HomePress Briefings…Department Press Briefing – May 8, 2024

# 											Department Press Briefing – May 8, 2024									

Matthew Miller, Department Spokesperson

May 8, 2024

## 										Article Index									

              - ISRAEL/PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES
              - RUSSIA/UKRAINE
              - CHINA
              - ISRAEL/PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES
              - DEPARTMENT
              - PAKISTAN
              - ISRAEL/PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES
              - RUSSIA
              - ISRAEL

1:27 p.m. EDT

**MR MILLER:** All right, we’ll get started. Matt, you want to kick us off?

**QUESTION:** Again? Three days in a row you have nothing to start with? You didn’t include a —

**MR MILLER:** So sorry to disappoint you.

**QUESTION:** No, you’re not disappointing me, but I’m just surprised.

**MR MILLER:** I will do better tomorrow, I promise, and come out here with a —

**QUESTION:** Oh, you will?

**MR MILLER:** I will come out with 12 minutes of opening remarks. (Laughter.)

**QUESTION:** Eighteen. Eighteen.

**MR MILLER:** I apologize to your colleagues in advance, yeah.

**QUESTION:** Eighteen minutes would be better. Can I just clear something up very briefly? Can you say with 100 percent certainty that the NSM report will not be transmitted to Congress today?

**MR MILLER:** It will not be transmitted today. We continue to work to finalize the report. We expect to deliver it in the very near future, in the coming days.

**QUESTION:** In the coming days. So Friday at 10 o’clock?

**MR MILLER:** I don’t think anyone here wants to be dealing with that at 10 o’clock on a Friday, any more than you do. I can’t give you an exact time, but in the near future.

**QUESTION:** All right. And yesterday when you were asked about this you kept talking about this is a self-imposed deadline. And I suppose it is because it’s in the NSM, which the President signed, which said within 45 days of the receipt of the original stuff you would do it. But, I mean, so self-imposed deadlines don’t mean anything? I mean, they – for the government?

**MR MILLER:** It – so it is – it —

**QUESTION:** If I tell my editors I’m going to have a story done by Friday and then I say on Friday morning that sorry, can’t do it —

**MR MILLER:** Sure.

**QUESTION:** — and can’t do it until – wait until Monday. But that’s one thing.

**MR MILLER:** So Congress is not our editor. They —

**QUESTION:** But if you guys —

**MR MILLER:** Congress is a co-equal branch, not our editor, just to be clear. (Laughter.)

**QUESTION:** But if you guys – but if you guys say that we’re going to have this to you in 45 days and then you don’t, what should – what does that say about how serious you take this?

**MR MILLER:** We have taken this incredibly seriously, and we will have it up in the coming days. But it is also important that we get this right, that we do a thorough job. This is the first time the department has conducted such an exercise. And so we are taking all deliberate care to make sure that we get everything in it absolutely correct. And it will be just a brief delay.

**QUESTION:** It will be what?

**MR MILLER:** Just a brief delay.

**QUESTION:** A brief delay. Okay. So definitely this week, before – before the weekend?

MR MILLER: Just – I am not going to – I am not going to say – I’m not going to put a timetable on it, but a brief delay, in the coming days.

**QUESTION:** All right. And then a last one, which is probably a little bit broader but I’ll let other people pick up on it, is Rafah. So your understanding of the current situation and how that relates to the pause in these arms shipments?

**MR MILLER:** So when you mean the current situation, you mean with respect to Israel?

**QUESTION:** Well, what Israel – what – your understanding of what Israel intends to do.

**MR MILLER:** So I will let Israel speak for what they intend to do. You’ve obviously seen them conduct a limited operation with respect to the Rafah crossing in the past few days. You’ve also seen them order the evacuation of people. They have not yet launched a full-scale military operation, and I will let them speak to any plans that they might have. I will say, on our behalf, we continue to have concerns about a potential Rafah operation, and we have made that quite clear. We’ve made it clear with the Israeli Government privately, and of course everyone from the President on down has made that clear publicly.

**QUESTION:** Thank you.

**QUESTION:** Could I expand on —

**MR MILLER:** Yeah.

**QUESTION:**Will it be – you have these concerns, and then there’s the halt on these – this shipment. So what’s the message from that? Is it the idea that this will – this will make it more difficult operationally for Israel to do this? Or is it more of a political statement? Why this and how does it directly affect the Rafah operation?

**MR MILLER**: So let me say a few things about that. Number one, people should be absolutely clear that we are committed to Israel’s security. We are committed to the defense of Israel. We have demonstrated that in recent weeks with our participation in Israel’s defense when it came under attack from Iran. But as we have made clear, and I just did a moment ago, we have very serious concerns about a potential Rafah operation. We have concerns about what that would mean for the civilian population there – when you look at the fact that there are so many people crowded into such a small area, when you look at the way Israel has conducted its operations in the past and what the impact on the civilian population has been. And we also have concerns about the impact of any potential operation on the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

So we have paused one shipment of near-term assistance, and we are reviewing others. And – but that said, our long-term commitment to Israel’s security has not changed.

**QUESTION:** Sure. I mean, expanding on that, I mean, the – if I understand right, it’s a pause; it’s not – it’s not that this has been completely ended. I mean, it’s a halt in the shipment of these. I mean, is there a – is there a timeline for when that – are you waiting to see what happens in Rafah before making a decision? Is there a timeline?

**MR MILLER:** I don’t have a timeframe to offer you, but we have always made clear that our policy determinations are dependent on Israel’s policy determinations.

**QUESTION:** Sure. And just one more thing. I mean, as you know, they already do have these ` bombs in their arsenal; it’s not – these wouldn’t be their first ones. Is there a message communicated to the Israelis that they should not be using these weapons in Rafah or elsewhere?

**MR MILLER:** I’m not going to speak to anything beyond the current pause of assistance, the one shipment that we have currently paused and the review of others. I’m not going to speak to any further long-term implications. I think the most important long-term implication is the one I said, which is that we are – we do remain committed to Israel’s security. We remain committed to Israel’s defense. But in the context of the unfolding situation in Rafah, it is a place where we have very serious concerns, and that’s why we take the actions we take.

Yeah.

**QUESTION:** Just to follow up on that, what exactly are you asking Israel to do in order for this pause to be lifted?

**MR MILLER:** I am not going to get into our internal conversations with the Government of Israel. I will say, however, we have been pretty clear about what we want to see when it comes to an operation in Rafah, and that’s that we don’t want to see one go forward. We do not believe Israel has presented a credible humanitarian plan that would account for both the potential harm to civilian life of an operation in such a crowded area or for properly evacuating and caring for the over a million people who are there. We just don’t believe it’s possible to move those people to other places inside Gaza, and we have not seen a plan to take care of them if they were moved to other places. And so that’s what we have made clear, is that we don’t support such an operation.

**QUESTION:** And if they continue on with these limited incursions, like we’re seeing happen at this moment, do you expect there will be further pauses?

**MR MILLER:** I’m just not going to speak to what actions we might take in the future. We make these assessments day by day based on what is happening on the ground and make our appropriate policy determinations based on those facts.

**QUESTION:** Just to dive in a bit, you’ve mentioned looking at the way Israel has conducted operations in the past that is weighing on this decision to pause now. So what is it in the way Israel has been operating in Gaza that means you don’t think it’s right to provide 2,000-pound bombs?

**MR MILLER:** So what I was referring to when I said we don’t want to see an operation go forward in Rafah because of the impact on – the impact that we have seen in previous parts of the campaign is – go back to something the Secretary has said a number of times when he’s been in the region. And that is: Intent is one thing, results are another. And we have seen Israel take important steps to improve deconfliction, to improve coordination, to try and limit the impact on the civilian population, but the results still have been far too many innocent civilians dying.

And so when you take those results that we have seen over the course of the campaign and then you transpose them over a landscape in Rafah when you – where you have more than 1 million people in such a tight area – people who have moved from Gaza City, who have moved from Khan Younis, who have moved from other parts of Gaza, and all crowded into Rafah – all of those – all of those concerns that we had previously are magnified when you think about how they would operate in such a dense area.

There is also an additional concern that we’ve made clear, which is that the Rafah area is the center for the distribution of humanitarian assistance – most of the distribution of humanitarian assistance in Gaza – both because that’s where the civilian population is, because that’s where they’ve moved, and also because that’s where the two principal crossings that have been open for months now also exist. And so there is no way to replace the delivery of humanitarian assistance through Rafah and Kerem Shalom and then the network that has been set up inside Gaza, headquartered in Rafah, that would be severely disrupted, severely jeopardized by kinetic action.

**QUESTION:** But just specifically on the impact in terms of bombing because what you’ve – what you’ve held back is these 2,000-pound bombs, is that – does that mean – I mean, the President has talked about indiscriminate bombing in that campaign. But is there some kind of assessment that U.S. weapons have been used in an indiscriminate way, in a way that’s caught up more civilians than were necessary?

**MR MILLER:** So that is not a conclusion that we have drawn when it comes to making this kind of legal assessment I think to which you’re referring when it comes to ongoing assessments that we have that relate to violations, or potential violations, of international humanitarian law. We are looking at those questions. We’ve been doing some – so for some time, and those processes remain ongoing. The NSM, of course, will interact with these questions in some very real ways.

But that said, even aside from those questions of compliance with international humanitarian law, when you see the results of the campaign to date, you see too many Palestinians die. And so when you look at those results and you – as I said a minute ago, and you try to imagine a repeat of such a campaign in an even-more-dense area than where Israel has operated to date, that’s why we have such great concerns.

**QUESTION:** Right. Just – I guess I’m just trying to understand how in the conflict up till now you haven’t made that conclusion, but you’re able to say for Rafah this is just beyond what we’re – what we’re willing to see our bombs —

**MR MILLER:** We have been clear for some time that the results were not acceptable. You’ve heard the Secretary speak to this a number of times when he’s been in the region. I think it was on a trip last December when he talked about steps that they briefed us on that they were taking to improve civilian protections, and he said, look, the intent seems to be there but we’re going to judge them on the results. And the results that we saw in the months unfolded after that, including in the campaign in Khan Younis, was still far too much loss of civilian life. And I think we’ve spoken to that a number of times.

And so the thing that is different in Rafah – difference – different is not quite the right word. The thing that heightens the concern in Rafah is you have so many more people in such a dense area, and so all of the concerns that we had previously are magnified when you look at the impact of all the people that have moved into such a dense area as well as the humanitarian assistance concerns that I’ve been detailing.

**QUESTION:** And just finally, I wonder if you can just be clear. There are these larger bombs that have been held back. We’ve also – there’s also reporting about JDAMs that were included, and these are kind of tail kits to help target bombs. Are they – are you also holding them back related to the (inaudible)?

**MR MILLER:** I am not going to speak to specific weapons systems. I will say we have held – withheld, paused – one shipment. I’ll let the Pentagon speak to that because once you get into the realm of actually shipping weapons, that is a Pentagon function, not ours. But then we are reviewing other potential weapon systems, and I’m not going to get into the underlying details here.

Tom.

**QUESTION:** Do you have any update on operations at the Rafah crossing?

**MR MILLER:** I don’t. So let me speak kind of beyond Rafah and talk about what we’ve seen with respect to humanitarian assistance today, if that’s okay. That’s a good question you didn’t answer – you didn’t ask, but it’s related.

So Kerem Shalom opened today, opened for the delivery of humanitarian assistance. But at least as the last update I got before I came out here, we didn’t actually see humanitarian assistance move through Kerem Shalom because of logistical and security concerns on the ground. And that also relates somewhat to Rafah crossing, because what didn’t happen today is fuel going in through Rafah crossing. And so we think it’s critical that Rafah be open for fuel because without fuel deliveries into Rafah, humanitarian assistance that comes in through Kerem Shalom can’t actually be delivered. The two are critically linked, so it’s why we pressed to have not just Kerem Shalom open, but Rafah opened. Didn’t open today; didn’t open for fuel today; we’re continuing to push for that to happen.

**QUESTION:** Okay. But – so you just said you haven’t seen movement from Kerem Shalom on the Gaza side?

**MR MILLER:** Correct. We didn’t – so we saw Kerem Shalom open today —

**QUESTION:** Oh, from the Israeli side, yeah.

**MR MILLER:** — actually open for deliveries, but then trucks didn’t move in because of some of these logistical and security concerns.

**QUESTION:** Okay. So – but, I mean, basically you’re back to the situation that you were in in the first weeks of the war, where you’ve got nothing open apart from Erez, where there’s not much happening at all it seems according to aid groups. That seems very significant. And on Rafah, I mean, you called it a limited operation, but the Israelis are occupying the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing. I mean, that’s quite a big move on the ground. And so I wonder what you see as the future for both aid supplies getting in, Palestinians who desperately need hospital treatment getting out. We’ve heard this morning in a briefing from some NGOs saying they can’t rotate their teams, they’re stuck, the ones in Gaza; they can’t get out, they can’t get humanitarian workers in, they don’t have Israeli visas. So this is now potentially a very big problem. And it was the – a signature achievement of the President after a couple of weeks, he said – or you’d been saying – to get Rafah open. You’re now all the way back seven months of what you had then.

**MR MILLER:** So let me speak to the first one, and then I’ll come back and address the second, and if I’ve forgotten to address some of the aspects of it, I’d – I would appreciate a follow-up.

So when it comes to the level of humanitarian assistance, the results as they are today are just unacceptable. There’s no other way to put it. Something that the President made clear on the call that he had with Prime Minister Netanyahu on April 4th is that there needed to be a dramatic change in the delivery of humanitarian assistance into Gaza. And in the wake of that phone call, we saw Israel take steps to improve the delivery of humanitarian assistance. One of those was the opening of Erez crossing, which does remain open; one of them was the opening of Ashdod for deliveries through Ashdod that would then go in through Erez; and there are other steps as well that we’ve detailed a number of times in this briefing.

When the Secretary was in the region last week, one of the messages you heard him deliver over and over and over is that it was critical not just that the increase in humanitarian assistance continue, but that it be sustained; that the dips in delivery of humanitarian assistance that we have seen at previous stages of this conflict could not be repeated, that those dips would be unacceptable. Now, this week we have seen a fairly dramatic dip in the increase of humanitarian assistance. And so we are making quite clear to the Government of Israel that we need to see those decreases reversed, we need to get back to where we were, and we need to see the levels continue to increase and see those sustained, and that is why we need to see Kerem Shalom and Rafah opened.

To Rafah specifically, on your question about Rafah, Rafah is absolutely critical for the delivery of – as I said, fuel into Gaza. There’s a fuel depot that exists right at the Rafah terminal, I think on the Gaza side of the crossing. And it has also been the primary entry and exit point, as you said in your question, for humanitarian aid workers to get in and out of Gaza and do the important work that they need to do, that we want them to continue to do. So it’s absolutely critical that that crossing open, that it remain open, and we’re going to continue to press for that.

I think I may have left out one aspect of the question, so —

**QUESTION:** Sure. I mean, how sustainable is it to have Israeli control on the Palestinian side at Rafah crossing —

**MR MILLER:** Yeah.

**QUESTION:** — with all of the problems that that potentially brings? What’s your, first of all, assessment to how feasible and sustainable that is? And do you have an alternative policy you’re going to put to the Israelis on —

**MR MILLER:** So I don’t have an assessment to offer of the short or long-term sustainability. I will say our position on what ought to happen to Rafah crossing, and control of the Rafah side of the crossing, has been quite clear for some time, and that’s that we want the Palestinian Authority, united in Gaza and the West Bank, to ultimately assume governance in the West Bank. That’s where we want to get to, and of course that would include governance of the Rafah crossing, because they would be the controlling government authority.

Now, what happens in the time between now and then ultimately is a question for Israel. Israel has seized that crossing and Israel is in control of it now, so it is – the responsibility to open that crossing and make sure that it is running effectively right now is a responsibility of the Government of Israel, which is why we have made clear to them that they need to open the crossing as soon as possible to make sure that aid deliveries can come in, make sure that humanitarian aid workers can come in and come out, and make sure that the delivery of humanitarian assistance isn’t further impeded.

Said.

**QUESTION:** Thank you. Just to follow up on what Tom and Matt raised, on Rafah, let me ask you a straightforward question. Do you think the incursion happened with U.S. okay or with total defiance – I’m talking about the Israelis – of the United States, because —

**MR MILLER:** It did not happen with our approval.

**QUESTION:** It did not happen with your approval?

**MR MILLER:** No.

**QUESTION:** Okay. All right. So let me ask you about this, then. I mean, you mentioned that aid workers can only go through Rafah. Would the United States ask Israel to allow aid workers to go through the other points of entry?

**MR MILLER:** So I don’t want to get into what steps we might take – what further steps we might take. The first priority is to get Rafah open —

**QUESTION:** Right.

**MR MILLER:** — period. And then we’ll take other questions day by day.

**QUESTION:** Okay. So do you expect that the Rafah crossing will be open anytime soon ?

**MR MILLER:** I – one of the lessons I have learned —

**QUESTION:** Okay.

**MR MILLER:** — in the course of this conflict over the past seven months is not to make predictions about what’s going to happen on the ground, especially when it pertains to these crossings. I will just say that we have made clear that we want to see it open, and we’ll continue to push for that.

**QUESTION:** On the NSM-20 issue, Tim Rieser, who basically wrote the Leahy statute way back, said that Israel has violated the Leahy Law consistently, always. Now, you guys say here that Israel did not get preferential treatment and so on, but according to the author of this document, Israel has always done that. Do you have any comment on that?

**MR MILLER:** There are all sorts of people outside of government who have drawn various conclusions one way or the other, and you see them offering those opinions in the press, as is their right to do, all the time. I can tell you that is not a conclusion that we have reached.

**QUESTION:** Okay. But that’s the guy that wrote the book, right?

**MR MILLER:** He is. And there —

**QUESTION:** Okay.

**MR MILLER:** And I will just tell you for – on behalf of the United States Government, we have not reached that conclusion.

**QUESTION:** All right. Let me ask you about something the President said yesterday. He said that Hamas is motivated by the ancient desire to eliminate the Jews. Is that the thinking in this building, that Hamas is only motivated by ancient desire to eliminate the Jews?

**MR MILLER:** Is that the thinking in this building? That is what Hamas has said. Hamas has come out and publicly said that they want to —

**QUESTION:** Okay.

**MR MILLER:** — eliminate – hold on —

**QUESTION:** But that —

**MR MILLER:** Said, Said —

**QUESTION:** Contextually that is wrong, Matt —

**MR MILLER:** So I —

**QUESTION:** — because Hamas came into being in 1987 —

**MR MILLER:** And —

**QUESTION:** — in the midst of an intifada against the occupation responding for a brutal Israeli attack on Gaza. So when we say ancient desires, I mean, that’s going back —

**MR MILLER:** And Said, I think you are —

**QUESTION:** — two thousand years.

**MR MILLER:** I think you are ignoring the repeated over years and years of antisemitic statements by Hamas —

**QUESTION:** No.

**MR MILLER:** — saying that they are committed to the destruction of the state of Israel and committed to the death of the Israeli people.

**QUESTION:** Right.

**MR MILLER:** I don think that’s a very controversial statement. That is well-documented.

**QUESTION:** I’m asking you a straightforward —

**MR MILLER:** And Said – Said, hold on. Just let me finish. Hamas has been quite clear what their goals are when it comes to —

**QUESTION:** Right.

**MR MILLER:** — the Israeli people, and that is the total elimination of the Israeli people. We have seen them say they wanted to repeat the attacks of October 7th again and again and again.

**QUESTION:** Right.

**MR MILLER:** So, yes, the President was absolutely right in his response.

**QUESTION:** He was also right that they are motivated by ancient desires?

**MR MILLER:** That is what they – they have made that clear a number of times.

**QUESTION:** Thank you.

**QUESTION:** Thank you, Matt. There is reports that Israel is using white phosphorus in Rafah. Do you have any – I mean, any information on that?

**MR MILLER:** I have not seen those reports. I’m happy to look into them.

**QUESTION:** Will you take it? Will you look —

**MR MILLER:** Yeah, that’s why I said I’ll take it and look into it.

**QUESTION:** Okay. And yesterday you said that this operation is limited, and you’re still hoping that Israel is not going to go with the bigger operation. But what difference does it make when they evacuate 100,000, and yesterday there is videos of them attacking tents that has refugees, including kids – I think it was, like, tens of kids who were being killed yesterday. So —

**MR MILLER:** So —

**QUESTION:** — in the end, I mean, the results are the same.

**MR MILLER:** So let me just differentiate two things. When we spoke about it being a limited operation, when I spoke about it here, I was speaking specifically to take – their taking control of the Rafah crossing. When it comes to the evacuation of 100,000 people, we made clear that we don’t want to see that happen. We don’t think that there is sufficient place for those people to go. We think that the evacuation – an evacuation order of 100,000 people will actually lead to more people moving and going to places where there is not sufficient care for them. So, no, that is not something we support.

**QUESTION:** Okay. And finally, what message does the State Department send to people who really truly believe in the respect of international law, of the Geneva Convention, when you have lawmakers in the U.S. are threatening the ICC judges of basically sanctions if they indict Netanyahu? When you have an important report to look into whether Israel is misusing U.S. weapons against civilians is being delayed? When there is a unit in the U.S. Army – in the Israeli army that’s been accused of gross human rights violations in the West Bank, has been pushed aside? So – and also there is a statistic – 56 percent of the Democrats, which is the party of the Secretary and the President, saying they believe that Israel committed genocide. So what message would you send to the equally people who believe in democracy, and rogue state who just over – trample all over these principles?

**MR MILLER:** So a number of things there. Number one, we don’t make our decisions based on polls; we make our decisions based on the facts, and that’s what we will continue to do to make decisions in the best interests of the American people. When it comes to members of Congress, they make their own decisions, they speak for themselves; they don’t speak for the State Department or the United States Government. That has always been the case. They are independent actors. When it comes to the NSM, I don’t think you should take a delay of a few days to speak at all to our commitment to compliance with international humanitarian law or to writing a thorough report that will look into all of these questions. We are committed to doing it, and I think it is a bit – I think it’s a bit silly to suggest that a very short delay in any way undermines that commitment. That’s —

**QUESTION:** That’s only one example out of three.

**MR MILLER:** I know. Well, I’m going through the examples one by one. But that said, our overall message is that we are absolutely committed to the upholding of international humanitarian law. We have made that clear. That is the case when it comes to Israel, as is is the case when it comes to every country anywhere in the world. We expect every country to comply with international humanitarian law, and we have ongoing processes inside this building to look at those very questions when it comes to Israel’s conduct during this war.

**QUESTION:** On the —

**MR MILLER:** Yeah.

**QUESTION:** Thank you.

**QUESTION:** On the ICC part of her question.

**MR MILLER:** Yeah.

**QUESTION:** Forget about members of Congress for the moment, but the last administration actually did impose sanctions on the ICC prosecutor and a bunch of others, and when you guys came in – when this administration came in – you made quite a big deal out of rescinding that. Are – can you rule out that – a change in that and that you might go back to what the previous administration had done in terms of the ICC with – if they go ahead with this – with indictments of Israeli officials?

**MR MILLER:** I can’t make any predictions or any announcements one way or the other what – about what we will do about something that has not yet happened. I’ll just make clear that we do not believe the ICC has jurisdiction in this matter and we’re opposed to their investigation.

**QUESTION:** Yeah, but I mean, is this administration willing to consider reversing its reversal of the Trump administration sanctions on the ICC?

**MR MILLER:** So, again, the ICC hasn’t made a decision yet, and —

**QUESTION:** I – yeah, I’m aware of that, but I mean —

**MR MILLER:** Right – but I – but you’re asking —

**QUESTION:** Is this something you’re willing to consider?

**MR MILLER:** You’re asking me to forecast what we might do —

**QUESTION:** No, no.

**MR MILLER:** — or – hold on – what we might consider if and when they make that decision, which they haven’t made. I’m never willing to do that.

**QUESTION:** No, I’m not asking you – I’m just – I’m only asking whether you’re going rule it out.

**MR MILLER:** I shouldn’t say “never.” Not – I’m just not —

**QUESTION:** I mean, it would seem to be a big backtrack if you guys went and then reversed your reversal of what Secretary Pompeo did with the ICC.

**MR MILLER:** I am just not going to make any forecasts one way or the other. We’re going to wait and see what the ICC does and make our decision based on that.

Go ahead.

**QUESTION:** The minister of defense of Israel was this morning at the border between Lebanon and Israel, and he said that it’s going to be a very hot summer. Do you have fear that this war could expand wider at – and, like, what we see in Rafah, could be also another attack inside Lebanon this time?

**MR MILLER:** We have always been clear from the initial days of this conflict that we were worried about the escalation of the conflict, we were worried about the spread of the conflict, and that’s why we have worked so hard to keep it from escalating and keep it from spreading. And that includes through diplomatic efforts to try to bring calm to northern Israel and the border with Lebanon. Those efforts continue and it’s something that we focus on every day. As – while we’re dealing with all of the very serious issues in Gaza, we remain committed to doing everything we can to keep the conflict from expanding, and there is ongoing diplomatic efforts to that end.

**QUESTION:** But Matt, also, like, I did go examine the protests that is going on on the campuses. We did not feel that it was antisemetic speeches. They are asking for a ceasefire; they’re asking for humanitarian aid; they’re asking to stop the war; they’re asking not to attack civilians; they’re asking to end the genocide. So why President Biden said we will not allow these protests to keep on going while they’re asking for human things – that this administration been always a big advocate for human rights and democracy, and now we see that this democracy’s been oppressed on college campuses? The whole world is kind of, like, watching America as going down in democracy, like (inaudible).

**MR MILLER:** So for – I would completely disagree with that assessment of the state of American democracy. Let me say first of all I would largely defer to the White House to speak to that, only because it’s largely a domestic matter, and as I think you know, here at the State Department we usually speak to international and diplomatic matters, not concerns that happen here in the United States.

That said, the President has made clear – and the Secretary has made clear when he’s spoken on this issue – that we are absolutely committed to Americans’ right to free speech. It is one of the things that makes our country great, but at the same time, other students have the right to go to class, to go to school, and those rights shouldn’t be impeded either. And beyond that, I will, as I said, refer to more domestic sides of our government to speak in any detail.

**QUESTION:** Can I follow up (inaudible)?

**MR MILLER:** Go ahead, Alex.

**QUESTION:** Thank you, Matt. A couple of separate topics. On detained American citizens in Russia, I was hoping you could help us with the numbers here, because White House yesterday confirmed two cases. We were aware of another case in – back in April, and that’s on top of three other cases: Paul, Alsu, and Evan. How many cases are active that you guys are considering right now – how many of them are deemed to be wrongful and you’re seeking actively access to?

**MR MILLER:** Let me go back and get you a kind of full accounting for that. There are obviously the two cases that we have announced as wrongfully detained, Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich. There are other Americans who are detained, people whose release that we have called for, and then there are other Americans who have been detained for any number of various alleged issues, and those are sometimes in a slightly different category, so I don’t want to be misleading. Let me take you back – take it back and get you an actual answer.

**QUESTION:** What’s your sense of why this is increasing these days? Are they seeking some prisoner swap, that’s why they are —

**MR MILLER:** So we have been quite clear that Russia has detained Americans for not legitimate law enforcement reasons but because it wants to hold them essentially as hostage and trade them for potential prisoners. It’s one of the reasons – if you look at the D indicators on our Travel Warning, it is one of the reasons why we have been so crystal clear that Americans should not for any reason travel to Russia, period.

**QUESTION:** Thank you. On Ukraine, in light of last night’s attacks, I’m wondering if it’s going to trigger any change on your end in terms of expediting your support.

**MR MILLER:** I don’t have any announcements to make. Obviously the Congress just passed a new supplemental. We have already provided more – announced more than a billion dollars in assistance from that supplemental. We are working on other packages. I think you can expect to see us get back to the kind of tempo that we were at before we had this break in funding, so you should expect to see additional funding coming, but I don’t – I’m not going to give you a timetable today about when we will make such an announcement.

**QUESTION:** Thank you. I have one more on Georgia, if I may.

**MR MILLER:** Yeah.

**QUESTION:** We’ve seen increasing rhetoric, anti-Western rhetoric, coming from Georgian Dream officials. Today they announced one more project – so Kremlin-inspired, if you want – incriminating database on opponents without providing any due process how they’re going to list those critics. What is your take on where – where is this coming from?

**MR MILLER:** I don’t have any assessment on that particular thing. I will just say that, as we have said in the past few days, we remain incredibly – incredibly concerned not just about the legislation that is under consideration in the Georgian legislature but also the anti-Western rhetoric we have seen out of Georgian Dream’s leadership. We think that puts Georgia on a precarious trajectory. We think it jeopardizes their Euro-Atlantic path, and it quite obviously jeopardizes the relationship between our two countries.

**QUESTION:** Do you find it puzzling that everything we hear from Georgian Dream officials are, if you want, reflection of everything we read from Sputnik or other Russian outlets?

**MR MILLER:** I just don’t have any further comment than what I just offered.

**QUESTION:** Thank you.

**MR MILLER:** Janne, go ahead.

**QUESTION:** Thank you, Matt. Two questions on Russia and North Korea. It was reported that the Russians attempted to assassinate Ukraine President Zelenskyy with missiles. Is there anything specific about this?

**MR MILLER:** I spoke to this yesterday; I don’t have anything further to add to those comments.

**QUESTION:** You couldn’t find yet?

**MR MILLER:** I just – I don’t have any further to add. I will defer largely to the Ukrainian Government to speak to the details of that plot.

**QUESTION:** Okay, another one: A UN investigation team recently announced that a North Korea-made missile used by Russia against Ukraine contained U.S. and European components. What is the U.S.’s reactions on this?

**MR MILLER:** Let me take back and get you an answer to that.

Shaun, go ahead.

**QUESTION:** Different topic.

**MR MILLER:** Yeah.

**QUESTION:** Hong Kong – I don’t know if you have any comment on this – the authorities in Hong Kong, they’ve banned the song that was sort of the anthem of the democracy movement, “Glory to Hong Kong.”

**MR MILLER:** Yeah.

**QUESTION:** And today they said that they are trying to get all online platforms, including Google, to take it down. Does the U.S. have any comment on that, and has it been in communication with tech firms on what to do?

**MR MILLER:** So we remain seriously concerned about the continued erosion of protections for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong, including the freedom of expression. And the decision to ban this song is the latest blow to the international reputation of a city that previously prided itself on having independent judiciary, protecting the free exchange of information, ideas, and goods. I don’t have any specific conversations to read out.

**QUESTION:** How about on the online aspect, like trying to get them to take it down from online platforms?

**MR MILLER:** I mean, I would say that the – it goes to my comments about being concerned about the continued erosions of protection, including freedom of expression, and that would include to trying to erase a song from the internet.

**QUESTION:** Direct follow-up on that?

**QUESTION:** Hong Kong.

**QUESTION:** Direct follow-up.

**MR MILLER:** Go ahead.

**QUESTION:** Thank you. Appreciate it. Sticking with Hong Kong, as we speak, as we sit here, pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai remains on trial. In fact, tonight in California there’s going to be a prayer service held for him. But in December, this State Department condemned his persecution, demanded his immediate release. It’s now May; we’re 72 days into his trial, I believe. Have you received any response from the authorities there after demanding his release?

**MR MILLER:** I am not going to speak to specific responses, but we have made clear for some time, as you said, that we want to see his release, and that remains the case.

**QUESTION:** How closely are you monitoring that trial?

**MR MILLER:** Incredibly closely. I can tell you there are people here in the State Department that are following that every day.

**QUESTION:** And then finally, there’s an effort you may know by lawmakers right now, U.S. lawmakers, to rename a street after Jimmy Lai where the Hong Kong economic trade office in Washington, here in Washington, is located – Jimmy Lai Way. Supporters say it would signal to the entire world that the U.S. stands in solidarity with those who oppose the tyranny and repression of the Chinese Government. Does the State Department support renaming that street?

**MR MILLER:** I just don’t know if the administration has taken a position on that. It’s not something we would generally do here at the State Department when it comes to a domestic matter inside the United States.

**QUESTION:** Thank you.

**MR MILLER:** Go ahead.

**QUESTION:** Human Rights Watch today published a report saying Israeli security forces have unlawfully used lethal force in fatal shootings of Palestinians, including deliberately executing Palestinians who posed no apparent security threat, based on documentation of several cases since 2022 – I would argue there were probably many before. Have you seen the report? Do you have any —

**MR MILLER:** I saw that the report was released. I haven’t had a chance to review it in detail yet. But of course, we take any allegations of human rights abuses seriously. It’s something that we look into as part of our ongoing processes here at the department.

**QUESTION:** And one more question on the Palestinian Authority. So you’re saying that you would like to see the Palestinian Authority take over governing in Gaza and also the Rafah crossing?

**MR MILLER:** We have made – sorry, were you —

**QUESTION:** Well, is there – is there any progress to that end? Is there any movement on plans to make that happen? Is there any talks with the Palestinian Authority on this, or is —

**MR MILLER:** So there have been – there has been intense ongoing diplomatic efforts to this end with partners in the region about how we can present a plan for a pathway to an independent Palestinian state. As part of that, it would include reunited West Bank and Gaza under Palestinian Authority control, under a reformed Palestinian Authority, I should add. And the Secretary was just engaged in those conversations last week when he was in the region, and we continue to make good progress on it.

**QUESTION:** One more on these unity talks between Hamas and Fatah. What is the State Department’s view on —

**MR MILLER:** I just – I just don’t have any comment on this at all.

**QUESTION:** Come on, Matt. Come on, Matt. That – come on.

**MR MILLER:** Please don’t interrupt your colleague. Go ahead.

**QUESTION:** On the —

**QUESTION:** Don’t do that. We just – do justice to your podium, please.

**MR MILLER:** Please. Please. Go ahead.

**QUESTION:** Come on, Matt.

**QUESTION:** On planned leave and Michael McCaul’s letter to Secretary Blinken about Robert Malley’s case, the letter has been sent on May 6th. Is the State Department planning to send an answer?

**MR MILLER:** So that was two days ago, so we’ve not responded to the letter yet. But we have received the letter and we will take it seriously, as we all – do all congressional correspondence, and will respond to it. I will say, as we have made clear before, there are certain things that we can brief Congress on, and this has been a long – something we’ve spoken to any number of times since this matter first arose I think last summer, and we have briefed Congress on issues pertaining to Rob Malley’s status and issues pertaining to Rob Malley’s – or pertaining to Iran policy. But then there are other things that relate to security clearances that it has just been the longstanding position of the Executive Branch and the department that we cannot brief Congress on, and that remains the case.

**QUESTION:** Thank you.

**MR MILLER:** Go ahead.

**QUESTION:** (Inaudible), Matt.

**QUESTION:** Sir —

**MR MILLER:** I see —

**QUESTION:** (Inaudible.)

**QUESTION:** Sir, a few media analyst and experts in – a few media —

**QUESTION:** (Off-mike.)

**QUESTION:** Can I just ask my question, please? Thank you. A few media analysts and experts in Pakistan are discussing the expected release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, while a senior senator claimed that United States is working closely with the Pakistani authorities to end his unjust detention. I haven’t seen any evidence of this claim, but is it true or is it fake news?

**MR MILLER:** We – no. We do not take a position on those matters. Those are matters for the Government of Pakistan to decide.

**QUESTION:** A Pakistani military spokesperson that said that Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan is involved in the suicide attacks in Pakistan, including the killing of five Chinese engineers, while we’re also seeing some reports where U.S. asked their diplomatic staff and U.S. citizens to stay away from troubled areas in Karachi and some other parts of the country. How concerning is the security situation in Pakistan for the U.S.?

**MR MILLER:** So Pakistan has suffered a great deal at the hands of terrorists. We regret the loss of life and injuries sustained, and offer our heartfelt condolences with those affected by this attack, and remain committed to working with Pakistan to address the shared threat posed by terrorist groups throughout the region.

**QUESTION:** So do you have any comments on the treatment of Afghan refugees in Pakistan? Because after reporting thousands of our illegal Afghan refugees, now Pakistani Government started deporting those who have their documents – include journalists, students, and even those who were born in Pakistan. What are your comments on this treatment of Afghan refugees?

**MR MILLER:** So we have been in close – I’ve spoken to this before – we’ve been in close and constant communication with the Government of Pakistan on the safety of individuals in U.S. resettlement and immigration pathways. We will continue to work with the Government of Pakistan to address any issues or concerns. It is in both our countries’ interests to ensure the safe and efficient resettlement of those individuals. And we will continue to encourage Afghanistan’s neighbors, including Pakistan, to respect the non-return advisory, given the dire situation in Afghanistan, and to coordinate with international humanitarian organizations to provide humanitarian assistance, and to support the implementation of critical protection screening mechanisms.

**QUESTION:** Thank you.

**MR MILLER:** Hudson, go ahead.

**QUESTION:** Matt, one of the NSM criteria is being an impediment to humanitarian aid. Is one of the reasons of the holdup of the assessment because of the disruptions at Kerem Shalom and Rafah, which are clearly impediments to humanitarian aid getting in?

**MR MILLER:** The delay is not related to anything that has happened this week. The delay is just related to the fact that we are trying to put the finishing touches and finalize this report. That said – I think it was before you were in the room – I did speak to the delays in delivery of assistance through Kerem Shalom and Rafah and made clear that we find those delays unacceptable. And one of the things the Secretary said when he was in the region last week is after seeing an increase in humanitarian assistance, that increase needed to be sustained. Obviously, this week it’s not been sustained, so we need to see it return back to that level. And that’s what we’re pressing the Government of Israel to allow to happen.

**QUESTION:** Thank you, sir.

**MR MILLER:** Go ahead, and then we’ll do maybe one or two more, and go up to Shannon next after – go ahead, yeah.

**QUESTION:**(Inaudible) two quick questions. The first one is: Is there something that the State Department would like to see in Europe towards the war in Gaza that the State Department would appreciate Europe to do? Looking at country like Italy, they are very close in the Mediterranean to those countries.

And the second one: I know the State Department already had a statement yesterday. If you can say something about what happened to the Italian student in Miami that was arrested and got tied from the police (inaudible).

**MR MILLER:** So I don’t have any comment on the second one. We can take that back and coordinate with Consular Affairs to get you a specific response to it.

When it comes to the situation in Gaza, we have been in close coordination with our European partners on really two fronts: one in helping increase the delivery of humanitarian assistance; there are a number of European countries who have provided humanitarian assistance that has been critical for the needs of the Palestinian people. We appreciate the work that they have done and have stayed in close coordination with them about that.

And second is in looking at all the post-conflict issues, the Secretary has worked with a number of issues, including with the Italian foreign minister. We talked about this both at the G7 and in a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Tajani – on the margins of the G7 about the role that European countries can play in the end of this conflict and providing a path forward for the Palestinian people, and we’ll continue to work with them on that.

**QUESTION:** Thank you.

**MR MILLER:** Shannon, go next, and then —

**QUESTION:** Thank you, Matt. This is somewhat related to Alex’s question earlier, but do you have any specific updates on Gordon Black, the U.S. staff sergeant who has been detained in Russia since earlier this month?

**MR MILLER:** I don’t.

**QUESTION:** Have you been able to reach consular access?

**MR MILLER:** We have not yet received consular access. We continue to push for that. And because of privacy issues, which I know you’re well aware of, I – there’s nothing more I can really say.

Ryan.

**QUESTION:** You don’t see me. You don’t – you don’t want to see me.

**QUESTION:** Hi. I want to ask you about —

**MR MILLER:** So I will just say as a general rule —

**QUESTION:** If you would treat me with respect (inaudible) —

**MR MILLER:** I’m just going to say a general rule —

**QUESTION:** So if you don’t treat me with respect —

**MR MILLER:** When people – when people interrupt —

**QUESTION:** — then (inaudible) treat you with respect. (Inaudible.)

**MR MILLER:** When people interrupt their colleagues, I don’t call on them. Go ahead, Ryan.

**QUESTION:** Learn to respect journalists and you’ll be respected.

**QUESTION:** Hi.

**MR MILLER:** Go ahead, Ryan.

**QUESTION:** Okay, you —

**QUESTION:** (Off-mike.)

**QUESTION:** All right – all right, you got your say. You got your say. You got your say.

**QUESTION:** Thank you.

**QUESTION:** I want to ask you about Tally Gotliv, Likud official, a member of the Knesset. She said this – she said: The U.S. is threatening not to give us precise missiles. Oh, yeah? Well, I’ve got news for the U.S.. We have imprecise missiles. We’ll use it. We’ll just collapse ten buildings, ten buildings. That’s what we’ll do.

So she’s threatening that if Israel is held accountable for war crimes, they’ll respond by committing greater war crimes. What kind of effect does that have on U.S. decision-making?

**MR MILLER:** I would say those comments are absolutely deplorable and senior members of the Israeli Government should refrain from making them. We will continue to make our policy assessments based on what’s in the best interest of the American people, what is in the best interests of the region.

Go —

**QUESTION:** Thank you, Matt.

**MR MILLER:** Go ahead, then Shaun, and then we’ll wrap up.

**QUESTION:** Hey, Shaun, can I ask, please?

**QUESTION:** Go – go ahead. Go ahead.

**MR MILLER:** Yeah.

**QUESTION:** Thank you. Will the U.S. pause all military shipments to Israel, or are the bombs and munitions the only ones on hold?

**MR MILLER:** As I said, there is one specific shipment that we have put on hold, pending a review, and others that we’re reviewing. I don’t have further – any further announcements to make. But as I made clear, we are committed to the long-term security of Israel. We are committed to the long-term defense of Israel. We are committed to spending every dime that was in the recently passed supplemental by Congress, and that includes – we have already approved the latest tranche of foreign military financing, which is $827 million worth of weapons and equipment, so I don’t think people should mistake or view that we have taken with respect to some short-term assistance with our long-term commitment to Israel’s security.

**QUESTION:** And then lastly, is the administration concerned that Republicans in the Senate could place holds on nominees, like for State, until the hold is – of munitions and bombs for Israel is lifted? The GOP has done this practice in trying to get the administration to reverse certain policies.

**MR MILLER:** Yeah, we have seen members of Congress take – put holds on our nominees for a number of reasons unrelated to those nominees’ specific qualifications or the jobs to which – for which they have been nominated. And I will say all that does is weaken American’s national security, because we need those officials in their jobs out fighting for America every day. And when they’re held up and they can’t get put in those jobs, it just makes it more difficult for – do everything we can to improve the national security of the United States.

**QUESTION:** But I’m asking, like, in the specific case of the hold up?

**MR MILLER:** I haven’t seen a specific hold in this case, so there’s nothing for me to really respond to.

**QUESTION:** Thank you.

**MR MILLER:** Shaun, go ahead, and then we’ll wrap.

**QUESTION:** Sure. I mean, just back on this, I know you don’t speak for Langley, but I thought would just ask if you did have anything to say about Director Burns’s meeting with Netanyahu or more broadly on the hostage – the hostage talks?

**MR MILLER:** I don’t have any readout of specific meetings. I will defer to other agencies that are responsible for those meetings to speak to them. It does remain our assessment that a deal is possible, that a deal is within reach. There is clearly space to reach an agreement, and we are going to push to try to get one over the line.

With that, we’ll wrap for the day.

**QUESTION:** Thank you.

(The briefing was concluded at 2:12 p.m.)

# # #

Tags

ChinaIsraelOffice of the SpokespersonPakistanPalestinian TerritoriesRussiaUkraine

Back to Top