Well, joining us now is Washington Congressman and ranking member
of the House Armed Services Committee,
Adam Smith.
Congressman, I wanted to start perhaps with the protests again.
We were just talking about in your own party.
The far left members are saying that it is because
of these protests at university that Biden has decided to
hold back weapons to Israel.
Here's what Congressman Ilhan Oma said,
she said. This is what young people across the country
were protesting for.
And finally, the needle has moved in a significant way.
I hope we see more progress,
but don't ever let people tell you that your voices
are meaningless and your actions are worthless.
The arc of what is possible is always within us
to bend.
So do you agree that the protests influence the White
House's decision?
And do you think they are incentivizing further disruption as
well?
Yeah, absolutely not. I mean that that it's a ridiculous
assertion.
What incentivize the president's decision was two things.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza,
which you described I think quite well in the opening
to this.
And 2nd, the fact that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has
no plan for what's going to happen in Gaza going
forward.
And this is something the president has been pushing from
the very beginning.
Yes, destroy Hamas. And by the way,
the notion that President Biden isn't supporting Israel is ridiculous.
We just signed a a $15 billion
supplemental plan to support Israel.
We have been shipping the weapons to Israel throughout this
crisis.
President Biden has been doing that.
He is unquestionably supporting Israel.
And by the way, I was at an event with
President Biden yesterday.
Very first thing he said was if Hamas would release
the hostages,
this war would be done.
He supports Israel. He understands that Hamas needs to be
destroyed.
But that's not it. That's not all that needs to
be done.
There needs to be a future for Gaza,
and that is not there even in the sections of
Gaza that Israel has cleared.
Hamas is coming back. What is
Netanyahu's plan for the future?
That's what the president is pushing.
He supports Israel unequivocally, but it's not going to help
Israel if Hamas just comes back because there's no future
for the Palestinian people.
Congressman, you say that President Biden is totally supporting Israel,
but want to read you something the Washington Post reported
just yesterday.
It says the Biden administration,
working urgently to stave off a full scale Israeli invasion
of Rafa,
is offering Israel valuable assistance if it holds back,
including sensitive intelligence to help the Israeli military pinpoint the
location of Hamas leaders and find the group's hidden tunnels.
And think it is amazing,
first of all, that this intelligence has not already been
shared.
That's what someone would do if you wanted to help
and get American horses out.
And the other one is how can the US use
intelligence like this as leverage
the The crucial thing about that story is there's no
evidence whatsoever that it's true.
The Biden administration has absolutely been sharing intelligence and been
working with Israel from the very start of this war.
That too has been widely reported.
So only gives any evidence whatsoever.
There is evidence they're pulling back the weapons as well.
I mean, we look at the strong message they're sending.
Fair. Fair enough. But don't bait and switch me here,
OK? The first thing you said was that there was
evidence that we had information that we could provide to
Israel that we're withholding.
I don't see evidence of that.
Now as to the weapons,
and I will admit the president was not as clear
on this in the Erin Burnett interview as he should
have been,
but all that has been held back to date are
dumb.
2000 LB Bombs because the President feels,
and I think rightly they should not be used in
Rafa.
It is exactly similar to what President Reagan did.
He didn't withhold all aid to Israel any more than
President Biden is.
He tried to shape the campaign to move Israel in
a direction that's going to be better for Israel and
better for the Middle East.
Look, you can't credibly argue that President Biden hasn't been
supporting Israel based on what he has said and done
since October 7th.
Nevertheless, despite everything the White House is saying it,
it is somewhat embarrassing, perhaps that Netanyahu isn't listening to
President Biden.
And then more than that,
the Israeli national security adviser
posted this on act. He said Hamas loves Biden.
I mean, what does that say about the president's influence?
I I tell you, what it says is that Prime
Minister Netanyahu is,
is not good for Israel right now.
He is leading them down a path of endless war,
conflict and no peace. Are you calling for the removal?
You think of the No,
no, no. I, I, I,
I don't vote in Israeli elections.
But you would. You would support him,
him leaving office. Now that is up to the Israeli
people OK to to make that decision.
What I am saying is as long as he is
in office,
it is an obligation of President Biden to try to
influence his policies in a better direction,
OK. And and and look it is undeniable that Prime
Minister Netanyahu LED them to the point where October 7th
happened and he's continuing those same policies.
We support Israel. We want to move in the direction
where there is a sustainable peace.
And in this proposal by the House Republicans this week
to say blank check to Israel,
the president can never ever not give Israel something.
I mean that that is a ridiculous proposal.
We've got to get to long term peace for the
sake of the Israeli people.
Yeah. Congressman, we have our next guest is the mother
of an American hostage.
She's coming on and it's been
219 days. They say not enough is being done.
And frankly, they're saying that the American hostages have been
forgotten about.
What would be your message to her?
Like I said, I was with President Biden yesterday,
very first thing, he said.
President Biden for the last several months has been pushing
a peace agreement.
Now look, let's be clear.
The biggest block to a ceasefire right now is Hamas.
There is a deal on the table to get a
temporary ceasefire in exchange for releasing the hostages.
That has been the president's singular focus.
CIA Director Burns, Tony Blinken.
A variety of people have been in the Mideast working
with anyone we can work with the get that deal
and get the hostages home.
And there is no doubt right now that Hamas is
the block to that deal.
And we need to continue to put pressure on them.
And that that is one of my criticisms of,
you know, some of the protests you've seen in the
US they're not putting any pressure on Hamas,
and Hamas is blocking the ceasefire right now.
Well, Congressman, look, thank you so much for joining us
today.
I'm afraid that's all we've got time for,
but.