conditions for a durable, sustainable peace. durable, sustainable security for israelis and palestinians alike. we're focused on the day of. we also need to be focused on the day avenue. so in conversations we'll be having through the course of this weekend i expect you'll see a focus there and particularly how we can get over time to two states for two peoples which in our judgment remains the best guarantor and maybe the only guarantor of a secure jewish and democratic israel and palestinians with the state they're entitled to. so these will be the things that we're focused on. these are challenging times. these are intensely difficult issues. but i'm convinced that american diplomacy can make a difference in moving everyone to a better place. that's what we're working to do. i'll take questions. >> thank you, mr. secretary. do you assess that israel has shown restraint up to this point in their offensive in gaza, and what are the concrete steps you'll be pushing them on? and are you confident you'll be able to get them to make any movement on this given the maximalist positions we've seen from israeli -- >> well, as we've said, and it's important, israel has the right and the obligation to defend itself and, again, to try to make sure that what happened never happens again. no country, no country, not the united states, not anyone else that i can think of would tolerate the slaughter of its civilians. so we stand behind that. we stand behind the proposition. but as democracies the united states, israel, other democracies have a responsibility to do everything possible to protect civilians who may be caught in harm's way. and this again is a crossfire quite literally of hamas's making. the fact that it cynically and monstrously, deliberately has people -- men, women, and children as human shields puts its command posts, puts its leadership, puts its fighters, puts its weapons, puts its munitions underneath hospitals or even inside them, schools, mosques, makes this incredibly challenging. but we have to rise to that responsibility. and so we will be talking about concrete steps that can and should be taken to minimize harm to men, women and children in gaza. and this is something that the united states is committed to. i'm not going to get into the details here. but it's very much on the agenda. when i see a palestinian child, a boy, a girl, pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building, that hits me in the gut as much as seeing a child in israel or anywhere else. so this is something that we have an obligation to respond to, and we will. >> i wonder if you got your assessment of the current reecing of the spillover in the conflict. today hezbollah said it attacked 19 posts along israel's border with lebanon. the houthi said the other day they're entering the conflict. while you're in the region, how do you expect to be able to get other countries in the region involved in sort of the day after plan that you're talking about when, you know, there's rising opposition, rising protests against israel from bahrain and jordanians? >> so we're determined to prevent escalation on any of these fronts, whether it's lebanon, northern israel, southern lebanon. whether it's the west bank. whether it's anywhere else in the region. and the president's been very clear in what he said publicly. we've been very clear in what we shared privately. we've been very clear in some of the actions we're taking that we are determined to deter any escalation. so with our partners as well we're making sure that message gets through. it's not in anyone's interest, not in anyone's interest for this to escalate. and i think some of the other parties involved actually recognize that. but we're going to work on that every single day. >> -- it's happening, though, if strikes are already taking place? >> what we've seen so far are discrete attacks. we've responded as necessary, including on our forces. our forces who are in the region in syria and iraq to prevent the resurgence of isil which should be in everyonetion interest, and you saw the actions we took in response to that. but to prevent the spread of escalation, the prevent of the spread of this conflict, we're taking steps to make sure that happens. with regard to what comes next, i think understandably, people are very focused on the day of, not just the day after. but we do have to have conversations now about how we can best set the conditions for a durable, sustainable peace, durable sustainable security for israelis and palestinians alike. so i expect that those are conversations that we'll have an opportunity to pursue over the next couple of days. but this is a long-term effort, but we have to make sure that we're focused on it now. thanks. thanks, everyone. >> we've been listening to secretary of state antony blinken from joint base andrews. the secretary of state along with other key officials in the biden administration on the way to the middle east to very important meetings not only with israeli officials but other partners in the region. as the secretary of state is ready to board the plane, we should point out he reiterated his support for israel, the u.s.'s stance that israel has a right to defend itself against what he described as a monstrous hamas. but he did say that how israel does this matters. he says that steps need to be taken to protect civilians because he said that civilians are bearing the brunt of this action. notably, the secretary of state saying that seeing children pulled from the rubble hits him in the gut. he also talked about focusing on getting humanitarian aid into gaza while getting foreign nationals and u.s. citizens out. and notably he not only talked about discussions regarding the current situation in gaza but also the future, the secretary of state saying we need to be focused on the day after, referring of course to a two-state solution, saying he believes that may be the best and only way to secure peace, not only for israel but for palestinians as well. >> right. interesting to see him looking ahead in this moment as well to what potentially could come next. so as they are now en route to israel we want to take you to our global coverage. we've got this covered from a variety of angles for you. we have cnn's melissa bell in cairo, cnn's jeremy diamond in israel, and cnn's natasha bertrand also here. she's joining us now. natasha, we'll talk to you first, we just heard from the secretary of state there as he's getting ready to board the plane with a large group of american diplomats headed to israel. what are your main takeaways? >> reporter: yeah, jessica, he said that in his conversations with the israelis they are going to be discussing concrete steps that they can be taking to minimize harm to civilians. and that is really going to be a key part of all of his discussions there. he wants to get an update from the israelis on their military operation, on the objectives inside gaza, but importantly he wants to reiterate to them that they need to be taking all steps possible to protect civilians there. now, he also said that a key part of their conversations is going to be getting sustained aid into gaza. right now the number of trucks going in is around 50 to 60 a day, but he has said he wants that number to get up to 100 trucks a day and for it to be sustained. that's also going to be a key part of these discussions. but really interestingly here, he seems to be very focused on not only what is going on right now but what the end game is, what happens if and when hamas is eliminated. that is israel's stated goal. who is going to govern the gaza strip and how is a durable and sustainable peace going to be achieved? he said that is going to be a topic of discussion as well because he said what he wants to see, what the u.s. wants to see is two states for two people and he said that remains the best guarantor of a secure jewish and democratic israel and palestinians for the state that they are entitled to. so there's going to be i allot on the agenda for him, a lot of tough conversations he's going to have with israelis about protecting civilians. but as you mentioned, he did reiterate multiple times that the u.s. believes that israel has the right to defend itself against hamas. >> yeah, the u.s. multiple times calling for a pause in the action to help get those hostages out, to help get humanitarian aid into gaza. so far, though, no signs of israel being open to that. let's get an update now on the situation with those folks that are trying to leave gaza. melissa bell is in cairo for us. she's been monitoring the situation at the rafah crossing. so melissa, given these remarks from secretary of state antony blinken, what have you been hearing about what's happening on the ground as we learn that some americans have been able to get out? >> reporter: that's right. we've seen a few dozen americans, boris, now able to get to the egyptian side of the rafah crossing. of course that is hugely important. and what we understand is going to happen is that's going to continue. in fact, the latest list that was published, nearly 600 names of those who are meant to be allowed out today, included 400 americans. f remember this is fairly chaotic, not just the opacity with which it is decided who on any day can get out, and this is a question for israel, hamas and egypt to consider on a case-by-case basis. there's a whole vetting procedure. but then on the other side the chaos of trying to get families or those whose names might be on the list that day to make them even aware their name is on the list that day. remember that just yesterday we saw another sort of internet and communications blackout. very difficult to reach anyone inside if the family's outside, to reach their loved ones. still, several dozen now have made their way out, and i think it's significant that what they bring with them are tales of what's been going on inside. and that's going to continue over the coming days. as for the aid that secretary blinken was just mentioning there, there are a few trucks going through the rafah crossing each day. what we've understood from the time that we've spent up there is that part of the difficulty, what is slowing down the process are the israeli checks on the other side. that is unlikely to change. secretary blinken making it clear they're going to bring pressure to bear that more trucks get in. but just to be clear, the number of trucks that have got nen since this conflict began is still fewer trucks that would've gone in on any day before it did. that gives you an idea of the huge lack of humanitarian aid and the needs that are inside. there's going to be such a huge shortfall to make up for. and in the meantime you're talking about lack of water, lack of food, no sanitation, fairly chaotic conditions, and that is even before you deal with the wounded. the other handful of people who've been allowed out through the rafah crossing are some of the most wounded palestinians, and as we understand it there have been several dozen more today and that also is likely to continue over the coming days. boris? >> melissa bell for us in egypt. let's go now into israel, where jeremy diamond is standing by. and jeremy, again we just heard from the secretary of state tony blinken. he mentioned repeatedly, and he and the administration have said repeatedly that israel has a right to defend itself, but we also hear him saying it matters how they do it and that they are going to be talking about that as well as they head to israel this afternoon. what more can you tell us from your vanity ng point? >> reporter: yeah, there's no question that a big part of the secretary's visit here will be talking to israelis about the mounting toll of civilian casualties. now, it's clear that both israel and the united states have some distrust in the numbers coming out of the palestinian ministry of health, which of course is controlled by hamas. but nonetheless, the images that we are seeing in some of these strikes are undeniable, and in particular over the last couple of days much of the world has really been struck by those images of the enormous craters in the jabalya refugee camp where israel says it was targeting in one case a senior hamas commander, in another case terrorist infrastructure underneath residential buildings. but in both cases what we saw was a number of civilian casualties including women and children. but another focus of this visit of course will be the state of israel's ground offensive. and over the last day we have heard from the chief of staff of israel's military that israeli forces are inside of gaza city, operating in what he described as very significant areas within that city. the day before we heard that israeli forces were at the gates of that city, which is hamas's stronghold here in northern gaza. but what's also become clear, particularly to us from our vantage point here with gaza just over my shoulder, is the fact that even as israeli forces move in on gaza city, which is south of here, there is still very, very intense fighting ongoing between israeli forces and hamas militants in the northern part of the gaza strip including the city right behind me, beit hanoun, which is the northeasternmost city in gaza city. all throughout the day we have been hearing artillery fire, mortar rounds going off inside the gaza strip, as well as ongoing gun battles between forces. we've been hearing small arms fire and machine guns throughout the day. and that tells us what you need to know about the danger that those tunnels that hamas has underground present to israeli forces entering the gaza strip. we know that last night, overnight israeli forces in the north were indeed ambushed by hamas fighters, most likely using those underground tunnels. so it's clear that even as israeli forces move in on gaza city they are still dealing with some very intense fighting here in the north and facing the very real danger that hamas fighters could pop up behind them. >> all right. jeremy diamond for us in israel. our thanks to you and melissa bell and natasha bertrand. we'll check in with you guys throughout the next several hours. >> let's dig deeper on tony blinken's visit to the region with tom nides, former u.s. ambassador to israel. ambassador, thank you very much for being with us. i do want to for the sake of transparency let our viewers know about your personal connection to cnn. the ambassador is married to our colleague cnn executive vice president virginia mosley. now that that's out of the way, ambassador, moments ago we heard from secretary of state antony blinken saying that he wants to discuss concrete steps with the israelis on protecting civilians. the white house has called for a pause to fighting, something that israel does not appear to be open to. would you advise president biden to push prime minister benjamin netanyahu harder on the issue of either a ceasefire or a pause, however he'd like to describe it? >> well, first of all, thank you for having me, boris. i think first and foremost as the secretary pointed out israel has an obligation to eliminate the threat of hamas to the people of israel. make no mistake. and america supports that. and as the secretary just said, it's how it's done is very important. so at the same time we support israel in a very aggressive way to eliminate this risk, also we are -- you know, we're all human beings. none of us -- this fight isn't between the palestinian people, the fight is with hamas. and obviously, as tony sailed, as the secretary said, it breaks all of our hearts to see any young child die or any old person die or anyone die who's basically innocent. hamas wants this to happen. their desire here is to have more and more palestinian deaths and obviously israeli deaths to create martyrism. and i think the secretary's voice as a credible voice as someone who supports the state of israel and also works with israel clg the prime minister to make sure how they do it and be focused on the humanitarian crisis is exceptionally important on this visit. >> to your point about people being upset over the images of children being pulled out of the rubble, echoing what the secretary of state said, the administration is facing mounting pressure on the domestic front even from supporters over civilian deaths. i actually want to share with you video captured at a fund-raiser last night. this is a protester heckling the president demanding a ceasefire. >> mr. president, if you care about jew, people, as a rabbi i need you to call for a ceasefire right now. >> we've seen other demonstrations echoing that sentiment. ambassador, at what point do you think public pressure might become politically untenable for the white house? >> listen, i think we've got to step back here a second and understand what happened here. hamas did -- the brutality of what hamas did to the jewish people no one including the united states of america would let their family members, their friends, children being ripped from the parents, grabbing 240 innocent people and dragging them into gaza and sticking them in tunnels, no one, no one including the americans or israel would ever allow this to be tolerated. so israel has an obligation, a very clear obligation to eliminate the threat of hamas. number two, there's no question israel also has an obligation to make sure as best as humanly possible in a war to protect innocent people. that is the secretary's -- message he will give. that's what president biden said last night. and i think it's important for you to understand as well what the secretary said on the tarmac just a minute ago at andrews is we've got to use this opportunity to also be clear. we need a vision of not only to get a two-state solution now, to get a saudi deal done, to make sure we're thinking about the next coming weeks. and that's going to be exceptionally important for all of us as we think about the future of not only israel but the future of gaza and securing the palestinian people. >> ambassador, it is difficult to envision a two-state solution when hamas, perhaps the most influential party -- certainly the most influential party in gaza, arguably the most influential palestinian entity, hamas leaders have said that they will not stop conducting terrorist attacks until israel no longer exists. how is a two-state solution possible when an organization like hamas leads the palestinian people? >> first of all, to be clear, hamas does not lead the palestinian people. hamas doesn't speak for the palestinian people. president abbas, who is -- >> they effectively do -- respectfully, ambassador, they do lead the palestinian people in gaza. i mean, they hold power -- >> i think it would be interesting to see what actually the palestinian people in gaza feel about what they're being put through right now. what they're being put through is something hamas is doing. do you think the hamas leadership are sitting around talking about a two-state solution? do you think hamas are talking about moving poor palestinians from northern gaza to southern gaza? no, what hamas is trying to do -- and boris, you know this as well as i do. what they're trying to do is create a regional war against the state of israel. >> sure. >> in the meantime, the secretary of state, the president of the united states, and most of the arab leaders, we need to be focusing on the day after. hamas does not speak for the palestinian people. we need to work with the leadership around the region to come up with a clear path of an opportunity for everyone to try to see the steps forward here. >> it is difficult to envision that day after without whether it's hamas or a different entity having hold over a population that feels like it's been occupied for decades, though. there's going to be some kind of anti-israel group that takes power in that vacuum, don't you think? >> listen, again, i wish i was -- i could have a crystal ball. what i know for sure is hamas will not be leading the leadership in gaza. what comes next is not just what the united states wants. it's not just what israel wants. the most important is what the region will want. this is what we talk about, the emiratis, the egyptians, the jordanians. they will have a regional view of what's going to happen. that's why secretary blinken has been so effective, by communicating with these regional leaders and quite frankly why the president has so much credibility in the region right now, because he's not supporting the importance of israel but he's also understanding we have to be compassionate to the loss of lives and work for the future, and that's what they need to spend time on. >> ambassador, to your point about regional players, two ambassadors to israel have been recalled in the last two days, both from bahrain and jordan. do you anticipate more might follow? how does that complicate the picture? the fact that there is so much sentiment against israel right now in the region given some of the recent attacks that we've seen on the jabalya refugee camp. >> listen, this is going to be -- and i said this before publicly. this is going to be the toughest 30 days for the state of israel in my view for a long, long time. they're trying to do multiple things at one time. one is trying to eliminate the threat of hamas. number two, they're trying to save the lives of 240 hostages. i talked to the families this morning again. three, they're trying to avoid a regional war. and yes, four, they need, they must protect as many palestinian lives as possible. that is a very, very difficult period of time, and we'll be looking to all the regional players to help us achieve that goal. >> ambassador, i also want to get your thoughts on something the secretary of state not just now on the tarmac but previously had said would be an issue that would come up in conversations with the israelis, and that is settler violence against palestinians in the west bank. you've been in the room for very difficult conversations on that topic before. how should the u.s. approach that? >> they should be tough. tony blinken -- i sat in that room with secretary blinken, with bibi netanyahu, and he could not be clearer it was the prime minister's obligation to end the settler violence, for having these thugs walking around and beating up on poor innocent palestinians. he needs to express that again. i guarantee you having been in the meeting with the secretary and watching how passionately he cares about it, he needs to do it. and i think it's important for him to express that vigilante justice doesn't exist, it doesn't need to exist, and it needs to be stopped. >> ambassador tom nides, we have to leave the conversation there, but we very much appreciate the time and perspective. >> thank you. >> of course. still to come on "news central," eric trump on the stand in the new york civil fraud trial against his father and their family business. the former president could be on deck. what we're learning from eric's testimony and don jr.'s as well. we'll l be right b back. right now donald trump's son eric is on the stand in the civil fraud trial in new york. he's testifying after his brother, don jr., finished his testimony. both men are executive vice presidents of the trump organization and co-defendants in this trial. and earlier today don jr. repeatedly said he relied on his accountants and was not involved with the preparations of financial statements for his father. take a look at him leaving court today. >> before even having a day in court i'm apparently guilty of fraud for relying on my accountant to do, wait for it, accounting. think about that. what does that do for literally any other business? >> and joining us is nick ackerman. he's a former assistant u.s. attorney for the southern district of new york. nick, thanks so much for being with us. we just heard from donald trump jr. he's repeatedly said that he relied on his accountants and was not involved with the preparations of these financial statements for his father. how do you expect the judge to read that, given that he also signed a statement as a trustee of the president's revocable trust? >> i think the way the judge is going to read this is that don jr. is a liar. the fact of the matter is he not only signed of o'on the financial statements, he basically said that he had evaluated the adequacy of the services performed by the accountants and lawyers. he also sent that same financial statement to deutsche bank and he said there, and i quote, presents fairly in all material respects the financial condition of the guarantor at the period presented. now, the a.g.'s office brought on evidence today that at the time don jr. had been contacted by "forbes" magazine and told that there was a false statement on the financials respecting the size of his father's apartment where the financials claimed it was 10,000 square feet -- 30,000 square feet when it was somewhat over 10,000 square feet and claimed an outrageous amount of money for the value of the apartment. and don jr. never fixed that financial statement. now, this has to be looked at in the context of where corporate compliance has gone since the enron scandal in 2001. companies are now required, just as don jr. did here, to certify the financials, certify to banks that in fact he's actually kicked the tires on what the accountants did. he had the obligation to sit down with the accountants, go over those numbers, and explain to him where they got those numbers for. the fact that don jr. claimed yesterday that he has no idea what generally accepted accounting principles are just doesn't cut it. he had the obligation to go through those financials. now, even though it's not a public company, he has still made the same representations that public companies have been required to make by their ceos or cfos post-enron. he failed that miserably. and to simply claim that it's the fault of the accountants or the fault of the lawyers is complete nonsense, particularly in light of the fact that accountants have already testified that the lawyer, michael cohen, has already testified that these numbers were all phony baloney. and i'm assuming eric trump who's just gotten up on the stand is taking somewhat the same tack if not asserting his fifth amendment against self-incrimination on the ground that a truthful answer would tend to incriminate him. >> right. and that's what i wanted to ask you about because we are going to hear from eric and it sounds like you do think he's just going to rely on the same explanation, which is it was the accountants. >> that's right. it's the accountants did it. i mean, the fact of the matter is the other accountant who certified these financials was allen weisselberg. and what happened with allen weisselberg? he went to prison. he was fined a million dollars including fines, penalties, et cetera. and what did the trump organization do? they gave him as a severance a million dollars, matching up exactly what the fines and penalties were on the criminal case. if that's not a case of hush money payment, i don't know what is. and i'm sure the judge is going to take that into account in his final decision. >> all right. nick akerman, thanks so much for your analysis here. always nice to see you. we appreciate it. a palestinian american family stuck in gaza for weeks has now safely crossed into egypt. the family's friend and attorney is joining us next to give us an update on their harrowing journey. you're probably not easily persuaded to switch mobile providers for your business. but what if we told you it's possible that comcast business mobile can save you up to 75% a year on your wireless bill versus the big three carriers? have we piqued your interest? you can get two unlimited lines for just $30 each a month. there are no term contracts or line activation fees. and you can bring your own device. oh, and all on the most reliable 5g mobile network nationwide. wireless that works for you. it's not just possible. we continue now with our breaking news. an egyptian border official tells cnn that between 20 and 25 american citizens have gotten out of gaza and reached the egyptian side of the rafah crossing. we've been following one of those families trying to leave for several weeks. abboud okal and his wife and son were stuck in the epiclaf since october 7th and we've learned they were recently among those able to leave gaza. the family's attorney sammy nabulsi joins us now live. sammy, first how are they doing? >> i think they're doing great. i think they're very relieved. i haven't heard from them in a little bit. the last i heard from them, maybe three hours ago, they had boarded the shuttle buses after getting fully processed at the rafah crossing, and they're on their way to cairo. we're having some signal issues with them now. so i haven't been able to reach them. but certainly extremely relieved that they made it out. but also still continue to be worried about the other american citizens that are there. and unfortunately, while they were able to go, abboud's parents and brother, who are american citizens, were not in this initial group that has crossed. we're still also working on trying to get rafat's mom and dad who are still in gaza through the crossing as well. >> glad to hear that they are safe and resting. does the family have a message to the biden administration about what they went through? and obviously about trying to get the rest of their family out. >> i mean, right now what they've told me is just the thanks and gratitude they have for a world of people. they've expressed to me today really just since this morning they've been so thankful. they've expressed their deepest gratitude for all their friends and family around the world who made phone calls, told their story. they're so thankful to the community in medway for coming out for them and looking over their home and their dog lily over the last few weeks. they're so thankful for the u.s. senators and representatives who fought for them and advocated for them. and they're thankful to the state department for securing their safe departure. they obviously have a lot to process. they are emotionally and physically drained. but at the moment right now they're relieved, they're getting rest, they're on their way to cairo and they're just so thankful for everyone including you all for telling their story frankly. it made a huge difference in getting them back to the united states. >> i'm sure they're grateful for you as well, sammy. you've come on the air with us multiple times to keep us updated on them and to bring us their story. we've heard from one american citizen that was able to get out, dr. barbara zind. she was able to cross into egypt yesterday. she told cnn there was no safe place for gazans. i assume you might have heard similar from abboud. >> yeah, absolutely. i mean, this is why we were fighting so hard to try to have this happen sooner. everything in gaza became extremely dangerous and dire not just for this family but every other american citizen and foreign national and frankly all of the civilians in gaza who may not have the opportunity to depart. whether it was from going hungry because they couldn't get food, becoming dehydrated because there's no access to clean drinking water. not being able to get medicine or fuel or cooking oil to have a hot meal. on top of all this constant airstrikes. even in the town of rafah, where presumably all of the foreign nationals who wish to cross are currently located. i don't think there's a safe space. and that tracked largely with the stories and the messages that i would get from abboud every single day for the last three weeks. >> sammy nabulsi, we're so glad that your friends are okay. please, if you get a chance to speak with them, send them our regards and keep us updated with their situation. >> i will. thank you for telling their story. it literally saved their lives. >> thanks again, sammy. still plenty more news to come on "news central," including out of capitol hill. speaker mike johnson sticking by his decision to make israel aid conditional on irs spending cuts that gut programs pushed by the biden administration. that's also putting him at odds with senate republican leader mitch mcconnell. what this divide over aid could mean for a critical moment in the israel-hamas war. today the house is set to vote on a $14 billion emergency aid package for israel. but this is not a clean bill. house republicans plan to offset those funds by slashing an equal sum from the irs, which recently got a budget boost in president biden's inflation reduction act. here's the newly minted house speaker explaining why he chose to do this. >> i did not attach that for political purposes. okay? i attached it because, again, we're trying to get back to the principle of fiscal responsibility here. and that was the easiest and largest pile of money that's sitting there for us to be able to pay for this immediate obligation. so we're going to stand for that and i'm going to continue to message that to the american people. >> now, this move is a non-starter for a lot of democrats who would point out the fresh irs funds have already brought in nearly $200 million in tax revenue that millionaires owed. and the bill is likely doomed on the senate side in its current form. i want to bring in democratic congressman from massachusetts jake auken kloss. we just walked through what you all are going to vote on later today, house speaker mike johnson choosing to link the israel funding with the steep cuts to the irs. and critics have said he's politicizing emergency aid. how do you plan to vote on this issue? >> thanks for having me on, jessica. i strongly support israel. i'm voting no on this bill because it's not a bill to support israel. it's a clumsy political stunt by an amateur speaker who's already in way over his head. the president has dismissed it out of hand with a veto threat. senator mcconnell, senator schumer have dismiss td out of hand because it's not serious. i mean, for one, even though he talks about fiscal responsibility, the non-partisan congressional budget office has already been clear that this will increase the federal deficit. this is not even an offset. what it is is a condition. it is conditioning israel's security for the first time in american history. and i do not support conditional security aid to israel. it will establish a dreadful precedent where every time israel needs american support it will be tied to the whims of american domestic politics. it is unserious. but unfortunately, it is part of a broader pattern from this hoh rookie speaker where he is doubling down on maga extremism as opposed to a bipartisan path forward for governance. for example, after the horrendous mass shooting in lewiston, maine he has rejected calls for bipartisan gun safety legislation and has offered thoughts and prayers instead. similarly, he's now playing politics with israel. >> and congressman, i just want to go back and remind everyone, you're saying here that you plan to vote no on this. you also represent one of the most heavily jewish populated districts in the country. you yourself are jewish. what will you say to constituents who may see this despite your explanation that you just laid out as a vote against israel? >> it's not a vote against israel because this bill will never become law. the president has issued a veto threat. both senator mcdonconnell and senator schumer have been clear it will never be introduced in the senate. what this bill does do is establish a precedent that conditions aid to israel. that precedent, which would be the first time that any country has been subject to conditioned aid, will undermine israel's long-term security because every time israel needs further american support it will be tethered to the whims of partisan politics. that is not good for israel's security. if we can get a bill into the house, which i expect we will, that offers unconditional security aid to israel, i look forward to being strongly in support of it. >> and i want to talk more broadly about what alma mater harvard and its response to attacks on hamas and student group there's or cn cam. seen a soars amount. 388% increase from the adla is what they say. harvard, of course, a private university. the biden administration has put out what it hopes are steps and done what it can do, it says, to help combat this, but what other li levers can be used to combat this anti-semitism? >> the anti-semitism bubbling up left and right is horrendous in this country and the world over. members of the knesset yesterday shown videos from october 7th uploaded by hamas heretofore unseen by the public and these members of the knesset in israel tlaeft room in tears. some had to take tranquilizer, saw videos of children begging for their lives, even worse, and morally misguided people including many on college campuses somehow celebrating hamas as resistance fighters. hamas is an international recognized terrorist organization. they are depraved, and israel needs to destroy them. >> i also want to get your reaction to something one of your colleagues said on the floor about palestinian civilians in gaza. this is florida representative republican brian. listen to him. >> i would encourage the other side to not so lightly throw around the idea of innocent palestinian civilians, as is frequently said. i don't think we would so lightly throw around the term innocent nazi civilians. during world war ii. >> he's faced widespread condemnation for those comments. what do you say? >> i reject those comments. there are 2 million people living in gaza strip, half of whom are children. of course, they are innocent people and of course israeli defense forces need to uphold the rule of law in conflict. hamas heretofore refused to do. releasing hostages unconditionally, making distinction between combatants and civilians no longer using palestinian people at human shiel shields. that would mean hamas would have to fight israeli defense forces without incurring devastating civilian casualties. any calls for idf to obey the law of conflict which the be ad hamas. >> and thanks for making time. appreciate it. boris? also happening on capitol hill, the senate just voted to confirm admiral lisa franchetti as chief, her confirmation delayed by republican senator tommy tuberville's hold on top republican nominees. republicans blasted him for single-handedly blocking hundreds of military appoints for months in his protest of the pentagon's abortion travel it policy. out to capitol hill with cnn's manu raju live for us. we learned republicans just left a lunch meeting confirming there will be a meeting next week to strategize over what to do about terpville's holds? >> reporter: that's right. this issue has dominated the house and senate gop the last several days. so much tension behind the scenes over tommy terpville's nine-month blockade affecting 370-plus million tear personnel from getting promotions over his demand the pentagon scrap its policy giving reimbursement for individuals under travel, out of state for abortion services. terpville said he is not going to back down, despite the growing public pressure and the first time republicans taking their anger to the senate floor and insisting he drom his blockade. he says, he will not. also concerns many officials having to do multiple jobs amid this blockade. i asked tommy terpville about this issue. whether he is concerned people at the marine corp. com daunt recently hospitalizehood to do two jobs at once. we downplayed those concerns. >> some of these people have multiple, are doing multiple jobs. some of these military personnel. even the marine corp. commented, doing two jobs. aren't you making it harder for them to do their job? >> 2,000 people work here, okay? and so somebody said working 18 hours a day. jack reed blaming me for his heart attack. give me a break. not working 18, 20 hours a day, that's what we do to get the job done. you try to do everything yourself. so we're not going down that road. >> reporter: senate republicans will have that special meeting next week that will come at a time when the democratic leader in the senate is trying to circumvent tommy tuberville altogether and actually change the senate rules allowing all nominees to be confirmed in one fell swoop. un one issue. he needs republicans to agree. uncertain if they can get there. a lot of republicans don't want to change senate rules, want to figure out a way to resolve this with tomty terpville. one of the top republicans would not support it whatsoever, but some senators are open to the idea and perhaps more open if this stalemate persists. boris? >> manu, i point out when tommy terpville said he was working 20 hours a day, a head coach in college football. nothing to do with running u.s. defense forces. very different. manu raju, thanks vevery much. stay witith cnn. backck in a few miminutes.