In a tense Senate exchange, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio defended the U.S. support for Israel while addressing concerns raised by Senator Jeff Merkley about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Merkley challenged the strategy behind the flow of aid to Gaza, questioning the U.S.'s stance on Israel's tactics. Rubio responded firmly, emphasizing the importance of eliminating Hamas to secure a peaceful future for the people of Gaza. The heated discussion escalated as Merkley presented a shocking "before and after" poster depicting the devastating impact of the ongoing conflict. Watch this explosive moment in the Senate and see how the U.S. government's stance on Gaza is being fiercely debated.
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00:00This is satellite images done by the New York Times that show before the war, the detailed homes, mass damage before the ceasefire, and then since the ceasefire, absolutely, the entire neighborhood turned to rubble.
00:17There's just basically nothing left that is habitable.
00:20So I wanted to just make the point that it's not some theory about the strategy.
00:26The strategy is being implemented and implemented very aggressively and effectively.
00:32But let me return to the issue of food denial.
00:36The Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that in February, 2,000 children were admitted for treatment.
00:45Godspeed. Thanks for all you're doing for our country.
00:48Thank you, Senator. Senator Merkley.
00:50Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and greetings, Secretary Rubio.
00:54And it was a pleasure to work with you when you were in your Senate capacity on a number of human rights issues related to China, Taiwan, Tibet, Hong Kong, and certainly the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act,
01:05which I think is a standard and a strategy I hope will spread to other countries to reject goods made by slave labor in China.
01:13Today, however, I want to wrestle a bit with another, what I consider to be a humanitarian tragedy, the conditions in Gaza.
01:25I very much supported Israel going after Hamas following October 7th.
01:30But we are now well over a year and a half into this.
01:34And there's a new phase of events, which I'll try to summarize.
01:39Six months ago, Finance Minister Smotrich said Israel should thin the population through voluntary migration.
01:46He also used the term encouraged migration.
01:51These terms are considered a euphemism for forced displacement.
01:56And the strategies of forced migration are food denial, the demolition of homes so that there's no place to return to,
02:05and driving people from one area in the Gaza Strip south to the southern side.
02:12Then there is a new plan called Operation Gideon's Chariot, a mass call-up of troops in Israel.
02:20And Netanyahu said a few days ago, he said, we're going to take over all the areas of the Gaza Strip.
02:27By the way, on that forced displacement or the demolition of homes, I want to put up a chart to accentuate the point.
02:35This is satellite images done by the New York Times that show before the war, the detailed homes, mass damage before the ceasefire,
02:45and then since the ceasefire, absolutely, the entire neighborhood turned to rubble.
02:52There's just basically nothing left that is habitable.
02:55So I wanted to just make the point that it's not some theory about the strategy.
03:01The strategy is being implemented and implemented very aggressively and effectively.
03:06But let me return to the issue of food denial.
03:11The Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that in February, 2,000 children were admitted for treatment of acute malnutrition.
03:22I was thinking about the strips that are used.
03:25They're called MUAC strips, mid-upper arm circumference.
03:31It's basically a measure of the bicep.
03:32And I saw them in, I went to areas that were under starvation in Africa, and I saw these being used.
03:38And you'd see a child, and you would think this child is just maybe two years old, and they'd be five years old, and their arms as thin as toothpicks.
03:47And I was struck when a U.N. health representative returned and said, and I quote,
03:54I've seen them in the wards, referring to the hospital wards, a child of five years old, and I thought he was two and a half.
04:03So, I'll just say, 2,000 children, acute malnutrition, that's a nice way of saying we're starving.
04:11In March, there were 36 children admitted for acute malnutrition.
04:16The denial of food began, the blockade began March 2nd, so the numbers are undoubtedly up much higher in April and now into May.
04:24The World Health Organization reported a couple days ago that 57 children had died from the effects of malnutrition.
04:32That blockade shows signs of being changed.
04:39Netanyahu has made some public comments.
04:42He said, we will not stand by.
04:44Let's see.
04:46We cannot reach a point of starvation for practical and diplomatic reasons.
04:49He went on to say that mass starvation is a red line that could cost Israel support from the U.S.
04:55He didn't say it was a humanitarian problem, but support from the U.S.
04:58And yesterday, five trucks went in, and there's a plan to get up to 100 trucks.
05:03But five trucks is 1% of the amount needed for daily food supplements.
05:09And 100 trucks is still only 20%, an area that's already extremely hungry.
05:14This has led Canada, France, and Britain to say we cannot stand by while the Netanyahu government pursues these egregious actions.
05:23The level of human suffering is intolerable.
05:27So I guess my question here is the U.S. is a very close ally to Israel, both in military, security support, certainly in economic support.
05:37So is the administration conveying to the Netanyahu government that encouraging migration through food denial is an unacceptable strategy?
05:48Well, let me say I won't discuss, obviously, for many different reasons, what we share with our partners and allies.
05:56But I will walk you through some of the steps that you've rightly outlined, what has happened over the last...
06:01It's not too long a speech, because I'm really trying to get where our administration is standing.
06:04Well, I'm still trying to get the center out of me, so I still talk longer than I should, so I'll be more brief.
06:08I'm going to have to reclaim some time.
06:10But go ahead, try to keep it very...
06:11No, well, you want me to answer?
06:12I do want you to answer, but hopefully answering...
06:16The question is pretty simple.
06:17Does the U.S. consider this an acceptable strategy of encouraging migration?
06:21Well, I would say that we were pleased to see that aid is starting to flow in again.
06:25I understand your point that it's not in sufficient amounts, but we were pleased to see that decision was made.
06:30I understand another 100 trucks are behind that and maybe more in the next few days.
06:33I also tell you that we were...
06:35I met in Rome two days ago, three days ago, with a world food program to walk through some of the ideas and plans they had for distribution on the ground.
06:43And ultimately, the answer here is for this to end, hopefully with the elimination of Hamas,
06:48because the people of Gaza deserve a more prosperous, peaceful future, which they'll never have as long as Hamas exists.
06:54Well, thank you.
06:55That was brief and well done.
06:58So let me...
06:59Then the second part of this is the systematic destruction of remaining homes as a way to make it impossible for people to stay in Gaza.
07:09Does the U.S. discourage that?
07:10Is it discouraging the Netanyahu government from continuing that strategy?
07:14Well, we don't view that that's their strategy.
07:16We understand that they are targeting elements of Hamas, is what they have claimed and said to us and to the world,
07:21that they believe that they need to root out the remaining elements of Hamas,
07:24who, by the way, have been an impediment to multiple ceasefires that I know have been negotiated
07:28and even agreed upon by Hamas external and then vetoed by Hamas internal.
07:33Is the U.S., it sounds like then, therefore, we're not concerned about that, or you're not...
07:40You characterize it differently.
07:41There has been reports of the administration working behind the scenes to develop a plan to help deport Gazans to Libya.
07:49Have you been involved in any discussions related to deporting people from Gaza, Palestinians in Gaza, to Libya?
07:55No, there's no deportation.
07:57What we have talked to some nations about is if someone voluntarily and willingly says,
08:01I want to go somewhere else for some period of time because I'm sick,
08:04because my children need to go to school, or what have you.
08:07Are there countries in the region willing to accept them for some period of time?
08:11But those will be voluntary decisions by individuals.
08:14Well, if there are voluntary decisions because there is no clean water, there is no food,
08:19and bombing is all around you, is that really a voluntary decision?
08:23Well, ultimately, that's the point, right?
08:25And that is you don't want people trapped there.
08:26They may want to come back.
08:27They may want to live there in the future, but right now they can't.
08:30And if there's some nation willing to accept them in the interim period,
08:33yes, we've asked countries preliminarily whether they would be open to accepting people,
08:37not as a permanent situation, but as a bridge towards reconstruction.
08:41Does that include Libya?
08:43I'm not aware of Libya.
08:46I will just summarize since my time is up.
08:52I think the U.S. has a moral responsibility to fiercely convey to the Netanyahu government
08:59that using food as an instrument of war is unacceptable.
09:03It's a violation of international humanitarian law.
09:07It's mass punishment.
09:09We have now children who are dying, and while Netanyahu said he doesn't want to see mass starvation,
09:16he's drawing the line at mass starvation, but we're seeing real starvation right now.
09:20And I think we owe it to our connection and our close relationship to Israel
09:26to powerfully convey the importance of not just five trucks a day like yesterday or 100 trucks a day,
09:33but enough food to end the starvation.
09:36Is that a policy you can get behind?
09:40To ultimately rebuild and provide people a future in Gaza?
09:44To get behind enough trucks to end the starvation?
09:47Yeah, we've made that point.
09:48Look, I think ultimately, I don't think you would have seen the events of the last couple days
09:53without our engagement and the engagement of others.
09:55Israel remains a strong ally.
09:57We're supportive.
09:57We understand why for their security Hamas cannot exist.
10:00We are also very happy to see that they have allowed aid to begin to flow,
10:04and we hope that that will continue.
10:06Concluding comment, Mr. Chairman, thank you for your tolerance.
10:08This is an important topic.
10:10Netanyahu did say he was responding to remarks and pressure from American politicians.
10:16I assume that's the administration saying that we, the America, cannot accept mass starvation.
10:22But I would encourage you to push not for five or 100 trucks,
10:26but enough food to end the fact that children are starving and adults are starving,
10:32innocents are starving, our close relationship.
10:34We need to end it.
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