♪ ♪ push for peace. the u.s. tries to contain the israel-hamas war. >> we need to do more to protect the palestinian civilians. >> as israel continues to retaliate against hamas for its terror attack, is the u.s. making headway privately? senators lindsay graham and richard blumenthal join me in an exclusive bipartisan interview. then israel's ambassador to the united nations is here. and rift, concern about civilian casualties in gaza exposes a political split. >> palestine will be free! >> where does a key progressive stand? vermont senator bernie sanders is here exclusively next. on the ballot, in florida, donald trump's critics face fierce backlash? >> as a new poll shows trump leading president biden in key swing states. how worried should the white house be? my panel is coming up. ♪ ♪ hello. i'm dana bash in washington where the state of our union is reeling from a month of war and global fury. this morning u.s. secretary of state antony blinken is trying to thread the needle with close u.s. ally israel as outrage grows worldwide over civilian casualties in gaza. secretary blinken just met with palestinian president mahmoud abbas in the west bank and earlier intense meetings with arab leaders who want a cease fire, he defended israel's fight to retaliate against hamas for murdering 1400 civilians last month, but blinken has also urged israeli leaders to take a humanitarian pause, to let critical aid into gaza and to press for the release of israeli hostages there. cnn's jeremy diamond is live in sderot, israel, where you just heard siren, jeremy. what's going on at this moment? >> that's right, dana. we just got sirens at our location in sderot and our cameraman lorenz is showing smoke and that appears to be impact from rockets in sderot. this is the second time in just a couple of days that those rockets have made it through the iron dome system here. again, the system does take out the majority of rockets and you and i, dana, were talking on friday when we were at another location in sderot and the rocket made impact about 100 meters away from our position and where several very much and dynamic situation and we are seeing these rockets sta tort c start to come in and i want to talk about the secretary of state, he had a meeting with with mahmoud abbas in ramallah. this is the secretary of state's first visit to the west bank since this war began and what we have watched since the secretary of state has been amman, and today in ramallah he's been playing a fine balancing act between reaffirming u.s. support for israel and its fight to defend itself and go after ham abu also trying to urge the humanitarian side of things and urging israel to minimize civilian casualties and working to get more humanitarian relief into gaza. that was also part of what i saw on the ground yesterday, dana, when i was in gaza with israeli forces as part of the first group of foreign journalists allowed into gaza with israeli forces and the point that they were trying to emphasize were their efforts to try and establish a humanitarian corridor for palestinian civilians to flee from the north and to go to the south. of course, you know that in recent days israel has come under heavy, heavy criticism and scrutiny for international life efforts on densely populated neighborhoods and residential areas where hamas is maintaining tunnels under ground and also some strikes on near -- very near to hospitals and on ambulances. a very dynamic situation still, dana. israel coming under scrutiny in the u.s. trying to find a balancing act and its concern about civilian lives in gaza. >> jeremy, thank you so much for your excellent reporting as always. across the u.s. large crowds of pro-palestinian protesters took to city streets to call for a cease fire and on capitol hill, dozens of activists were entering the offices of several senators. independent bernie sanders of vermont. thank you for joining me this morning. 1400 israelis, mostly civilians were slaughtered in their homes and you've been critical of israel's response recently. how do you think israel should be responding? >> this is what is clear to most people. hamas is an awful terrorist organization. they slaughtered 1400 people in cold blood. israel has a right to defend itself, but what israel does not, in my view, have a right to do is to kill thousands and thousands of innocent men, women and children who had nothing to do with that attack. so the immediate concern, dana, to my mind is we've got to stop the bombing now. you had over 600,000 people pushed out of their homes. where are they going? they're staying in united nations facilities. there's not enough fuel, water, medicine and not enough fuel and you have a humanitarian disaster. >> so, senator -- >> no, please. >> go ahead, dana. >> what you're saying about the lack of food and water and so forth, i think, most people in the west, certainly the u.s. believes that that is because hamas is hoarding it, and the other question is how does -- >> it's not just -- how does israel destroy hamas -- >> it's more than that. that's what israeli policy has been. >> okay. let's -- >> the combination of factors. >> let's get to the other point that you made which is really the key one which is innocent civilians dying and they are. how should israel destroy hamas post-attack on these innocent civilians in israel without hurting, killing, inon sense men, women and children when hamas is hiding behind them and putting them in danger? how does that work? >> that is exactly the right question to be asked the military experts of which i am not one, but clearly, yeah. israel has a right to defend itself. hamas has sworn, that's what its goal is to destroy israel. they've got to deal with that, and there's got to be a better way than killing men, women and children. once again, the immediate concern is you've got to have a pause in the bombing. you have to take care of the immediate disaster and israel has to change. let me say this. the united states of america provides $3.8 billion every year to israel. we have a right. israel has the right to do what they want and they're an independent country, and we have the right to say sorry, you need a new military strat egy. go after hamas, but do not kill innocent men, women and children. >> you mentioned money. there is going to be a measure before you relatively soon for the house passed 14 -- more than $14 billion and there is going to be at least some version of that in the senate. will you support that or will you put conditions on it? >> we'll see what the bill looks like. it's terribly important to say to israel, you want this money you've got to change your military strategy. the other point is we have to give hope to the palestinian people. they were living before october 7th in a disastrous situation in gaza. 75% youth unemployment and massive poverty and right now in israel you're having the netanyahu government, an extreme right-wing government with racists onboard trying to make it impossible for a two-state solution in the west bank. they're killing settlers. so what we need is the world to come together to give hope to the palestinians and we need a two-state solution and we need to have many of the very wealthy countries in the region, the united arab republic, saudi arabia, qatar, they are extraordinarily wealthy and work with the united states and work with the community in order to provide some hope and decency and freedom to the palestinian people which hamas will never do. >> you're right about that. they have a lot of money to this point have not been really willing to use that money in that region to help their fellow arabs. i want to clarify one thing, senator, if i might. you supported a humanitarian pause in gaza. some of your fellow progressives say there should be a full-on cease fire which should require an agreement on both sides to halt the fighting. do you support a cease fire? if not, why not? >> i don't know how you could have a permanent cease-fire with an organization like hamas which is dedicated to turmoil and chaos and destroying the state of israel, and i think what the arab countries in the region understand that hamas has got to go. so what we need right now the immediate task right now is to end the bombing and to end the horrific humanitarian disaster an to go forward with the entire world for a two-tier, two-state solution to the crisis to give the palestinian people hope. >> senator, democratic congresswoman rashida talib released a video on friday. i want you to watch part of it. >> mr. president, the american people are not with you on this one. we will remember in 2024. >> that last screen said president biden supported the genocide of the palestinians. you know the definition of genocide. it is a crime committed with intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. do you think that's what israel is doing here? >> what's going on right now is -- we don't have to quibble about words. thousands of men, women and children are being killed and it has got to end right now and one of the things that concerns me is there's not enough talk about right-wing republicans -- they don't want any aid to go to the palestinians. somebody should be talking about that. somebody should be talking about how trump wants to expel palestinians from this country. so it's -- you can disagree with joe biden, but on his worst day, it will be a hundred times better than having trump. >> so you think tlaib should save her ire for trump. >> rashida is a friend of mine and her family comes from palestine and she's shaken as all of us are about what's going on right there, right now, but we have to address the humanitarian crisis, but if anyone thinks that trump will be better than biden on this issue or any other issue, for that matter, i think they are sorely mistaken. >> and i understand that. i also understand, and i know you know that words matter, and i want to ask about what she said -- >> look, no. words matter, but what matters more, dana is you have a horrible humanitarian disaster that has to be dealt with right now. women and children cannot be bombed with 2,000-pound bombs. >> so when she says from the river to the sea, when she says from the river to the sea which the adl is antisemitic. she says it's antisemiittic. do you want her to stop using terms like that and others? >> something i want more than anything else, president obama said this is an enormously complex issue and slogans like the river to the sea, if that means the destruction of israel that's not going to work. israel is saying right or wrong, we're for you all the way. that's not going to work. this is a horrendously conflict -- you have a right-wing government which is racist. the good news is the last poll i saw 18% of the people of israel want netanyahu to stay in office. i hope they get rid of him and i hope they put him in the government that can help us move to the two-tier state, but on the other hand in terms of hamas you have a terrorist organization that cannot be trusted. this is as president obama said a very complex issue. >> senator, really quick and you are alluding to this in your answers and our discussion here. you really are in a unique position and even a difficult one because you're a leading, progressive voice in american politics and you're also jewish and you have family who died in the holocaust. how difficult is this for you? >> it has nothing to do with me, dana. what this is is as a nation, we are living now, in my view through a more difficult moment than i've lived in my life time. people are worried about -- we had the pandemic, we are worried about climate change and the attacks on democracy, our health care system is collapsing, we have artificial information which has got to make radical changes. the economy, you have crime all over this country. people are worried and concerned. all that i'm begging people is to understand slogans are not going to do it. social media is not going to do it. we need a serious discussion and how we get out of this difficult situation and maintain democracy and bring peace to the world and it ain't easy, but slogans are not going to do it on any side. >> senator, thank you so much for your time this morning. i really appreciate it. >> thank you, dana. one republican says there should be no limit to the what israel can do to hamas. a bipartisan interview with senators lindsay graham and richard blumenthal is next, plus a new poll has a major warning sign for president biden's reelection. that's coming up. welcome back to "state of the union." a dispute between the house and senate could delay badly needed u.s. aid to israel and ukraine after house republicans passed a bill this week that is a non-starter in the u.s. senate. here with me to talk about the latest in israel is republican senator lindsay graham and democratic senator richard blumenthal. they have traveled internationally together included to israel after the october 7th attacks. thank you both for being here. senator graham, i'll start with you. the biden administration is warning israel that failing to limit the humanitarian crisis in gaza, risks, roding global support including in the u.s. you've said there should be no limit to what israel can do to take out hamas, but is the administration right that israel needs to do more to protect civilians in gaza? >> i think israel is committed to following the law of armed conflict. one thing i want to say for sure is israel is not engaged in genocide and another thing we need to deal with is the whitewashing of the status of people in gaza. i'm sure mr. are plenty of people that would love to be free from hamas and the most radicalized people on the planet live in the gaza strip. they've been taught since birth to kill and hate the jews. how do you teach math in gaza? if you kill ten jews and you had six, how many are left? i'm all for israel having the time and space to destroy hamas. i'm all for a new governing regime over the palestinian people when this is over, and i'm all for israel and saudi arabia reconciling. that's sort of where i'm at. >> but no pause? no humanitarian pause? >> i don't want to take the pressure off hamas militarily, but if israel can find a way to help the humanitarian situation, yes, i'd like to do it, but after world war ii did anybody ask us these questions? you have to realize the united states dropped two atomic bombs on cities in japan to end the war. i think this is total war between israel and hamas. i want to protect innocent people as much as possible, but i want the world to realize that the radicalized population in gaza has been going on for over a decade. this will not be easy. when you've been taught from birth to hate the jews and kill them all and drive them into the sea and 80% of the people in gaza support the idea from the river to the sea. that has to change. >> senator blumenthal, 14 of your democratic colleagues think there should be a pause. what do you think? >> i agree that there should be a pause to enable more humanitarian relief, food, fuel, water to reach the palestinians, but also to enable relief of the hostages. i've met almost every day by phone or in person, and we saw them when we were in israel with the families of hostages. these situations are really heartbreaking and i think that we should do a humanitarian pause to enable release of the hostages and also a movement of civilians from the north part of gaza which is really the combat zone to the southern part, through a humanitarian corridor. there are measures through a humanitarian pause that can be taken to reduce civilian casualties, but let's keep in mind, israel's right to defend itself. we went on this trip, bipartisan group, ten of us to express solidarity with israel and what we heard and saw was harrowing in the videos that were shown to us and what a minister of the war cabinet said, you know these people tried to run and hide for our whole history, we tried to run and hide. israel was supposed to be a safe place where we didn't need to run and hide anymore. so for israel, this is a fight, a war about its very existence against a terrorist organization that has a single goal. destroy israel and annihilate the jewish people and is continuing to advocate it. just the other day, a senior hamas official said that israel can expect a second strike, a third strike, a fourth strike just like october 7th until it is, annihilated so israel shou do a humanitarian pause, but the ultimate goal should be kept in mind. i know you're talking about hamas. i know you're very concerned as are others about it expanding beyond the gaza border and expanding more regionally. you both are introducing a bipartisan sense of the senate resolution tomorrow about iran. senator graham, what will it say? >> well, it basically says if the war expands, if hezbollah opens up a second front against israel in a substantial way to overwhelm iron dome then we should hit the islamic republic of iran. there is no hamas without the ayatollah support. there is no hezbollah without the ayatollah support and the great satan in the regions, not israel or the united states. it's iran. so senator blumenthal and i just got back and israel is begging us to deter iran and they don't want the war to widen. if any of our troops are killed by iranian-backed militias and that's the expansion of the war and the resolution puts iran on notice that all of this military force in the region will be coming after you if you expand this war by activating hezbollah and killing an american through your proxies in syria and iraq. they need to hear that and they need to believe that. >> senator blumenthal, it's just a sense of the senate which means it's not binding but you have the voice from the u.s. senate that warns iran that the u.s. could militarily strike iran if they expand this war. that's pretty aggressive. >> it's aggressive, but it's absolutely necessary and it's not only in israel's explicit interest. they will support the deterrence and the key word here is deterrence and the purpose of the resolution is to deter iran by showing we're going to be behind the president as he seeks to stop the war from widening or escalating. here's the other point, dana, which i think is really critical. we visited saudi arabia and egypt and believe me, they loathe and fear iran and hezbollah and hamas and the other proxies as much as israel. so they are in favor of deterring a wider war. i think there's bipartisan common ground lear and there's consensus in the region that deterrence is critical because iran here is the toxic, maligned influence. it is financially fueling, equipping, supplying all of these proxies that have as their goal to disrupt and destabilize the region when powers like saudi arabia want economic prosperity. they want to normalize relations with israel and achieve stability and peace and there is a strong view, and i agree with it, that the reason why hamas struck now and why iran gave them the green light to strike now is because the talks on normalizing relationships and saudi arabia were making progress. >> there is going to be some form of measure to approve more funding for israel. the house passed something that was just focused on israel and it's dead on arrival in part because it doesn't include support for ukraine. senator graham, i'll start with you. the senate, will it ultimately pass a bill that includes funding for both? >> i think so, you'll have a bill that had border security and you'll be insane as a country and not to fix our broken border and we're living on borrowed time in terms of the border being broken and attack on our own nation and i am for ukraine support and we can't pull the plug on ukraine and let putin go with this definitely for israel. you'll see a package of bor