Department of State
Jen Psaki
Spokesperson
Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DC
January 21, 2015

TRANSCRIPT:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2015/01/236171.htm


12:19 p.m. EST

MS. PSAKI: Hi, everyone.

QUESTION: Good afternoon.

MS. PSAKI: Good afternoon. We tried to do this briefing as early as we can
today so we can get to as many topics as we can before our bilateral meeting
at 1:00 p.m.

QUESTION: (Inaudible.)

MS. PSAKI: I have one item at the top. We strongly condemn today’s stabbings
on a bus in Tel Aviv. There is and can be no justification for such attacks
against innocent civilians. We continue to urge all sides to work
cooperatively together to lower tensions, reject violence, and seek a path
forward toward peace. And as many of you know, the Secretary will also have
a press avail with EU High Representative Mogherini as well after his
bilateral meeting.

With that, Matt.

QUESTION: Right.

MS. PSAKI: U.S.A. hockey – that’s the scarf today.

QUESTION: Yes, it is.

MS. PSAKI: To note for transcript. Go ahead.

QUESTION: U.S.A. hockey. Of course, this was for the Olympics and then they
didn’t --

MS. PSAKI: It’s almost the anniversary.

QUESTION: Exactly. Let’s start with Israel since you started with Israel. I’m
curious to know if you share the view of the White House, your – of your
colleague, Mr. Earnest, that Speaker Boehner’s invitation to Prime Minister
Netanyahu to address Congress next month is a – was a – or is a breach of
protocol, and whether or not the Administration – I’m also interested in
knowing whether or not the Administration opposes or would not support Prime
Minister Netanyahu speaking to Congress.

MS. PSAKI: Sure. Well, I think I haven’t seen my colleague’s comments, but
certainly, traditionally, we would learn about the plans of a leader to come
to the United States separately from learning from it – about it from the
Speaker of the House, which is how we learned of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s
plans to come and speak to a joint session. Now, he has spoken to a joint
session many times in the past. That’s certainly not something we have
opposed nor do we oppose it in general in this case. We don’t have
information at this point on what he’ll be speaking about. Obviously, we
have ongoing discussions – the Secretary does – with Prime Minister
Netanyahu about a range of issues – security, the ongoing tensions. Those
will certainly continue.

QUESTION: So despite the fact that it – you say it was a breach of protocol,
you’re not against the idea. Is that correct?

MS. PSAKI: No, I wouldn’t – exactly.

QUESTION: Okay. And you said you don’t know what he is going to speak about.
Well, the invitation is pretty clear that he – the invitation from Speaker
Boehner that wants him – Speaker Boehner wants him to discuss Iran and the
threat of radical Islam. Is that --

MS. PSAKI: Well, we don’t have more details on what he’ll say. I think we
can all make a guess, but what I’m conveying is there hasn’t been a
discussion about that at this point in time.

QUESTION: Does the Administration have any view as to whether Prime Minister
Netanyahu speaking to Congress on his well-known positions about Iran and
about militant or radical Islam is necessary or helpful to the discussion
going on about --

MS. PSAKI: Well, I think --

QUESTION: -- how to respond to (inaudible).

MS. PSAKI: -- it’s no secret, Matt, that we have a different point of view
as it relates to the benefit of ongoing negotiations with Iran and our
efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. And Prime Minister
Netanyahu has spoken to that extensively. So that’s – but there are many
leaders who have spoken to joint sessions in the past and there will be many
in the future. Prime Minister Netanyahu himself has on many occasions.

QUESTION: You said that there’s a – you both share the same aim, right,
which is to prevent or keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon?

MS. PSAKI: That’s right, and we’ve talked about that as well in the past.

QUESTION: Okay. I’ll cede, but I want to stay on Israel.

QUESTION: Do you have anything on the timing of the invitation?

MS. PSAKI: The timing of the invitation?

QUESTION: Yeah.

MS. PSAKI: I don’t have any analysis on that I’m going to do from the
podium.

QUESTION: After the day of the presidential – of the President’s speech
yesterday.

MS. PSAKI: I don’t have more details on when the invitation was made or
accepted.

QUESTION: Do you know anything about the reported Israeli strikes in the
Golan Heights that killed an Iranian general and apparently the son of Imad
Mughniyeh?

MS. PSAKI: I don’t have more details to speak about on that, no.

QUESTION: Okay. Well, the result of this strike, whoever did it, is that a
good thing or a bad thing in the view of the Administration?

MS. PSAKI: Well, I think, Matt, I know our view on a range of issues that
these reports take into account, whether it’s the engagement of Hezbollah,
their destructive engagement from the outside is well known. Obviously, the
details haven’t been specifically confirmed by many of the parties so I’m
just not going to speculate on them further.

QUESTION: Well, but let me – the Iranians have said publicly that one of
their generals was killed. They had a massive funeral for him today in
Tehran. And Hezbollah itself has said that Jihad Mughniyeh was killed. So --

MS. PSAKI: Sure. Now, others haven’t --

QUESTION: -- there are some details. Do you have reason to doubt those?

MS. PSAKI: No, I’m not suggesting that.

QUESTION: Oh.

MS. PSAKI: But others haven’t confirmed the specifics of what happened here
or the alleged Israeli action. That’s what I was referring to. I don’t have
any particular comment on the outcome or anything beyond that.

QUESTION: Well, does that mean the Administration doesn’t have a point of
view of whether it’s good thing or a bad thing that these two, and others,
actors were taken off the world – or the stage of (inaudible)?

MS. PSAKI: Well, I think I just reiterated the fact that we’ve long
believed that Hezbollah plays a destructive role. We condemn their direct
intervention; that’s consistently been our view. I just don’t think I’m
going to add too much more to it than that.

QUESTION: Do you have any reason to believe that Hezbollah was preparing for
some kind of an operation against Israel?

MS. PSAKI: I don’t have anything more I can speculate on that.

QUESTION: Can I also stay in Israel --

MS. PSAKI: Sure.

QUESTION: -- and just ask about the attack today by a Palestinian on a
morning bus?

QUESTION: She --

MS. PSAKI: I spoke to it at the top.

QUESTION: Oh, you – sorry, I missed that.

MS. PSAKI: I don’t have more details at this point. If that changes – I
just condemned, obviously, the action. But if more becomes available we can
speak to that later.