podcast. c-span. your unfiltered view of politics. >> the house will be in order. >> c-span celebrates 45 years of covering congress like no other, since 1979 we have been your primary source for capitol hill providing unfiltered view of government where policies are debated all with the support of america's cable companies, c-span, 45 years and counting, powered by capable. state department spokesperson spoke about the rocket attack that killed 12 children. the white house and israel have blamed hezbollah for the attack. this is 40 minutes.

good afternoon everybody. everybody have a nice weekend. i don't have anything off the top. >> just on israel-lebanon, i saw kirby's conversations after the rocket strike that killed 12 children. what reaction is the u.s. having?

and it's in e's interest to resolve quickly. we continue to believe that diplomatic resolution is urgent and we are engaged in talks because our goal is with civilians to be able to safely return to their home. so those conversations are ongoing and continue to coordinate closely. >> are you urged israel to exercise restraint? >> israel has a right to defend

itself and we are engaging in ongoing conversations. >> and just on gaza ceasefire talks and won't negatively how that this won't affect their ceasefire talks and israel -- [indiscernible] >> a ceasefire in gaza could help bring, relieve the tensions along the blue line and creating the conditions for displaced leep nan ease and israeli citizens to go home. and we are continuing to engage in the process and hopeful about the developments as they progress. no negotiations are ongoing and we believe a deal is achievable and we think that it is necessary and urgent.

and those conversations are going to continue ongoing as matt and the secretary has said when they are asked similar questions that are not helpful to negotiate on the inner workings of those publicly but we will continue to engage in the process. reporter: netanyahu's government has inserted new conditions go is that your assessment as well that they -- are you concerned about the timing? >> i'm not going to get into the conditions of the process. there are a number of complicated details that need to be worked out and i'm not going to outline those publicly but a deal is achievable a we think it is urgent. there has been a deal that was on the table and hamas needs to accept that deal.

reporter: what are the conditions? >> i'm not going to speak about the negotiation process. >> all of these questions on lebanon -- against striking beirut. >> i'm not going to speak to diplomatic engagements. israel has a right to defend itself against terrorism. we are continuing to engage and seek a durable solution that ends all types of cross-border fire and those who are displaced to return home. that is our priority.

our message to american citizens that they should enroll in smart traveler programs and receive conditions about on the ground and other factors. we don't have any plans or announcement as it relates to evacuation or efforts for private citizens from lebanon and i remind folks as it relates to the country it is at a level 3 and southern lebanon is at a level four. commercial flights remain available and we encourage to look into those options but in addition to enrolling in smart

travel there are a number of other steps they can take and make sure they have a plan in place and make sure u.s. passport is valid and if they enroll as smart traveler, those are things we can assist with. >> are there any changes in security? >> there are not. >> what is the department's understanding including the secretary's dpaijment of how much israel's retall tower response with the strikes, the beginning, the middle, the end? >> that is something i will leave it to the i.d.f. to speak to. the united states is focused on is ensuring that we come to some kind of solution that is that will allow civilians in israel and lebanon to safely return home. that is our priority and remain

engaged with officials in lebanon and officials in israel as well. >> the prime minister that response coming will be severe and there may be more to come. is the u.s. prepared? >> we are engaged with the relevant entities continuously and our diplomatic solution and i'm not going to get ahead of what is going to happen or preview. first and foremost we condemn this attack that struck the soccer field. but beyond that we are continuing to ensure there is a durable diplomatic solution. >> this is dribbling back. publicly reported and broke up in a matter of hours with the director returning to israel without an apparent

break-through but hamas has been placed on the table. >> you are right but not going to outline the details of these. last week that we are hopeful about the investments and progress that is being made and these are processes going and they are achievable and urgent. and there are a number of details that need to be worked out but i'm not going to get into them from up here. that would be unhelpful for the process. too much suffering for far too long and time for this war to end. we think the ceasefire can unblock a great deal and creates for the remaining hostages to return home and we believe it creates the conditions so that

influx of humanitarian aid can make its way into gaza to address the dire circumstances in gaza. it creates the conditions that will allow irrelevant actors to have serious diplomatic conditions and get us out of these endless cycles of violence and that is what is at stake. i know there is interest in the details and the negotiations and the back and forth and i will not get into those. >> you and matt and other u.s. officials have not hesitated to say when the ball is in hamas' court. whose court is the ball in? they were dealing up the pressure or prime minister netanyahu. so who is causing the hangup now? >> i'm not going to get into the

specific negotiations but let's look at this from a little bit of a wider lens and take a step back here. consistently when i believe it was about a month and a half ago when president biden went into the roosevelt room and laid out the contours of this proposal, this proposal that israel had agreed to, united nationses supported and u.n. security council had supported time and time again it was hamas that changed pieces of the deal and changed pieces of the proposal. this is a proposal that is ongoing and we will continue to work through this process and i'm not going to get into the specifics. >> you said hamas changed the conditions but i understand this may not get an answer. one more on the vice president's comments last week. far right officials in israel

took contrast do you have any response to it? >> look, i think it's pretty clear those are character isizations that take the vice president's comments out of context. the vice president was clearly stating what has been the administration's position that ceasefire is of utmost importance and can unlock a great deal. the release of american hostages and influx of humanitarian aid. it needs to be timely and urgent and prioritized. >> just to follow up on libya. in the past -- [did not hesitate saying that --

[indiscernible] standing in the way because mr. netanyahu has had a change of heart and agreed to something and then changed his mind. >> i'm not going to get into a back and forth on hear say and what may or may not be true. what i can say this is that these are negotiations and processes that are ongoing and continue to be engaged in those efforts. there continue to be a number of details and issues that need to be worked out but we believe that a deal is achievable. not only achievable but for all the reasons i laid out coming to a deal should be of utmost importance and it is true that at various processes hamas has changed the goalposts and

changed conditions. that has been true without us getting into the specifics of the negotiation process which i'm not going to get into now. >> you are saying that the israel government or mr. netanyahu has not changed positions from the original -- you know that was announced by the on may 31. >> i'm not talking about the specifics of the negotiations. >> i know you spoke about that, is that the only way is that the only way that golan heights -- [indiscernible -- that the people that were killed were syrian citizens. it's time for the occupation to end? >> our occupation in the golan heights has not changed and

should be no surprise to you. and you heard the secretary say a number of times that goal and is very important and as long as the assad regime is in power in syria and iran and proxies are present in syria and militia groups backed by iran are backed and poe poses a security threat to israel, the control of the golan heights is important. >> you are saying that the designation of the golan heights is occupied territory is contingent on -- [indiscernible] >> our policy as it relates to the golan heights hasn't changed. >> let me ask you a couple more

questions. the i.d.f. destroyed a key facility. are you aware of that. >> we have been in contact with our partners in seeking additional information. over the course of this conflict you have seen us speak about not targeting civilian like water, assuming treatment plants. a facility like this one would be inconsistent with that. i don't have any additional information and we sought out additional information. >> evacuation of wounded children from gaza. do you think -- [indiscernible] >> certainly not. i don't know the circumstances

or the underlying circumstances what i can say is every effort should be taken to minimize civilian and especially children, but i don't want to assume that these issues are related and see if there is additional information there. >> i just want to go back about the golan heights. the israeli control -- [indiscernible] operating in syria. is this a walk back from the administration of golan heights of the sovereign territory on israel? our position has not changed. our policy to the golan heights

has not changed. the secretary has talked about this and consistently talked about it in the same way and our position has not changed. >> my second question is about the hezbollah incident and hezbollah denying and israel and united states accusing them of this. do you have any independent verification that it was hezbollah or relying on israeli information? >> i'm not going to get into the underlying data that supports this assessment but what i can say is that this attack was conducted by hezbollah and their rocket and anything to the contrary would be denial of reality. i'm not going to get into the underlying circumstances of this but it is our assessment it was

an attack by hezbollah. it was their rocket and launched from an area they control. >> they issued a warning to u.s. citizens to leave as soon as possible. a lot of people in the region have taken this as a warning as a looming war. [indiscernible] >> the important thing to remember when it comes to our consular effort, we take the safety and security of american citizens. it is the most utmost importance to secretary of state. we do not think any all out war is inevitable and we continue to believe that through dloams it is possible in which civilians can return to their homes in israel and lebanon and american

citizens living in the region we have the responsibility they have the most up to date and relevant information top countries where they travel and lebanon as it relates to the whole country, that is a level three for reconsider travel and southern lebanon is a level four and do not travel. we are talking about safety and yes, the safe thing for american citizens to do would be to make appropriate plans some of which i laid out to jen. >> a question on -- [indiscernible] are you confident that there will be no all-out war between israel and hezbollah? and what is the confidence

coming from? >> it is not helpful for you to ask such a concern dealing in such absolutes. what we are focused on is the work at hand. and the work at hand is to continue to engage in diplomacy and allow civilians to safely return to their homes and we will continue to engage with officials in lebanon and israel. you saw the secretary had the opportunity to speak to president herzog earlier and we will continue that engagement. >> did you talk to iran about that solution in lebanon? >> i'm not aware of any conversation. i'm not aware of any conversations. i'm not aware of any conversations with iran. >> what do you expect from his

administration -- [indiscernible] when it comes to the nuclear deal? >> let me say a couple of things. first we have no expectation that the new president that is going to lead to any fundamental change in iran's direction or it's going to lead to any additional or more respect for the basic human rights of its citizens. we are going to judge iran's leadership by their actions, not by their words or even claims of moderation or claims of wanting better ties. the proof is in the pudding and the proof is going to be reflected in the actions that they take. and as it relates to your question of the nuclear program. look, our approach is unchanged. we view diplomacy as the best

way to achieve a solution with regard tore iran's nuclear program. nothing has changed that. we are far away from anything like that right now happening given iran's numerous escalations including nuclear escalation and its failure to cooperate with the iaea. we will judge them by their actions not their words. if they show a new approach, certainly there is immediate actions to cooperate with the iaea. >> it has been a long time that we -- [indiscernible] >> sorry? [indiscernible] bring iran to the table and

pursue nuclear weapons. >> we are going to remain deeply focused on. i will say diplomacy has sought out results. that certainly the united states is inned in. if you recall just last fall or late last summer, you saw through our engagement we released american citizens who were being detained by the iranian regime. there are conditions which the end result of diplomacy has a desired outcome for the united states. >> i want to go back to the israel-hezbollah topic. earlier you said there is engagement with relevant entities. has the united states communicated with iran?

[indiscernible] >> president-elect. >> i spoke to it a little bit. i will give you the cliff notes version. this new inauguration, this new election, we are aware and tracking the potential formation of a cabinet. but none of that gives us the expectation or the thinking that there is going to be a fundamental change that the iranian regime is going in or see more basic human rights. the proof is going the proof will be in actions and actions that they take, not empty words. >> domestic wise, what about his threat that if israel attacks hezbollah, that it will have to face serious consequences? >> first, let me just say that

israel has every right to defend itself not only from terrorism, but from malign actors like the iranian regime. certainly this is something the united states is continuing to pay close attention to as well. >> how do you view the role of bangladeshi law enforces and agencies running witch hunt's against innocent young people, shooting them under shoot on site orders by the rolling prime minister hasina and forcing key student organizers to give statements after being tortured while in custody which are then circulated by the controlled media, especially when they show visible torture marks? >> as it relates to bangladesh, both in public and private, we continue to call for a lasting and peaceful resolution into the current situation and we reiterate our unwavering support for the freedom of peaceful assembly. we are aware of some restoration

of telecommunications across bangladesh, but we are calling for a full and un-disrupted public access to internet and social media services. this will enable people in bangladesh including our very own american citizens to be able to access critical information. >> i have seen numerous members of the house of representatives and senators expressing concern in solidarity with the student protest in bangladesh. congressman lloyd doggett described pm hasina in bangladesh student protests as militant who deserve deadly force. the only militant is hasina who ordered troops in peacekeeping vehicles to attack and kill students. the biden administration must act boldly against this repression. what is your response? mr. patel: so we of course support all efforts for those who want to peacefully protest and as it relates to engagement with congress, i'm not going to speak to specific correspondents, but we of course, continue to be deeply

responsive to any questions our colleagues in the congress might have. go ahead in the back in the white. >> thank you, celia from the latin america. so just recently, the maduro government, the lead prosecutor in venezuela named opposition leader maria corina machado as the key suspect of the alleged electoral sabotage from last night. so is there any concerns by the administration that she might be a target and possibly be arrested within the next hours? also, some of the oas members have requested an emergency meeting after the election in venezuela. how will the u.s. approach the meeting and what is the call after the election? mr. patel: sure. so first, i don't have anything to preview as it relates to a potential oas meeting. of course, again, oas is a vital partner, especially as it relates to our foreign policy in the western hemisphere and we'll continue to engage with them as appropriately.

to your first question, let me just echo what the secretary said in tokyo. in that first, we applaud the venezuelan people for their participation in the presidential election and we commend their courageous and commitment to democracy in the face of repression and adversity. we've seen the announcement from overnight by the venezuelan electoral representatives and we have serious concerns that this result does not reflect the will and the votes of the venezuelan people. and it's critical that every vote is counted fairly and transparently, and that election officials immediately share information with the opposition and independent observers without delay and that electoral , representatives publish the detailed tabulation of votes. that's what the united states is watching for. it's what the international community is watching for and we will respond accordingly. i'm not going to speculate on any particular action that might take place in venezuela. i will also just so note that this is something that as i said, countries around the world

are watching very closely as well. i believe within the hour before i came down, you saw a number of seven or eight countries across latin america also express serious concern and wanting to see these published detailed tabulation of votes. so that's that we'll continue to focus on. >> just the last thing. right now we've seen protests in the streets just by the cemetery in caracas, lined with fire, and then the government is sending now tanks, some of the military has refrained from actually engaged with the protesters. maria kalina machado, the leader of the opposition, has called for peace and not to protest. she's actually launching a plan during today events that she's holding. is it a concern that this could escalate to a confrontation and that the government will do them -- will double down on arrests and violence?

mr. patel: i'm not going to speculate. we certainly would support anybody's right to peacefully protest and to peacefully make their opinions and their point of view heard. and certainly we would take issue with any kind of violence, especially violence against those who are peacefully protesting, but i'm not going to speculate. go ahead, in the back. yeah, you. >> thank you. as you mentioned, secretary blinken was clear that the us has concern that the results announced yesterday might not reflect the will of the voters in the poll. but as of today, does the u.s. recognize the results as it was announced yesterday, yes or no? mr. patel: sorry, who? >> if today the united states recognize the result announced yesterday. mr. patel: so i don't, i don't have any announcement to make as it relates to that. what we are calling for is the immediate publication of detailed polling results to ensure transparency and accountability. it's something that we are looking for as well as other international and regional partners. >> has there been any recent

contact among u.s. officials from here? the state department and international observers sent to caracas, as with the brazilian diplomats or others? mr. patel: it's certainly something that we're paying attention closely to. i don't have any specific calls to read out for you though. go ahead in the back. >> thank you. thank you. the syrian democratic force sd declared a general amnesty for detained isis members. do you have any coordination on this and how do you look at this? mr. patel: i'm sorry, i did not hear the first part of your question. >> the syrian democratic forces. so they declared a general amnesty for isis members to be released in the prisons. how do you look at it? mr. patel: i'm happy to check back on that, i'm not tracking that issue. broadly when we talk about

issues related to the sdf, we've spoken about the prisoners being able to successfully be repatriated to their host country but i'm happy to check on this. >> there have been new attacks on u.s. forces in iran. and do you think it is assign that iranian backed militias in -- a thread on u.s. assets? mr. patel: i'm certainly not going to speak on any threat assessment or get into the details around that, but this is something you've heard us talk about before in that groups , proxies, malign actors in iraq who seek harm on american forces or american installations certainly need to be held accountable and brought to justice. it is something we believe is important and also something that we know that iraqi officials believe as well. go ahead. >> let me go back to venezuela. i'm having trouble understanding

the u.s. assessment at this point the secretary says it has not reflected the will or the voice of the people. who does it reflect? mr. patel: that is exactly what we are working, in close coordination with partners and allies to unearth and that's why you saw the secretary call for a publication of the detailed tabulation of votes and that's what us and other regional partners are looking for as well. >> -- the like-minded leaders, nicolas maduro and others, they say they have compelling information. mr. patel: you know i'm not a spokesperson for those governments, so i will leave it to them. echoing the secretary, we have serious concerns about these results and concerns they don't

reflect the will and votes of the venezuelan people. that is of great importance that every vote is counted fairly and transparently and that election officials immediately share information with opposition and independent observers. on top of that, electoral representatives should publish the detailed tabulation of the vote and that's what we are looking for. >> based on the comments section so far, do you -- mr. patel: i'm not going to put a timeline on it. if this is something the secretary and coordinator are deeply engaged on but i don't have any specific updates or a timeline to offer. >> any comment on tomorrow's upcoming meeting? mr. patel: i don't have anything

to preview, alex. this is something the secretary has been focused on and we will continue to be deeply engaged on it. you have had your hand up. >> thank you. on sudan, have you gotten any response from the staff on the talks? mr. patel: we have not. go ahead. >> did the u.s. lunch any projects with the french governments or the olympics starting when they did the whole insult of jesus? mr. patel: did the united states do what? >> lodge any protest with france over the insults of jesus, what they did during the starting of olympics? many christians and muslims because jesus is a muslim prophet as well. any condemnation? mr. patel: i'm not tracking that there was any insult to jesus at the beginning of the olympics and certainly not something we would raise as it relates to the olympics. >> congresswoman nancy mace has

introduced a bill where she has asked that the taliban regime in afghanistan be designated as a terrorist organization. i don't know if you are aware or not, but tpp on afghanistan side under the u.s. department of justice is a terrorist organization but taliban over there are not. so she has passed this bill. do you agree or do you support such a bill? mr. patel: i'm fairly certain the taliban is a designated terrorist organization. >> in afghanistan no, no, they , are not, sir. but just so you know that taliban and afghanistan are not. mr. patel: i don't think that's accurate. >> just a last one. the last one. today, 93 members of parliament, the election commission has moved into imran khan's party, the election rigging and all the things have been mentioned to you several times. are you happy to hear that now justice is being served and the

political party has got 93 members back? mr. patel: as it relates to pakistani domestic politics, that is not for us to determine, that is for the pakistani people to decide. what the united states is always going to do, we will partner with the government serving in the interest of the pakistani people and the united states interest and that has historically been our approach to pakistan. >> to questions. [indiscernible] i want to bring something from my indian american community and also millions of people around the globe and here in the u.s. when a u.s. flag was burned down and taken from the pole and put their own flag.

it was condemnation around the globe including here and painful to see this event here in washington. so what message our secretary of state or this department is getting from around the globe diplomatically and also at the same time, sir, what message do you think those protesters were sending? mr. patel: so i'm not going to try and get in the mind of what those protesters were trying to send. matt spoke to this a great deal last week. we of course respect and welcome everyone's right to peacefully protest and make their points of view heard. we certainly would not support or condone not just the burning of the american flag but replacing it with paraphernalia and flags that are evocative of hamas which is what we saw happen last week. but again we support unwelcome peoples right to peacefully protest, but the scenes we saw

at union station last week was certainly not that. go ahead. >> thank you. why is it that the u.n. peacekeeping force in lebanon, doing its job? why has it become a farce? what can the u.s. exert to get unifil to stop hezbollah? mr. patel: i will let the united nations speak to any efforts or role they are playing in lebanon. what i can say from the united states perspective is that we are again focused on coming to a durable diplomatic suit -- solution to allow both citizens on both sides of the border to safely return home. >> once again, hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets at israeli's and yet now israel is forced to issue a reprisal. they are calls for restraint against israel.

why isn't the u.s. holding lebanon scot free in all of this? and where is lebanon's army to step hezbollah? mr. patel: so let me just be very clear about this. at the beginning of this briefing, we clearly condemned lebanese hezbollah for this attack on a soccer field. and simultaneously, we continue to believe israel has every right to defend itself, especially from terrorism. all right, thanks everybody. yes. >> the u.n. should renew -- next month, august, asking for changes? mr. patel: i'm happy to check on that. i'm not sure the details behind that but i can get back to you. thanks, everybody. >> c-span's washington journal, our live forum involving you with the latest issues in

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