Biden's NSA pressed on previous comments about 'quieter' Middle East: 'So far off the mark'
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan was pressed by NBC News host Kristen Welker about his previous comments claiming things were "quieter" in the Middle East.
NBC News' Kristen Welker pressed President Biden's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan about how he was "so far off the mark" in describing the conflict in the Middle East as "quieter" today than it has been in two decades.
"Jake, as you know, there’s been a lot of discussion about how this attack could have been missed. I want to play you some remarks that you made eight days before the attack and get your reaction on the other side," Welker asked, before playing the clip.
Sullivan said the Middle East was quieter than it has been in a long time about a week before Hamas attacked Israel.
"The Middle East region is quieter today than it has been in two decades. Now challenges remain. Iran’s nuclear weapons program, and the tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, but the amount of time I have to spend on crisis and conflict in the Middle East today compared to any of my predecessors going back to 9/11 is significantly reduced," he said.
WHITE HOUSE SAYS '20 OR MORE' AMERICANS ARE MISSING IN ISRAEL AMID HAMAS ATTACKS
"Jake, why was your assessment there so far off the mark?" Welker asked.
"Well, first, Kristen, I made those comments in the context of developments in the wider Middle East region over the last few years after two decades that involved a civil war in Yemen and a massive humanitarian catastrophe, a civil war in Syria and a massive refugee crisis, an invasion and insurgency in Iraq, a NATO military operation in Libya. Iranian-backed attacks on both Saudi and the UAE as well as many other steps including the rise of a terrorist Caliphate that actually occupied a huge amount of territory," he said.
He said that he also clarified that it was "for now" and said it could all change.
"It is true that those two threats remained a real challenge to the long term stability of the Middle East region and we’ve just seen this absolutely tragic attack, but at no point did the Biden administration take its eye off the ball of the threats to Israel. In fact, President Biden saw Prime Minister Netanyahu just weeks before this attack to discuss the security challenges facing the state of Israel and we continue to support them to as significant or greater an extent than any previous administration," he said.
Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in September following a long delay that many saw as a snub to Israel.
The president urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a private phone call on Tuesday to minimize civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip following Hamas' terrorist attacks against Israel.
"Like every nation in the world, Israel has the right to respond — indeed, has a duty to respond — to these vicious attacks," Biden said during remarks after the phone call.
"We also discussed how democracies like Israel and the United States are stronger and more secure when we act according to the rule of law. Terrorists purposefully target civilians, kill them. We uphold the laws of war — the law of war. It matters," he added.
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