OK, maybe I have a couple more questions if you
allow me and if my colleagues indulge me.
I want to ask you about the West Bank.
There are growing restrictions, Israeli restrictions that trap Palestinians not
only in Hebron but in many other places.
In fact, there are communities now that literally get locked
in.
I know you guys get offended at the term appetite,
but that's, you know, when you lock people in and
allow them out to go to school or work or
anything like this according to your own calendar, what do
you call that?
What is that?
I mean, when you trap people, literally you disallow them
from, let's say, cultivating their olive trees, going to work,
building their whatever.
I mean, they are literally locked in.
What do you how do you describe that?
So say, first of all, it is not lost on
this department and this administration how vital economic activity is
to the West Bank being able to be viable and
certainly being able to be sustained on its own.
And things like the olive harvest and, and other economic
endeavors, no doubt are, are integral to that.
In, in specific reports as it relates to some of
what you said relating to communities and villages, we're aware
of those reports and we're asking our our partners in,
in Israel to, to For more information.
We are very concerned about these kinds of reportings and
certainly are concerned about what that could mean for maintaining
stability in the West Bank.
We're going to continue to urge Israel to take all
feasible measures to protect civilian lives in the West Bank,
but not just protect civilian lives, allow for what is
required.
So basic economic functions like you described are able to
go about and happen unimpeded.
We also recognize that there are very real security challenges
that Israel faces and it has a legitimate right to
defend its people in its territory.
And finally, on on RWA now Mr.
Lezer, the director of on RWA said that basically it
is catastrophic.
I mean, the the agency is facing catastrophic end or
consequences.
I want to ask you because I remember this, you
know, from way back in the 90s when Congress imposed
the the transfer of the embassy, for instance, to Jerusalem.
The President of the United States would go, you know,
every six months and have actually a waiver.
So why cannot the president of the United States, you
know, in his last two months and after I guess
issue an executive action that would actually do the same
thing former that would continue aid and allow it to
function and help.
Although there is, you know, a, a congressional legislation.
So side I I'm not going to engage in hypotheticals
and I certainly don't have any new policy or endeavour
to announce.
What we've stated before is that we continue to be
deeply troubled by the passage of the these bills in
the Knesset, and we're going to continue, along with other
members of the international community, to press upon the Israelis
the ramifications of this bill being implemented.
UNRWA has played a critical role in providing millions of
Palestinians access to basic healthcare, basic education, food and other
essential services, and it's essential that there be no disruption
to those services.
As you heard me say on Tuesday, there continues to
be about two months before that bill we believe is
required to be implemented.
So we're going to continue to press and raise this
with our our our partners in the region, and it
continues to be a top priority for us.
Thank you, God.
Doctor Harper.
Thank you, Badan.
Yeah, I, I know you said on numerous occasions that
UNRA is an essential humanitarian organization that puts their lives
on the line delivering food, water and medicine to Palestinians.
My question is to you is how can UNRA be
an essential humanitarian organization when they indoctrinate children in their
schools to kill Jews and aid in abet Hamas to
terrorize Israel in a couple quick follow up.
So I just don't think that characterization is is is
true, Doctor.
Certainly we share concerns that Israel and others have that
a small number of unrest personnel were involved in the
October 7th attacks and that those may or may not
have had ties to Hamas and other armed groups.
We're also concerned that unrest facilities may or may not
have been some of them compromised by Hamas, which also
we believe to be unacceptable.
But let me be clear, the the vast majority of
the group and the vast majority of the people working
within the organization, they play a critical role to providing
life saving aid to to millions who need it.
OK, Janie, go ahead.
Quick follow-ups.
We got to move.
Janie, go ahead.
Thank you.
I'm sorry, bad.
All good people got my name wrong all the time.
You'd be still still.
Go ahead, Jay.
Thank you.
Kitchen on the Ukraine and North Korea and Russia.
Secretary Lincoln, during visit to NATO, he said the North
Korean troops are participating in the battle and that the
US will respond sternly.
What are the specific response measures and does it include
restriction on the use of long range weapons?
So as it relates to our Ukrainian partners and any
Security Assistance we may or may not provide.
Additionally, I just don't have any policy changes to to
share, but in the context of DPRK troops in the
region.
You've heard me talk a little bit about this on
Tuesday, Jenny.
And in terms of what our action will be at
the center of this will be dealing with it in
close coordination with our allies and partners.
Secretary Blinken's comments, you have to remember we're at NATO.
So of course we're going to be talking about this
in our with our partners at NATO, but also the
DPRKS involvement in such thing no doubt causes great concern
and consternation for the Indo Pacific region.
And so part of this is working on this collaborative
with our partners in Japan, in the Republic of Korea
as well.
It's Ukraine winning the current war.
What is the current status in the Ukraine because they
winning or Russia win this war.
What what happens, Jenny, you what you, you have to
look back at the totality of this picture.
And since February of 2022, we have seen immense bravery
from our partners in Ukraine, from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
We've seen immense bravery from President Zelensky and his team
in leading the people of Ukraine and leading the country
on the utilizing with great vigor and utilizing with great,
with great strategy, the kinds of Security Assistance that the
United States and its allies and partners are helping provide
over the course of this great conflict.
And ultimately, at the end of the day, what President
Biden is committed to, and Secretary Blinken reiterated this yesterday
in Brussels, is that we are committed to making sure
that every dollar that we have at our disposal will
be pushed out the door between now and January 20th.
That is one of the things he discussed with NATO
leaders.
And we want to make sure that Ukraine has what
it needs to continue to effectively engage on this in
2025 or negotiate from a place of strength.
Ultimately, that is up to our Ukrainian partners to decide.
And we're also going to be counting on our partners
in Europe and others to strongly support Ukraine's mobilization with
additional artillery, air defenses, munitions and other kinds of training
for keeps forces Quick.
Lastly, North Korean, I mean, it was reported that the
North Korean troops dispatched to Russia emotionally and the salary
they received from Russia in return will be used by
Kim Jong Un to fund the development of weapons.
And WNDI mean, I don't I don't have any reaction
to to offer to that Jenny, beyond the the closing
of what we're concerned about is the closing of relations
between the DPRK and Russia.
And we continue to see these kinds of actions which
are of great concern.
Go ahead.
So I Director General Grossi is in Iran and he
had a press conference.
I hope you follow the part of it.
So he also said that he's going to visit for
do nuclear facility and attance.
This is the first time happening.
What is your take?
Is it a sign of Iran changing behavior?
I think we're hesitant to interpret anything as as signs
of whether Iran is willing to change their behavior or
not because ultimately what we want to see from Iran
is actual behavior change and action, not just signs of
something or indications of something.
And as it relates to Director Grossy's comments, we agree
with with the IEA Director General, the time is of
the essence in ensuring Iran's full cooperation with the IAEA
to resolve the long standing issues of concern.
The President and the Secretary have been clear about this.
We want to ensure that Iran never has a nuclear
weapon and we're going to continue to use a variety
of tools to pursue that goal and all our options
remain on the table.
We but given that we have seen Iran's escalation across
the board, including its nuclear escalation, its track record of
a failure to cooperate with the IAEA on long standing
issues, we think that it is appropriate that Director Grossi
undertake this.
So E3 also in the next weeks IEA Board of
Governors are going to push for a resolution against Iran.
Is the US on board giving that some Iranian officials
are indicating that they will reciprocate by getting out of
MPT?
Well, we're tightly coordinated with our E3 partners in advance
of this Board of Governors meeting.
And we strongly support these kinds of efforts to hold
Iran accountable.
And I will just leave it at that.
You know, we're going to continue to work with fellow
IEA Board governors to ensure Iran's full cooperation with the
IEA Goyal and then I'll come back.
Thank you, guys.
My question is on India, US, India relations.
How do you rate today US, India relations and under
the new administration and Indian American communities interest is after
US India relations immigration because hundreds of thousands, maybe thousands
of them are still waiting in India.
They are not getting appointments for immigrant visas after the
consulate affairs moved from New Delhi to Mumbai, Bombay.
And that's the major concern.
And 234 years, their husbands and wives are still waiting
in India.
They are not getting appointment based, especially from the Mumbai
consulate.
Yeah.
So let me say a couple of things.
First, what the incoming administration may or may not pursue
as it relates to their relationship with India.
I again, I'm going to let them speak to that.
I I'm not a spokesperson for the incoming administration.
President Biden and Secretary Blinken continue to view India as
a vital partner.
There are a number of areas which over the course
of the past four years, you have seen tangible ways
in which we have deepened that cooperation, whether that be
trade issues, whether that be security cooperation.
India continues to be a important vital partner when it
comes to the Indo Pacific, when it comes to global
regional stability.
And we are very thankful to have been able to
deepen that cooperation over President Biden's four years in office.
And look, on the topic of immigration, certainly fully recognize
how important this is to so many people around the
world, whether it be visitor visas, whether it be formal
legal immigration channels.
And this is something that we take incredibly seriously.
And certainly as it relates to the State Department's remit
on this, we'll continue to work and find ways in
which we can improve processes.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Secretary Blinken and Secretary
Gina Raimondo at the Department of Commerce talked about ways
in which they have been able to streamline processes for
tourist visa processing.
We recognize how vital that is to the US economy,
and we look forward to continuing to to to build
on that.
Thank you, Sir.
Daphne, go ahead.
Thank you.
We're reporting from sources that the US Ambassador to Lebanon
did a draft truth proposal to Lebanon Speaker of Parliament
today.
Do you can you confirm this?
I, I don't have anything to offer on that firm
up here beyond just saying what we continue to remain
deeply engaged and focused on is wanting to see a
diplomatic resolution, one that will ultimately allow civilians on both
sides of the blue line to be able to return
home.
And has Israel given it's OK on this proposal.
Again, I just don't have anything to offer as it
relates to this proposal.
Oh God, sure.
Could I ask about COP 29?
Sure.
Sort of a plot twist in climate negotiations.
President Aliev was attacking the Dutch and the French over
their foreign policy.
It's quite caused a bit of a ruckus there.
Does the US have anything to say about this, sort
of how this this effects negotiations going forward?
So the specific engagement you might be describing I'm not
fully familiar with.
But what I can say is that we do have
a robust delegation at COP 29 led by Senior Advisor
John Podesta.
That team is working to mobilize issues surrounding climate finance
and building on vulnerable communities, resilience to climate impacts.
There's a lot of important work that's been done over
the four years under President Biden that we think that
we can continue to build on in the time ahead.
And so that's what we're focused on as it relates
to this specific kerfuffle as you described it.
I'll have to check and what we get back to
you to see if we have anything else to offer.
Sure.
An obvious question.
I know you can't speak for the incoming administration, but
climate to put a mild days.
One issue where there's a lot of disagreement between the
Biden administration and and what we expect from the Trump
administration.
How can the US and I realize that Podesta has
spoken himself, but from the State Department's perspective, how can
the US engage in this meaningfully when everything could be
torn out?
Well, I I think Sean, what you have to there.
There's two points here.
First, US climate leadership over the past four years has
delivered some clear results there had it has created more
than 300,000 clean energy jobs.
We've seen more than 450 billion new private sector clean
energy investments.
It is a tool that we think is helping hard
working families save on money, on energy, on transportation costs.
The other thing, Sean, is something that people don't think
about is that when addressing things like the climate crisis,
when you are investing in, in, in, in tackling that
challenge, there is a physicality to it when, whether it
be in the United States or whether that be in
countries around the world.
When countries invest in clean energy sources, when countries invest
in alternative fuel sources and things like that, there's a
physicality to that infrastructure that is hard to just undo
with the wave of the of the pen.
So again, I cannot predict or preview what a future
administration may or may not do.
But the EV chargers and offshore wind infrastructure and things
like that, that we have seen built up under this
administration, not just in the United States, but in areas
around the world, there's a physicality to that.
And we know that that is going to persist and
continue and that is going to continue to play a
role in addressing the climate crisis.
25 people work here and many others injured in a
bomb blast at a railway station in Pakistan.
Pakistan province A Titus organization BLA claimed responsibility targeting military
officers.
Thoughts on the recent surge in deadly terror attacks in
Pakistan.
So firstly, we strongly condemned the BLA Majid Brigade's November
9th bombing at a railway station and we extend our
deepest condolences to the victims and their families.
We have a shared interest in combating these kinds of
threats with Pakistan.
We have a shared commitment to regional security.
the US itself has designated the BLA as a specially
designated global terrorist organization.
We did that back in in 2019.
And at the end of the day, we're going to
continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Pakistan in its
fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
The day after Donald Trump won the elections, Afghanistan Taliban
offered congratulations to the American people for not handing leadership
of their great country to a woman.
Taliban leaders expressed optimism that Trump election would enable a
new chapter in the history of US Taliban relations.
What is your response on this?
Well, I can't imagine that the Taliban are experts when
it comes to leadership under a woman or not.
Look, I'm not going to preview.
I'm not going to.
It's not for me to speak to what an incoming
administration chooses to pursue or not pursue as it relates
to Afghanistan policy.
But the, the Taliban are hardly credible voices when it
comes to the, the role women play in, in their
society and, and the role that women leaders play.
And, and what you've heard us say time and time
again is that for as long as the Taliban continues
to essentially hold back 50% of its population from fully
integrating in society, fully participating in society, it certainly is
not gonna be able to reach the international recognition that
we know that they that they're seeking.
Last question.
Finally there's a a big cricketing event, cricket event in
pocket.
Didn't have that on my finger card.
Go ahead.
It's it's the biggest event after the Cricket World Cup
and India due to participate in that event.
But the Indian government refused to send Indian cricket team
to Pakistan.
Last time Indian team was in Pakistan 2008 due to
political tensions.
India never travelled to Pakistan.
So do you really think that mixing politics with the
sports is a good idea?
What is your as it relates to relations between India
and Pakistan?
That is certainly for them to speak to, whether it
be through sports or other things.
I will let them speak to their own bilateral relationships.
Certainly not something for for for us to get in
the middle of.
But sports is certainly a potent and connecting force.
You have seen this Secretary, this department really prioritize the
role that sports diplomacy has in connecting people.
It is something that I know is incredibly important to
our current Under Secretary for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy,
Lee Satterfield.
It's something that our former Under Secretary for Public Affairs
and Public Diplomacy, Liz Allen really championed.
And at the end of the day, sports connect so
many people and it's a it's a great way for
those human to human and people to people ties that
this administration has really prioritized in the back.
Go ahead.
Thank you so much.
The question is from Mexico.
The Mexican government sent yesterday a diplomatic note protesting U.S.
ambassador Salazar's comments criticizing the former Mexican President Lopez Obrador,
particularly on his security policy.
Ambassador Salazar said yesterday that the former president rejected US
assistance to deal with the cartels.
Do you stand with Ambassador Salazar's assessment and do you
think the protest note is justified?
So.
Ambassador Salazar was pretty clear that there is certainly still
work and still important work that needs to be done.
US Mexico security cooperation remains a top national security priority
for us.
And what we are focused on is looking forward to
deepening our cooperation with the Scheinbaum administration and to make
communities and ultimately people on both sides of the border
feel safe.
I don't have anything else to to opine on as
it relates to to the ambassador's comments.
Go ahead.
In the back pink tie.
Yeah, 1 pink.
Alright.
Good.
Yeah.
Thank you.
Good afternoon.
Pro democracy advocate Jimmy Lai.
His trial resumes in Hong Kong November 20th, just a
week from now.
I know President Biden will be speaking with President Xi
in a few days in South America.
I presume Anthony Blinken will be in the room at
that time.
Not sure, but you can correct me if that's wrong.
Anthony.
Sorry, Anson.
Sorry, my apologies.
Yeah, all good.
But the question simply, will the issue of Jimmy Lai,
will President Biden and Anthony demand China and President Xi
release Jimmy Lai?
So in every engagement that Secretary Blinken and President Biden
have had with Chinese counterparts, whether it be President Xi
or the secretary's own engagements with Director Wang Yi, certainly
human rights and the the treatment of the political dissident
voices have been part of those conversations.
I'm not going to preview or get ahead of what
may or may not be at the agenda at APEC.
Part of that, of course, is going to be talking
about ways that we can continue to manageably responsibly manage
competition with the people.
I'm not going to I'm not going to speculate or
preview what gets discussed in the meeting or not beyond
just saying that human rights issues and certainly the treatment
of dissidents in the treatment of human rights defenders will
certainly be at the crux and part of that conversation.
And and then if I just one more, please.
Thank you.
Many have described this trial as a sham trial, this
national security trial.
If he is convicted, what will the United States do?
I'm just not going to get ahead of hypotheticals on
that in the back.
Go ahead.
Yeah.
Senator Cruz posted on X Enough is enough.
Never a good sign.
Any State Department employee who had attended a therapy session
because President Trump one should be fired on day one.
Our diplomacy is too important to be left to children.
Do you have a response to that?
Wow, a couple of things.
So, you know, first, I would hope that the senator
is not implying that wanting to take care of your
mental health or wanting to care for your mental health
or take appropriate efforts to address mental health issues are
childish, because that's certainly not what we believe.
And whether it be a domestic election result, whether it
be COVID-19, whether it be some of the protests that
took place over the summer of 2020, whether it be
in the immediate days and weeks and months following October
7th.
This department has prided itself on the one, the resources
that we have made available to our workforce in dealing
with these very complex, challenging, mentally difficult topics.
Part of that is as managers, creating the space to
engage on some of these challenging topics, creating the space
for your employees to share their legitimate feelings about any
event.
And we would want to make sure that these kinds
of resources and spaces are utilized regardless of who was
president and regardless of what the election results may or
may not have been.
Did a state or offer similar sessions four years ago
after the election?
I'm sure that there were, I'm sure that there were.
I, I did not work here at the time, so
I certainly can't speak to that.
But the point that I'm making is that regardless of
what the domestic political event was, and we fully recognized
that, you know, we're a country of different voices and
people may have different points of view on any event,
including election results.
Certainly, no doubt that there are different viewpoints within the
own workforce of whom may or should or should not
be president.
The point is, is that we want these kinds of
resources and spaces to be available should our employees need
them.
Yeah, go ahead.
Yeah.
Thank you very much, Vidan.
Thank you very much.
This British national, Miss Ellis, recently went to Pakistan to
meet the family of Ajab Khan Afridi, who had kept
her captive, and she went there just to pay respect
the time that she spent there as a captive.
I promise that this couple of weeks that you and
Matt are here, I will fully respect you as I
always have and I will treat you with kindness.
I just have two questions.
Number one, I have never seen in Pakistan leader of
opposition in this Congress, Leader of opposition Congress means in
Pakistan nationalism, Leader of Senate opposition in the Senate, leader
of Punjab, Assembly leader, speaker of the all of them
being arrested in one day.
Do you have any comments?
These seem to be largely internal issues for Pakistan.
I'm not familiar with this, so I just don't have
anything to offer on.
And just last one thing, I have also started calling
our new DOG ministry head, Mr.
Elon Musk.
Is he aware that in Pakistan?
Or would you please at least bring in his notice
that in Pakistan, since six months, X is banned and
even the VPN now are under this whole registration process
I know my colleague has brought to you.
So look on Internet freedom issues, which I think is
the crux of what you're asking about.
These are the kinds of things that we raise with
countries around the world, including, of course, through our bilateral
relationship with with with Pakistan.
And I'm just not going to opine on what Mr.
Musk may or may not know.
But look, Internet freedom is something that we'll continue to
raise around the world.
Thanks, everybody.
Thanks guys.