedule this afternoon. The President knows that mayors get things done, and he is looking forward to welcoming bipartisan mayors attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting to the White House later today.
The President will highlight the ongoing partnership between federal and local governments to ensure communities across the country realize the full potential of Investing in America agenda.
The President will highlight the most significant investment in our nation's infrastructure in generations, the biggest investment in fighting climate change, progress preventing [and] reducing crime, our work to end homelessness, and much more.
With that we have the — the Admiral here, John Kirby, who's here to discuss the Middle East.
Admiral, the podium is yours.
MR. KIRBY: Good afternoon, everybody.
President Biden had a chance to speak this morning with Prime Minister Netanyahu. The President and the Prime Minister discussed ongoing efforts to secure the release of all remaining hostages that are being held by Hamas.
The two leaders also reviewed the situation in Gaza and the shift to targeted operations that will enable the flow of increasing amounts of humanitarian assistance while keeping the military pressure on Hamas and its leaders significant.
The President welcomed the decision from the government of Israel to permit the shipment of flour for the Palestinian people directly through Ashdod port while our teams are separately working on options for more direct maritime delivery of assistance into Gaza.
The President also discussed recent progress in ensuring the Palestinian Authority's revenues are available to pay salaries, including for the Palestinian security forces in the West Bank.
The President also discussed Israel's responsibility, even as it maintains military pressure on Hamas and its leaders, to reduce civilian harm and to protect the innocents.
The President also discussed his vision for a more durable peace and security for Israel, fully integrated within the region, and a two-state solution with Israel's security guaranteed.
Now — and we'll have a formal readout of the call here shortly if it's not out already.
Just one last thing. This morning, U.S. forces conducted three successful self-defense strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. This is the fourth preemptive action that the U.S. military has taken in the past week against Houthi missile launchers that were ready to launch attacks — in this case, anti-ship missiles.
CENTCOM — Central Command — will have a more — more details on this a little bit later, but, as you know, there are U.S. Navy ships in the Red Sea as well as international shipping.
These actions were, I want to stress again, done in self-defense, but it also helps make safer international waters for both naval vessels as well as mar- — merchant — merchant shipping.
Thank you.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Colleen.
Q John, so the call with Bibi and the President today was the first since Christmas.
MR. KIRBY: Yes.
Q Can you talk a little bit about why the delay, especially because they were talking so frequently over the fall?
And then, also, on Bibi. Does the President think a two-state solution is possible with Bibi in office, given what he's said about it?
MR. KIRBY: On the modalities of the call and the frequencies, as I've said before, they will talk as appropriate. This was deemed by both leaders as the — as the — the best opportunity for yet another call, Colleen, and I have no doubt that there will be additional calls going forward, clearly.
The President still believes in the promise and the possibility of a two-state solution. He recognizes that's going to take a lot of hard work. It's going to take a lot of leadership there in the region, particularly, on both sides of the issue.
And the United States stands firmly committed to — to eventually seeing that outcome. Right now — and we're — obviously, we're talking to them actively about post-conflict Gaza and what governance there needs to look like and the importance of an independent Palestinian state for long-term security, not just for the Palestinian people but for the Israeli people as well.
Currently, of course, we're rightly focused, as I said in the opening statement, on making sure Israel has what it — continues to has — have what it needs to defend itself.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Weijia.
Q Thanks, Karine. And thanks, John. So, you continue to reiterate the administration's policy that you support a two-state solution. Senator Elizabeth Warren says that if "Netanyahu opposes that, then we need to question why we are supporting the Netanyahu government." So, why is the U.S. supporting a government that opposes U.S. policy?
MR. KIRBY: I'm not sure what the context means of supporting the government, but let's just take it — I'm going to assume it's meant in the context of this war they're fighting. It is certainly supporting the Is- — we're certainly supporting the Israeli governments to defend themselves.
But it's really bigger than that, Weijia. It's about supporting the Israeli people's right to exist, right to be a nation. I mean, again, you don't have to look any further than the 2017 manifesto of Hamas to see what their ultimate plans are. They want to wipe the country off the face of the — off the map.
So, we're defending Israel's right to defend itself. The Israeli people get to decide who represents them, who their elected officials are. We don't decide that. And we will always work with whoever the Israeli people decide to put in — into power and government. We'll always work with them, regardless of the differences, maybe, on political issues.
They chose this government. This is the government that is in charge of conducting warfare against Hamas. We're going to make sure that they have what they need, in addition to making sure, as I said in the opening statement, that we're doing everything we can to alleviate the humanitarian suffering in Gaza.
Q Warren is not alone in expressing these concerns. Is the President worried that, given what Netanyahu has said about opposing a Palestinian state, it could complicate the efforts to pass the supplemental?
MR. KIRBY: The President is under — two things — under no illusions of how elusive a two-state solution has been and how much hard work there's going to be ahead for all of us to try to get there.
On the — on the supplemental — again, I don't want to negotiate here in public — we believe that we're making progress here in terms of working in a bipartisan way with the — with senators. And we'll see where this goes.
But — but the President comes away from the meeting with congressional leaders the other day — largely, that was a meeting about Ukraine —
Q Right.
MR. KIRBY: — and bipartisan support on Ukraine, but that they understand the — the urgency of — of supporting Israel as well.
Q Thanks, John.
Q Thanks. Thanks, John. You've said that — or you said yesterday that the U.S. is taking away capabilities from the Houthis with each and every one of these strikes and making it harder for them to continue to propagate these attacks. Can you quantify that progress, describe that?
MR. KIRBY: I would leave it to the Pentagon to go through their battle damage assessment. After every strike, they'll — they'll do an assessment on how successful it was. They believe that they have had good effects on degrading some of these Houthi capabilities.
But clearly — and the President alluded to this yesterday — they still have some offensive capability. And we're going to keep taking the actions we believe we need to take to defend ourselves. But I — I couldn't give you a percentage. That's really a better question for U.S. Central Command or for DOD to speak to.
Q And you also said yesterday, the U.S. has additional options available to take on the Houthis. What is the administration waiting for to use those other options? Is there some red line or something that would happen?
MR. KIRBY: I don't think it'd be fair to say we're waiting on anything. I mean, we've been — we've been taking shots as needed, including this morning.
Well, you know, three anti-ship cruise missiles were sitting on the rails ready to go, and we knocked them out before they had a chance to launch them. And we also designated the Houthis as a specially designated global terrorist. That allows us some additional economic levers that we didn't have available to us before. And we'll keep reviewing our options going forward.
Again, I'll say it that — that the Houthis need to stop these attacks. They can make that choice. Clearly, they've made opposite choices. So, we have choices to make too, and we have options available to us as well. We'll continue to explore those options.
Clearly, one of the options that we are and will continue to take are in the military realm, if needed.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Andrea.
Q John, just on the North Korean underwater nuclear weapons systems test yesterday. Do you have any information on that? What's your response to that? And —
MR. KIRBY: I don't have a lot of specific information. I — we're not in a position where we can validate those claims. We're in touch, obviously, with our South Korean partners to see whatever information and context they might have about that. So, I can't — I can't verify the claims by the North that they've — that they've actually tested such a weapon.
It is — it does, though, underscore the continued provo- — provocations by Kim Jong Un and his regime in Pyongyang. The continued pursuit — again, whether this is true or not, there's little doubt that they continue to pursue advanced military capabilities to threaten their neighbors and to threaten the region.
And that is why President Biden has taken significant steps to shore up our alliances in the region. You saw in Camp David a historic agreement between Japan and South Korea to improve trilateral cooperation; a new nuclear consultative group session with South Korea that was announced when President Yoon was here; as well as the addition of U.S. military — particularly intelligence capabilities on and around the Peninsula so that we can get better information about what Kim Jong Un is up to.
But we haven't taken our eye off this one bit.
Q Okay. And then on — I'm sorry, just on Gaza and — and that conflict. We've spoken before about your concerns about the conflict spreading. Now we have reports that a Palestinian American teenager was killed today in the West Bank. Can you confirm that? And was that something that President Biden discussed with Netanyahu during the call?
MR. KIRBY: We're seriously concerned about these reports. The information is scant at this time. We don't have perfect context about exactly what happened here. Seriously concerned about it. And we're going to be in constant touch with counterparts in the region to — to get more information.
But it's — it's definitely deeply concerning. But afraid — I'm afraid I don't have more information to that right now.
Q Did the President bring it up?
MR. KIRBY: I — I don't believe that it was a subject of the call.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, M.J.
Q Just back to the issue of the two-state solution. What would you say is the President's hope and expectation here? Is it that the Prime Minister's stance on this will eventually shift?
MR. KIRBY: The — the hope is that when there's a — when this conflict is over that we can work in a collaborative way with the Israeli government on — and counterparts in the region on good governance in Gaza — good governance that the President hopes can lead to — (a reporter sneezes) — a viable two-state solution.
Bless you.
And, again, he's not — he's not Pollyannaish about this. He understands how hard it is. This is something he's been pushing for for a long, long time. He knows it's going to take dedicated leadership on all sides here to bring it about. And — and that means constant engagement by his administration and — and the national security team. So — so, we're going to — we're going to keep at that work.
Q I guess I'm just wondering: If the two leaders are completely at odds on something as fundamental as the creation of a Palestinian state, do you know if the President has reason to believe that, at some point, the Prime Minister's view on this will change? Publicly, he has been very clear about where he stands on this.
MR. KIRBY: You mean the President has been very clear, publicly, where he stands on this?
Q The Prime Minister has been very clear on the fact that he rejects the idea of a Palestinian state. The President also has been clear that he wants a two-state solution.
MR. KIRBY: Yeah, look, this is just — this — we — we're not going to agree on everything. We've said that. And good friends and allies can have those kinds of candid, forthright discussions, and we do. It's not going to change the President's view that the best long-term solution for regional security, particularly the security of the Israeli people, is a free and independent Palestinian state that they can live in — in peace and security with — and this is an important caveat — with Israel's security also guaranteed. He still believes in that, and we're going to continue to talk to our Israeli counterparts.
This isn't about, you know, trying to twist — twist somebody's arm or — or force a change in their thinking. The President — sorry, Prime Minister Netanyahu has — has made clear his concerns about that. President Biden has made clear his strong conviction that a two-state solution is still the right path ahead. And we're going to continue to make that case.
Q So — so, what is the overlap there? I guess, you know, when the two leaders are having conversation, like their phone call today, what is it that the Prime Minister is saying to the President to indicate that that gap can be bridged?
MR. KIRBY: I won't get into the Prime Minister's side of the conversation. I think that's better for his staff that — to speak to. All I can tell you is that the President reiterated his strong conviction in the viability of a two-state solution — understanding, of course, that we're not going to get there tomorrow, that there's an active conflict going on, and that we want to make sure Israel has what it needs to defend itself.
But as we're talking about post-conflict Gaza — and we have been now for many, many weeks — you can't do that without also talking about the aspirations of the Palestinian people and what that needs to look like for them. So, we're going to continue to have those conversations.
Q John, were the Prime Minister's comments yesterday a factor in why this call took place today? Was that something that the U.S. decided they wanted the President to speak with him today about that?
MR. KIRBY: No, this was a call that we've been actually trying to land on the schedule for quite a bit of time here. So, this was not — you shouldn't read into the fact that the call happened today as — as some sort of response to the Prime Minister's discussions or comments yesterday.
Q And did they talk specifically about those comments yesterday? Or it was a more general reiteration of the President's support for a two-state solution?
MR. KIRBY: Again, without getting more beyond the readout, I would just say that there was — certainly, on the agenda for both leaders was to talk about post-conflict Gaza, governance in Gaza, and, of course, a two-state solution.
Q And can you just tell me a bit more about what the President meant yesterday when he was asked by my colleague whether the strikes in Yemen are stopping the Houthis and the President said, "No"?
MR. KIRBY: I think, you know, if you just look at what happened yesterday, it's pretty self-evident. They continue to have offensive capability and they continue to be willing to use it. We also have plenty of defensive capability available to us, and we continue to use it as well.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.
Q Thanks, Karine. Did the President address Netanyahu's use of the phrase "from the river to the sea" in their conversation today? I know the White House has previously said that phrase is divisive, so —
MR. KIRBY: I'm not aware that that specific phrase was discussed.
Q Well, do you condemn him using that phrase?
MR. KIRBY: Look, there's a — there's a connotation with that phrase. We've talked about this before. But when — you know, when you use the phrase "river to the sea," it — it speaks basically to the mantra of Hamas and in their manifesto, where they basically describe the geographic bounds of what they believe to be Palestine. And if you look at it on the map, if you go look at the — the four corners that they describe it, it's basically the State of Israel. They just don't believe it should exist.
So, again, it's — it's not a phrase that — that we recommend using, given because of that context.
Q But this wasn't Hamas. This was Netanyahu.
MR. KIRBY: I understand. I — I don't have anything more on that. And I certainly don't have anything more on the conversation to read out with respect to that.
Q You had talked about the hard work it will take to, kind of, come to an agreement of sorts on a two-state solution. Can you outline what that kind of work and conversation would look like? Does this mean more calls between Biden and Bibi? How — how does he expect to —
MR. KIRBY: I think there's certainly going to be more calls between the two leaders. And there'll be more conversations between our two teams. I mean, Secretary of State Blinken has been there — what? — four or five times since the 7th of October, and I have every expectation —
Q Does the President —
MR. KIRBY: — he'll be back again as well. And we're — we're going to continue to have discussions with the team across a range of issues.
I understand that the two-state solution is the issue today because of the comments in the press here. But every discussion we're having in the region has — has a component of it about post-conflict Gaza and governance and what that looks like and, yes, of course, our continued interest in a two-state solution. But it also has to do with humanitarian assistance, with getting the hostages released, and making sure that Israel has the weapons and capabilities that it — that it needs to — to defend itself.
And I'll just end with this. I mean, prior to the 7th of October, as you all know, we were working closely with Israel and Saudi Arabia on a potential normalization deal — a normalization deal that the President believes Hamas was also aware of. And it certainly could have been a contributing factor to the violence that they visited on the Israeli people on the 7th.
(Reporter sneezes.)
MR. KIRBY: Bless you.
Q Thank you.
MR. KIRBY: I lost my train of thought. (Laughter.)
But the — the point is we're — we're still having discussions with counterparts about that normalization. And we've gotten some positive feedback, even from Saudi Arabia, about what that could look like going forward.
As a part of that normalization, should — should we be able to get there — and we were making progress before the 7th — obviously, there would be a component in there for the Palestinians. There have — there would have to be. And we're not giving up on that.
And if you're able to get to that normalization, that could be a significant milestone in overcoming some of the challenges of a two-state solution.
Q Did the President in his call today with Netanyahu express any concern about Netanyahu continuing to say that he doesn't stand for a two-state solution?
MR. KIRBY: I think I'll just leave my description of the call the way it was, and you — again, you'll see a readout here coming from us on — on paper.
But, yes, they talked about — they — they talked — in general talked about the possibilities of a two-state solution. And the President reaffirmed and reiterated his strong belief in that possibility.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Aurelia.
Q Thank you so much. You mentioned progress on the front of the tax revenue issue in the West Bank. Does that mean the Israeli Prime Minister has committed to release his tax revenue?
MR. KIRBY: There was — there was discussions in their — in their Cabinet about that. And that was what I was referencing there was ongoing discussions within the Cabinet about the revenue and — and using it appropriately.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.
Q Thank you, Karine. John, earlier this week, you talked about the 500 entities — about Iran — 500 entities that have been sanctioned by the administration last year. Have you seen any impact of these sanctions — any type of impact it has had on Iran's behavior?
MR. KIRBY: Five hundred entities since the beginning of the administration, not last year. Some 50 sanctions regimes, about 500 entities.
We know they've had an impact on Iran's economy, which — which struggles. But look, we also know that there's other ways that you have to push back on Iran's destabilizing behaviors, including bolstering and strengthening our — our military capabilities in the region, as well as working with partners. I mean, we've now got a coalition of 20-some-odd countries — ships and aircraft and other capabilities — trying to protect Red Sea shipping.
So, there's been a lot of effort here to — to — to hold Iran accountable for their destabilizing activities.
Q And if you allow me, John, a colleague has asked me to ask you: Yesterday, Mexico and Chile, requested the International Criminal Court to investigate potential crimes against civilians in Gaza and the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel. Any reaction on this —
MR. KIRBY: We're aware of those — of that report and the potential referral to the ICC. I don't have a comment for you on it at this time. We're still gathering more information about what this — what this would entail.
But I want to say again that we don't have any indications that there's deliberate — deliberate efforts to commit war crimes by the Israeli Defense Forces.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.
Q John, yesterday, Jake Sullivan met with the family members of hostages being held by Hamas. I'm wondering if you can give us any — any readout? Were — was he able to provide any updates to the families? What — what message did he have — have for them during that time?
MR. KIRBY: The main message was that we're still working out this. And as I said in — in the readout of the call, that was right at the top of the list for the President to talk to Prime Minister Netanyahu about efforts to get another hostage deal going.
And I just — I want to protect the private nature of the conversation. But — but Jake also made sure that they were aware that those efforts are ongoing, and that they're serious. The discussions we're having are sober and serious about potentially getting another hostage deal in place.
I'm not suggesting and you shouldn't take away from this that we'll have something to announce imminently or that we're over the finish line. I don't mean to suggest that at all. There's a lot of hard work still ahead.
But we haven't given up on the effort. And the efforts are being taken very seriously by the national security team. And, you know, Brett McGurk was just in Doha last week, and that was a big reason why he was there.
So, that was — Jake wanted to bring them together, A, to make sure they knew, you know, we still kept — that we kept that connective tissue with them, that we still obviously care about their loved ones and getting them home, that they're a priority for President Biden, and updated them in general terms about the discussions that we've been having in the region.
Q Was he able to give any kind of update about the condition or what was known about the condition of any of the hostages? Is — do we have new information or any information about how the hostages are doing at this point?
MR. KIRBY: I don't have any information to share with you about what we know about the — the individual hostages. I will say, as I've said before: Regrettably, we just don't have a lot of tactile information about where they are or what specific condition they're being held.
And as I think you can imagine, it is very likely that they're being moved around quite a bit. So, it's hard to get real fingertip feel on exactly how they are. But we have to assume they're being held in just the utmost deplorable of conditions.
Q On the supplemental, just given the latest developments, I mean, how is the President thinking of this idea of conditioning aid to Israel? Is this being pushed by some of his allies? Is that something he supports?
MR. KIRBY: We believe that the approach that we're taking right now has had results. And we're going to continue that approach, which is, obviously, making sure that Israel has the capabilities it needs, and that continues. But also urging them at every turn to be more precise, more targeted, more deliberate with respect to civilian harm; urging an increase in humanitarian aid and assistance; and of course, trying to get another humanitarian pause in place so we can do a hostage deal.
I would tell you, as I've said before, that this approach that we've taken of at once supporting Israel and their military capabilities, but also providing advice, counsel, lessons learned from our own experiences in this kind of fighting has had results. They have changed the way they have conducted operations.
In fact, they have already started a transition to lower-intensity operations, again, largely at our urging. They opened up Kerem Shalom, a second gate of humanitarian assistance, largely at our urging.
So, the President's continued discussions with Prime Minister Netanyahu and at lower levels across our team has had results.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Patsy.
Q Thank you, Karine. John, am I correct to understand that the President believes there is wiggle room in the Prime Minister's position in opposing Palestinian statehood? And what is the President prepared to offer beyond pushing for a Saudi-Israel normalization deal to convince the Prime Minister to accept the two-state solution?
MR. KIRBY: The Prime Minister should speak to his own headspace when it comes to that. And of course, he's talked poli- — publicly about — about a two-state solution.
All I can do is say what I've said before: The President still believes in the promise and possibility of that. He believes it's going to take hard work and leadership. He's willing to put his shoulder to the wheel for that eventual outcome.
At the same time, we've got to make sure that they have what they need to defend themselves, and we get humanitarian assistance in.
And, I'm sorry, your second question was —
Q Yeah. I mean, what is he prepared to offer, whether it's a carrot or a stick in terms of trying to persuade the Prime Minister to go in line with U.S. policy?
MR. KIRBY: Well, I'm certainly not going to goti- –negotiate here from the podium about a two-state solution. It is something that is — remains his policy, his desire to see it. We're going to continue to push for that.
Q Okay. And Jordan says that Israel targeted their field hospital in Khan Younis today, injuring one patient and a staff. Can you confirm this?
MR. KIRBY: I cannot.
Q And one more. Does the administration believe that the Houthis will stop their attacks if there is a ceasefire in Gaza? And does that play a factor into the calculus on —
MR. KIRBY: I think you got to take anything the Houthis say with a big grain of salt. We're not — we're not taking what they say to the bank.
And this idea that this is somehow about Gaza just doesn't square with the facts. I mean, most of the ships that they're going after have nothing to do with Israel. So, we're not taking anything at face value.
They need to stop these attacks. We've got capabilities available to us to use it if we have to.
Q Just to — just to clarify: What's happening in the Red Sea, the attacks from the Houthis, does not play a factor into the calculus of whether or not you're pushing Israel for a ceasefire?
MR. KIRBY: No.
Q Thank you.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Brian.
Q Thanks a lot. Thanks, John. On Ecuador. Is the U.S. and — and the President considering ramping up its military assistance to Ecuador as it confronts these violent drug gangs?
MR. KIRBY: I'm aware of no such plans to do that.
Q There was — the U.S. had an inaugural working group on defense issues with Ecuador last year. Is the President wanting to ramp up that cooperation?
MR. KIRBY: I'm aware of no such plans.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, in the back.
Q All right. Thank you, Karine. Thank you, John. Two questions. First, does the President plan similar calls, as he had with Prime Minister Netanyahu, with President El-Sisi of Egypt and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia?
MR. KIRBY: I have little doubt that there'll be additional conversations with both those leaders, as well as I'm — I'm going to — I suppose, King Abdullah of Jordan as well. But I don't have anything on the schedule to speak to today.
Q All right. The other question is that when — before he was inaugurated, President Arévalo of Guatemala came to the U.S. and met with Jake Sullivan and others in the National Security Council. I believe he had a call from the President before he was sworn in.
Is the administration discussing an apology for the 1954 coup in Guatemala come this June on its 60th anniversary?
MR. KIRBY: Not that I'm aware of.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. A couple more in the back. Go ahead, Jared.
Q Thank you. So, on this call between the President and the Prime Minister, how much of it was focused on getting a better handle of, kind of, the timeline of these Israeli operations; the transition, I guess, to the less intense operations? And more broadly, is the President, is the administration satisfied with the progress that they're seeing Israel making reaching its objectives in the war?
MR. KIRBY: I don't have a time hack for, like, you know, how long they talked about each topic. I went through quite a list of topics. That call was about 30 to 40 minutes long. It's — and where they discussed all these things.
Clearly, the President was interested in the Prime Minister's assessment of how things are going on the battlefield. And as I said earlier — and they've acknowledged — that they have, in fact, begun a transition to lower-intensity operations, which means less troops — they pulled out a whole division from — from the North; a slackening reliance on airstrikes.
But again, you know, it's really for the IDF to describe what those look like and — and the progress that they're making.
And clearly, yes, the President was interested in Prime Minister Netanyahu's assessment of progress they're making. I won't divulge that. That's really for the IDF to speak to. But they have in general, in their press conferences, talked about the pressure that they've been putting on leaders of Hamas and the numbers of leaders that they've been able to take off the battlefield, and the resources and, quite frankly, underground architecture that they've been able to take away and degrade.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.
Q Oh, okay. John, thanks. Thanks, Karine. When it comes to Prime Minister Netanyahu's comments, is there concern that his public comments about a two-state solution could negatively impact the discussions on a hostage release?
MR. KIRBY: The short answer, I think, to that is no.
Look, obviously, each of these two leaders have stated publicly a different view on the promise of a two-state solution. It's not going to change President Biden's mind one bit. He still believes in it.
They also still both believe in the importance of getting these hostages home to their families. And that's why we're continuing to work at this. And as I said earlier to a previous question, that work is serious and it's sober and it's ongoing. And — and we are represented at that table in the region, trying to get those hostages released.
And — and I — again, I don't want to — I'm not going to put odds one way or another, except to say that — that there's a lot of people in the region, including our Israeli counterparts, that are — that are working on this.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right, I'm trying get as many people as we can. Go ahead, Janne.
Q Thank you. Thank you, Karine. And thank you, John. I have two questions on Russia and South Korea and North Korea. The Russian ambassador to South Korea said in an interview with the South Korean media that he was ready to improve relationship with South Korea and deny the North Korea and Russia arms deals. As you know, the North Korea and Russia's foreign ministers and President Putin have met in Russia this week. What is your interpretation of this? And a follow-up.
MR. KIRBY: We've talked at length about the burgeoning relationship between North Korea and Russia. I stood up here and showed you a graphic and a slide of the — the belief we have and the desire by the Russians to purchase ballistic missiles from North Korea — has happened; have been used in Ukraine — as well as artillery ammunition.
So, the — this burgeoning relationship between the two countries is certainly worrisome. It's worrisome for the people of Ukraine and our interests there as well, as well as it is for — for the Peninsula.
Q Quick follow-up. Kim Jong Un said that South Korea was a "hostile" country. He then —
MR. KIRBY: It's not.
Q He then threatened to devastate South Korea and United States and Japan with nuclear weapons. Do you think these threats from Kim Jong Un are just the words, or do you think that there will be a real war?
MR. KIRBY: You have to take rhetoric like that seriously from a man in charge of a regime that continues to pursue advanced military capabilities, including nuclear capabilities. That's why — and I won't go through the list of all the things that — as I already said to a previous question — that we're doing to try to address that threat. You have to take that seriously.
Kim Jong Un ought to focus more on feeding his people than on buying and purchasing advanced military capabilities.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. Just a couple more. Go ahead. And then we have to start wrapping it up. Go ahead.
Q Thank you. Yes, thanks, John. Do you — John, do you still oppose a general ceasefire?
MR. KIRBY: Do we still oppose a general ceasefire? Yes.
Q Why?
MR. KIRBY: For the same reason that we have in the past: We don't believe a ceasefire is going to be to the benefit of anybody but Hamas. We do support humanitarian pauses, as I said, to try to get hostages out and more aid in. But we don't support a ceasefire at this time.
I think it's important to remember that there was a ceasefire in place on the 6th of October, and Hamas, Mr. Sinwar — Mr. Sinwar chose to break that ceasefire. He's the one that chose — chose this war. There was a ceasefire, which we obviously were in supportive of, and Hamas chose to break it.
Q And this — is the current situation beneficial to Israel, speaking strategically here? The current situa- — is the current situation beneficial to Israel?
MR. KIRBY: The current situation. What do you mean by "the current situation"?
Q The ongoing conflict.
MR. KIRBY: The Israeli people have every right to expect that their military and that their government is going to act in their safety and security. And I guarantee you that if — if this was any other country, including this one, we wouldn't stand for that kind of threat to live next door to us like that — a threat that truly has existential ambitions.
They want to wipe Israel off the face of the map. So, the Israeli people have a right to expect that their government is going to try to protect them from that threat, which we still believe — and certainly was verified in the call today — that is a — still a viable threat to the Israeli government, to the Israeli people.
Q One more question on the Houthis. How long do you — do you believe you can maintain that current course? I mean, striking them and then they strike back. You said you have other options. At what point you can use another option?
MR. KIRBY: Well, I'm not going to get ahead of the President or his decision-making. We have plenty of military capability available to us.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. We're going to wra- —
MR. KIRBY: We'd like these — just one — I'm sorry.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I'm so- — no, I'm so sorry.
MR. KIRBY: No, it's my fault.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I'm so sorry.
MR. KIRBY: I just got — my throat caught, and I — I got caught on my word.
We want — we obviously are not seeking a conflict with the Houthis or a war in Yemen. The — the best outcome would be for these reckless attacks by the Houthis to stop today.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right —
MR. KIRBY: But we have the capability we need.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sorry. Sorry.
MR. KIRBY: Sorry, sorry. Sorry, I did it again.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. Last two. Go ahead. And then we'll end with you.
Q Thanks, Karine. John, President Biden admitted yesterday that the retaliatory strikes against the Houthis aren't working. Why aren't they afraid of the U.S.?
MR. KIRBY: Well, you'd have to ask the Houthis what's in their mindset. I'm not going to get in between the ears of Houthi leaders.
They claim it's about Gaza. It's not. They claim that this is some sort of, you know, U.S. and — and Britain effort to — to have — to wage war on them. It's not.
We're simply trying to do two things. We're trying to defend our Navy ships and sailors and the Navy ships and sailors of other nations that are in the Red Sea with us. And, two, protect international shipping. This is about self-defense.
And again, this — this conflict — well, first of all, we're not — we don't seek a conflict. There doesn't need to be a conflict. But the exchange of fire that we have seen in recent days doesn't have to go on one day — one day more if the Houthis would make the right decision to stop these attacks.
Q Right, but they're a terrorist group attacking U.S. interests. You know, wouldn't your response make them stop?
MR. KIRBY: Again, terrorist groups commit acts of violence oftentimes for — not just for the sake of committing acts of violence but for political posturing or political messaging of some sort, or perhaps tied to religious fervor.
And they are a designated terrorist group. They are conducting terrorist attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. And we have to respond to that. I don't know what the alternative would be. Should we just stop — stop defending ships and just let them have their way with the Southern Red Sea? I don't think that's in anybody's interest.
So, we're not going to — we're not just going to lay down here and — and wait for them to come to a different approach. They need to stop the attacks. If they don't, we'll continue to defend ourselves and make it harder for them to conduct them.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay, last one.
Q Thanks, Karine. Admiral, the House Armed Services Committee has asked Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to appear publicly before them next month for failing to disclose his hospitalization. Would the White House support the Secretary testifying publicly?
MR. KIRBY: That'll be a decision for the Secretary of Defense, and he has to make that decision.
Q And since he was released from the hospital, has he clearly explained to the President or any senior officials here what exactly happened?
MR. KIRBY: I'm not going to get into the — the personal and private discussions that the Secretary has had with the President of the United States. They have spoken as recently as late last week. And as you heard the President say himself, he has full trust and confidence in Secretary Austin and his leadership at the Pentagon, and that will continue.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Thank you so much.
MR. KIRBY: Thank you.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I appreciate it. Have a great weekend.
All right, Colleen.
Q Thank you. So, I wanted to ask about the Uvalde report yesterday. The President had said that he hadn't seen the full findings but that he wasn't sure that there was criminal liability. So, a couple of things. I wondered if he had time to look through the full findings and if his opinion has changed at all. And then, also, if not, is there another way that law enforcement should be held accountable for the failures (inaudible)?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, there's a couple of things I want to say about that. The DOJ's report — which is what you're obviously referring to, Colleen — shows that there were multiple points of failure with the law enforcement response in Uvalde.
And so, we can only imagine how this news adds to the heartbreaking Uvalde families — how they're feeling. And certainly, as — as a mo- — mom, myself, I — this is one of those days that you wish never, ever happens and you don't want to imagine. So, this obviously is very heartbreaking, not just for the families for that — for that community. And so, no community — no community should have to ever go through what Uvalde community suffered.
And — but I'll say this, and I think it's really important: that these families were able — in Uvalde were able to turn things around. And they put — they — they turned their pain into purpose and helped pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which we know — which we see it's already starting to save lives.
And — and so, while the President is going to continue to take — to certainly — to do everything that he can through executive action to protect communities from gun violence, he's not going to stop to ask Congress to — you know, to do something. You hear me say that. You hear him say that often. They need to do something to stop this epidemic of — of gun violence.
And so, we've been very clear. We need universal background checks, a national red flag law. We must ban assault weapons, obviously, and high-capacity magazines. And this — these actions can't wait. These actions can't wait.
And so, I just wanted to lay that out because that report was — was, I'm sure, very difficult — forget about us in the room — very difficult for the Uvalde community, and the President understands that. I just don't have anything beyond that to add.
Q Okay. Just — sorry, one more.
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, yeah. That's okay.
Q On the — the debate — or the — the discussions on funding. It sounded like yesterday there — they were pretty close on the immigration and Ukraine funding agreements. And I just wondered if the White House was willing to concede more. I think part of the — one of the main issues they were talking about was parole authority. I wondered if there were any more concessions being made or — like, what's happening? (Laughter.)
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, for the past several months, I've been very careful to not negotiate from here. So, I'm not going to — to break that.
What I'll say is — and I've said this many times: We really appreciate that senators, both Republican and Democrats, continue to have this conversation, continue to negotiate on border security.
Obviously, this is something that's import- — that is very important to this President. It came up in the — in the congressional meeting that they had two days ago. And the President was very clear that Congress needs to act. We need to be zeroed-in and focused on this and also the funding for Ukraine, as Ukraine continues — continues to defend themselves from — against Putin's aggression — right? — Putin's invasion. And so, that is some- — something that we need to continue to do.
Obviously, there has been a global coalition that the President has upheld to — including NATO alliances f- — more than 50 countries — in support of Ukraine as they're trying, again, to fight for their freedom. So, we need to continue to do that. The President believes all of the — all of the parts and the pieces and what he's asked for in his — in his national security supplemental needs to pass.
But going back to border security for a second, we think the conversations are going in the right direction. We are optimistic about it. It is important to act now. The immigration system, what we've seen at the border has been broken for decades now, needs to get fixed.
And so, the Pres- — the President is going to continue to encourage Congress to act. And, again, we are very thankful and appreciative and encouraged by what we're seeing by senators, both Republicans and Democrats, continuing these negotiation processes.
