Antony Blinken

And I also think that what he's seeing is a United States that recognizes Republicans, Democrats, everything in between. The China pros is a profound challenge to us, and it's going to be an enduring challenge. We're in a competition to shape what the future looks like. And that competition doesn't have a clear finish line. It's not like ending a war. It's going to be there for a long time.

And the question is, have we set ourselves up in the best possible way to approach that competition from a position of strength? And I believe that's exactly what we've done.

And the question is, have we set ourselves up in the best possible way to approach that competition from a position of strength? And I believe that's exactly what we've done.

One of the things that I found a little astounding throughout is that for all of the understandable criticism of the way Israel has conducted itself in Gaza, you hear virtually nothing from anyone since October 7th about Hamas.

One of the things that I found a little astounding throughout is that for all of the understandable criticism of the way Israel has conducted itself in Gaza, you hear virtually nothing from anyone since October 7th about Hamas.

Let's step back for a second and think about where we were on October 6th, and then where we were on October 7th, and where we've been since then. You're right, on October 6th, we were very much pursuing normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Let's step back for a second and think about where we were on October 6th, and then where we were on October 7th, and where we've been since then. You're right, on October 6th, we were very much pursuing normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

And in fact, I was scheduled to go to Saudi Arabia and Israel on October 10th, a trip obviously that didn't happen because of the events of October 7th. But the purpose of that trip was

And in fact, I was scheduled to go to Saudi Arabia and Israel on October 10th, a trip obviously that didn't happen because of the events of October 7th. But the purpose of that trip was

was to work on the Palestinian component of any normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, because we believed, and the Saudis also said it was usually important, to make sure that if there was going to be normalization, there was also a pathway toward a Palestinian state. That's exactly what I was going to the region to work on. Well, as I said, that trip didn't happen.

was to work on the Palestinian component of any normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, because we believed, and the Saudis also said it was usually important, to make sure that if there was going to be normalization, there was also a pathway toward a Palestinian state. That's exactly what I was going to the region to work on. Well, as I said, that trip didn't happen.

Since October 7th, we've had some core goals in mind. I was there, I was in Israel and then in the region five days later. I saw horrors beyond anyone's imagination. inflicted on men, women, and children. And we were determined to do everything we could to help ensure that October 7th would never happen again.

Since October 7th, we've had some core goals in mind. I was there, I was in Israel and then in the region five days later. I saw horrors beyond anyone's imagination. inflicted on men, women, and children. And we were determined to do everything we could to help ensure that October 7th would never happen again.

We also wanted to make sure that the war wouldn't spread, that conflict wouldn't spread to other fronts, to other countries, because that would mean more death and destruction. It would also mean that the actions Israel was taking in Gaza were likely to endure even longer, and I can come to that in a minute.

We also wanted to make sure that the war wouldn't spread, that conflict wouldn't spread to other fronts, to other countries, because that would mean more death and destruction. It would also mean that the actions Israel was taking in Gaza were likely to endure even longer, and I can come to that in a minute.

Third, we wanted to make sure, to the best of our ability, that the children, the women, the men in Gaza who were caught in a crossfire of Hamas's initiation, that they did nothing to start and were basically powerless to stop, were as protected as possible and got the assistance they needed to survive this horrific conflict. And we've been working on each of those fronts every day since.

Third, we wanted to make sure, to the best of our ability, that the children, the women, the men in Gaza who were caught in a crossfire of Hamas's initiation, that they did nothing to start and were basically powerless to stop, were as protected as possible and got the assistance they needed to survive this horrific conflict. And we've been working on each of those fronts every day since.

When it comes to making sure that October 7th can't happen again, I think we're in a good place. Israel has destroyed Hamas's military capabilities. It's eliminated the leadership that was responsible for October 7th. And that in and of itself should be reason to find an off ramp in Gaza.

When it comes to making sure that October 7th can't happen again, I think we're in a good place. Israel has destroyed Hamas's military capabilities. It's eliminated the leadership that was responsible for October 7th. And that in and of itself should be reason to find an off ramp in Gaza.

I don't need to tell you that. No one needs to remind me of the suffering because it's something that drives me every single day. It's exactly why. We've done everything in our power to find a way to get an end to the conflict through getting the hostages back and getting a ceasefire. I've been to the region a dozen times with that in mind.