'This Week' Transcript 12-17-23: Nikki Haley, Gov. Chris Sununu & Sen. Chris Van Hollen

Interview

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Well, I don't think it's getting through clearly enough because we continue to see unacceptably high levels of civilian casualties. And when it comes to the humanitarian crisis, we still have a near total siege.

Now, as of today, there may be some progress, Israel finally opening the Kerem Shalom Crossing, which is a very important crossing. It shouldn't take this long.

Look, President Biden's been absolutely right to stand with Israel in the objective of ending the military threat from Hamas, no more October 7ths. But he's also right that how Israel conducts this operation, how the Netanyahu government conducts this operation is important. And that is why it's really essential that these issue be addressed. And they're not being addressed sufficiently enough to my mind.

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Well, Jon, look, here's the bottom line. We do have unacceptably high levels of civilian casualties. We see very loose rules of engagement, way looser than anything the United States would exercise. We would not drop a 2,000-pound bomb on a refugee camp to target a Hamas commander.

Just yesterday snipers fired into a church compound, killing a mom and her daughter, without warning. So it is very important, because the United States is not a bystander to this. We are a big supplier, of course.

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We supply military assistance to Israel.

So we are with them entirely in the objective of ending the military threat. But again, we need to make sure that our values are reflected in this, so long as we are providing all of this equipment.

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Well, this is a direct, you know, response to -- to President Biden calling for a two-state solution, ultimately as the only political settlement that's viable.

And here's the thing about Prime Minster Netanyahu. He has continued to weaken the Palestinian Authority. This is the organization that recognized Israel's right to exist decades and decades ago. Instead of trying to find peace, or at least preventing the conditions on the ground from changing, with additional settlements to allow a two-state solution, he -- he has shut the door on that effort.

Meanwhile, as you've seen, there have been lots of reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu actually, you know, supported Qatar's efforts to finance Hamas in -- in (inaudible).

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This is...

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Right. And this is where it's really important that President Biden assert leadership in this moment. In this very dark hour, if there's going to be any light at the end of the tunnel, you're going to have to have a political settlement, not with Hamas. Obviously, they're not any partner for peace. We need to end the military threat from Hamas. But you need to have Palestinians who have long accepted Israel's right to exist to be able to govern and represent the people within -- within the Palestinian area.

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Well, I worry a lot about escalation, both in the Red Sea area with -- with the Houthis, and, as you say, we shot down their drones. We also have to keep an eye on the northern front with Hezbollah.

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This is why -- why President Biden sent two aircraft carrier groups to the region to prevent that kind of escalation, to send a message to Iran, to Hezbollah and others.

So, look, I think that the administration has been smart in terms of how it's responded to those attacks. But, clearly, the risk of an American being killed in the process is high. And that would, obviously, create a big response from the United States.

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Well, there are also reports that that's exactly what Iran would like to see happen. There are also reports that that's what Putin would like to see happen. Have the United --

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Have the United States get bogged down in the Red Sea. And that means that we get -- we get distracted.

But to answer you question, I clearly -- I mean, if -- if U.S. forces are killed, you're going to get a big, big response from the United States.

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Well, they've been very tight-lipped, understandably, about where they are, but they say they're making progress. I hope that's the case.

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Well, first of all, I think it's essential that we provide military assistance to Ukraine.

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This is a pivotal moment in American leadership, and history. And we need to make sure that we help our Ukrainian friends against Putin's aggression, not just to protect their freedom, but because it would send a terrible signal around the world, to our allies who would no longer trust us, and to our adversaries who would be emboldened if we're not doing that.

In terms of the border security, I have to look at the details. And the big question, Jon, is, who's at the table on the Republican side? I don't mean the individual. But are they really working with the president to try to get border security, because the president has proposed historical increases and resources for border security and that's --

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So, we have to look at it, you know?

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Good to be here.

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