opinion? >> we continue to believe people who have left the area have a right to come home if they wish to do so, a right that should be upheld. >> i asked the other day when you are in asia, and then asked the european desk, and ask you, too. do you consider the occupation -- your allies, turks, occupation or something else. they said to me we believe -- all countries should be respented and protected but they don't say if there is -- if the occupation of cyprus is an occupation. >> we believe -- we support a u.n. facilitated effort to unify. >> occupation, you know that. >> we think it needs to be resolved through u.n. facilitated efforts to reunify the island. >> thank you. i have two questions. two plus two ministerial meeting in india, after that indian foreign ministry stated of bangladesh for the indian, and raised concern over rising extremism with third country intervention. what will be for india as well as for usa. >> i don't have any comment. >> the second one, while u.s. and calling for dialogue for parties ignoring street violence between a blockade, can the u.s. guarantee the end of such violence, same group in bangladesh? >> consistently said we believe elections in bangladesh should be free, fair and open and free of violence. >> the biden administration has been very clear about the china strategy and stabilize communication. can you speak about the u.s. china relationship in the longer term? >> short-term project, which we started in june, really, when secretary blinken traveled to beijing, was to reestablish the ability to have conversations. but that was not a goal in itself. it was a goal so we could, number one, manage big geo strategic issues and make sure when conflicts do arise we can talk to each other and make sure that we are both avoid miscalculation, but also progress on bilateral issues. you saw the secretary and meetings here in jakarta, and press on several tangible issues, making progress on fentanyl is one, stop the precan your tore chemicals that have killed millions and millions in america, reestablishing military to military ties, and that exact type of bilateral issue that we are looking to make progress on, as well as an ability to work together to reduce tensions on larger strategic global issues. >> i have a question on russia, two questions. first, if there are any contacts between the u.s. delegation to apec and the russian delegation, and another question, when the recent interview by russian deputy foreign ministry who said while russia doesn't intend to push relations between washington and moscow into a peace, it does not rule out that washington can either lower diplomatic level or break the relations. >> i don't understand, what do you mean lower the -- what do you mean lower the diplomatic level. >> maybe pull out ambassador or -- >> i don't want to speak to that. >> sandra: so the briefing will continue there at the state department with matt miller. as we continue to update on the ground operations, obviously the hostage situation that is playing out, and this briefing is happening while we are keeping an eye on the live event in washington, the crowd seems to get bigger and bigger by the minute as there are speakers stepping up to address this massive crowd as we speak. >> john: i would love to see a higher angle shot to know how far back that goes. back to 7th street or beyond that, that's the national gallery there on the right-hand side of your screen. this looks like a fairly wide angle lens, which sometimes can give you a skewed perspective on how many people are there. love to see something higher. we'll get an estimation from the park police of how many people were there later on. the rally continues. it's loud, raucous, it's dynamic. we'll keep an eye on all the news across the street from where we are. >> sandra: we will indeed. a live look at the national mall in washington where a sea of people have been gathering to show solidarity of israel. tens of thousands, waving israel's flag, demanding release of 240 hostages still held captive by hamas. >> john: plus awaiting an update from the pentagon how the u.s. is fending off iranian proxies, we learn of a new attempted attack. >> sandra: just steps away from the march in washington, powerful testimony on capitol hill. jewish leaders, advocates and students painting a grim picture how college campuses have emerged as hot beds of hate. >> academia has turned its back on us. >> students are being assaulted, threatened. we live with it. we know it, and we didn't think it was going to happen here. >> john: all right, with all of that going on, on capitol hill, let's go back to the national mall where our griff jenkins is. griff, it looks like a massive turnout. i was saying a moment ago, we don't really have any kind of aerial perspective on how far back the crowd goes. how big would you say it is? >> john, it would for sure be in the tens of thousands, if not upwards of 100,000, and you know, i'm standing literally in front of the smithsonian, that's 11th or 12th street and packed all the way through to the 3rd street stage where mark meredith and the speakers have been. you mentioned the students, i've asked students here, i saw a group of a dozen or so from virginia tech, said hey, any of guys experience antisemitism, and vivian said i did, i had a jewish star on my computer and another student a few weeks ago shortly after the attack happened came up to me, leaned over and said free palestinian, shame on you. she never knew her, she didn't know her name, they never interated, just students at the same university and part of the stories we are hearing here. i need to be able to tell my children i did not stay silent, what's your name? >> shawnee. >> i see your sign. what is it like being here today and what do you want the world to know? >> we are standing with them in israel, we are here for you, stay strong, bring the hostages home, please, bring them back home. >> what is the reaction to the amount of antisemitism particularly on college campuses. i've talked to students that have stories that are unthinkable. >> it's heartbreaking to see what's going on throughout the united states. i fear for my nieces and nephews in college and the antisemitism that is going. all we want is peace. that's all we are looking for. bring the hostages home. >> so john, you get a feel what it's like out here, and i can give you one last look, that's the monument in the disance and still thousands continue to come down here to the mall to be a part of something they know is historic. john, back to you. >> john: that is an enormous crowd, no question about that. thank you. >> sandra: a lot of enthusiasm there, back in a moment. but first, stop in at the pentagon, the briefing is underway now, sabrina has just started taking questions. we'll listen for a bit. >> what has the secretary communicated as far as what would be basically a good deliverable to help restart this relationship? >> as you mentioned, the president is leading the summit, which is starting tomorrow, and so i don't want to get ahead of anything that the president might announce or any outcomes from that summit. we have stressed from the very beginning that we believe mill to mill cooperation, coordination, communication is important. right now the prc does not have a national defense, or minister of defense and so at the 8:00 a.m. plus the secretary is at and starting tomorrow, we don't have any indication that there will be a meeting happening between the secretary and his nondesignated prc counterpart yet. so there are no plans for the sent to sit down with anyone at this point. but again, i would let the president's meeting that's happening tomorrow, i don't want to get ahead of that. >> one last. >> sandra: we are going to continue listening to the pentagon and the briefing happening there, we'll get back to it. first, head back to washington at the rally, chuck schumer is now speaking, talking about meeting with the families of hostages. listen here. >> senators wept and cried for a whole hour. the sadness was so great, the evil so horrible. we will continue fighting for the release of all hostages 'til they return to safety. [cheering] let them go, let them go, let them go, bring them home, bring them home, bring them home. like so many jewish people, the horrors of october 7th reminded me of what happened to my ancestors in western ukraine when the nazis invaded. so the minute i heard of what happened in january 7th, i knew i had to go to israel. as the first ranking jewish senate majority leader, in fact, the highest ranking jewish elected official in american history [cheering] i not only had a desire to go to israel, i felt a special obligation to go. when i got off the plane, israel was still shaken from what happened. i said to the israeli people, israel, we in america have your back. [cheering] america feels your pain. we ache with you. we stand with you. and we will not rest until you get all the assistance you need. we will not rest until you get the assistance you need. my friends, in conclusion, hamas's goal was to scare us. those perpetrating the poison of antisemitism and bigotry around the world are trying to scare us. but we will not allow history to slide back to the days of the holocaust when jews were targeted and murdered and butchered. instead, the jewish people will be resilient and today all of you here showing we will not hide in the face of adversity in america and in israel. [cheering] the people israel here in america and in israel, the jewish people will live forever. [cheering] >> it is so good to be with you all, what an extraordinary crowd, and it was organized in just a few days, it's amazing, amazing. there are few issues in washington that could so easily bring together leaders of both parties and both chambers, but the survival of the state of israel and her people unites us together and unites all americans, all americans. let me be very clear. the united states stands unequivocally with our neighbor, friend, ally israel. they are neighbors in a global sense, that's right. last week a bipartisan group of members stood in solidarity on the steps of the house to mourn the loss of lives in the october 7th attack and agree with the families of israeli hostages that are still being held in gaza. we heard heartbreaking and tragic accounts of their kidnappings and of course as you know, many of those families have not received an update on their well-being since that day. as a parent myself, i can begin to comprehend their despair, all of us feel that way. this morning we watched the horrific film that was produced by hamas from their own cameras as they committed the assault. it's unspeakable. the auditorium was full of republicans and democrats in the house and they wept as we watched the film together. most could not sit through it. israeli hostages were kidnapped from their homes by terrorists for being jewish and living in israel. as prime minister benjamin netanyahu says so well, this is a fight between good and evil, between light and darkness, between civilization and barbarism. the calls for a ceasefire are outrageous. [cheering] [crowd chanting no ceasefire] >> we stand with you in that. hamas terrorists waged the bloodiest assault on jewish lives since the holocaust. and hundreds of hostages, many americans, still stuck inside gaza. israel will cease their counteroffensive when hamas is not against the jewish state. but the rhetoric is not just confined to gaza as you know. war in israel has awakened antisemitism towards jewish people here in the united states and the globe. halls of congress to college campuses, the rise of antisemitism must be stopped. we've heard many echo of from the river to the sea and i'm convinced a lot of the college students engaging in the protests do not understand it's a call for the extermination of israel. it is happening daily in the country and unacceptable for jewish americans to feel unsafe at home. unacceptable to face violence, vandalism and threats. unacceptable for universities to allow hamas apolo gy to harass jewish students on campus. it's unacceptable for credence for the jewish rhetoric. we can and must do more to stand with our great ally and friend, and hope the you state stands proudly with israel and the jewish people forever, forever. [cheering] thank you for allowing us to be a part of this. god bless you. >> leader schumer, speaker johnson, senator ernst, all those assembled, shalom. what an honor and a blessing to stand with you in solidarity during this very difficult moment for the jewish people, and for israel. hamas brutally attacked israel on october 7th because hamas wants to wipe israel off the face of the earth. so, let me be clear. we will never let that happen. [cheering] congress will continue to support in a bipartisan way the state of israel and israel's unequivocal right to exist as a jewish and democratic state, always and forever. always and forever. always and forever. from the very beginning of this conflict, president joe biden has strongly supported the state of israel. and i strongly support president biden's supplemental funding request for israel, for ukraine, and for humanitarian assistance. we must also decisively address the cancer of antisemitism with the fierce urgency of now. an attack on any of us is an attack on all of us. and we are going to do everything possible to stop the antisemitic attacks against our jewish brothers and sisters. the united states and israel have a special relationship. our commitment to israel's security is iron clad. and let me be clear. israel has an absolute right to defend itself against hamas terror. l there's a question on the minds of many of us. where do we go from here. we must stand with israel in its effort to defeat hamas and make sure this brutal terrorist regime can never rise again. [cheering] we must make sure that every single hostage is returned home safely. and then we must stand together to secure a just and lasting peace between israel and the palestinian people. the special relationship between the united states and israel is yes, rooted in our shared values and our shared strategic interests. but the moral case for israel is anchored in the painful history of the jewish people. for centuries jews have been persecuted, brutalized by antisemitism and violently thrown out of country after country. the jewish people were violently expelled from jerusalem by the roman empire. the jewish people were violently expelled from alexandria. the people were violently expelled from france. jewish people were violently expelled from england. violently expelled from spain. jewish people were violently expelled from switzerland. jewish people were violently expelled from portugal. the jewish people were violently expelled from countries all throughout europe. the jewish people were violently expelled from the middle east. the jewish people were systematically murdered by the nazi regime. the jewish people were violently attacked by hamas on october 7th resulting in the largest loss of jewish life in a single day since the holocaust, so we are here, more than 100,000 people strong, to unequivocally declare never again. never again. never again. the state of israel must always exist as a safe haven for the jewish people. and so we stand together with the jewish community in israel, we stand together with the jewish community in america. we stand together with the jewish community all throughout the world. we stand together in the effort to crush antisemitism. we stand together in the effort to crush anti-jewish hate. we stand together in the effort to bring home the hostages. we stand together in the effort to make sure that america will always be a safe space for the jewish community in every single zip code. god bless the hostages, god bless israel, god bless the united states of america. >> united states of america, do you stand with israel? [cheering] folks, i am here today as a long time friend and staunch supporter of our greatest partner in the middle east, israel. in december 2014, before i was even sworn in to the united states senate, i visited kibbutz naroz in southern israel by the gaza border. one of the kibbutz that was hit the hardest by hamas on october 7th. israel and her people hold a very special place in my heart. i want to thank each and every one of you for being here to show your unwavering support for our jewish brothers and sisters. what iran-backed hamas perpetrated on october 7th was pure evil and those monsters deserve nothing short of complete and total destruction. [cheering] three days after the heinous terror attacks i was on the ground in israel meeting with american and israeli families and sitting across the table from prime minister benjamin netanyahu as well as opposition leader. we heard, we heard from a father who rushed over from the funeral of his son's 18-year-old best friend who had been just brutally murdered at the hands of hamas. we spoke with the family of an 80-year-old father of five, a peace activist, who drove palestinian children to doctor's appointments, who was kidnapped from his home during the invasion. with tears in their eyes his family recounted the inhumanity of the attack, the destruction of their home, and ultimately the death of their brother while he was valiantly defending their home and family. in every meeting the message was abundantly clear. do not let the united states cower when the world starts to. stand steadfastly in your solidarity. [cheering] so we are here today as republicans and as democrats to assure you we will not shrink back and shudder in fear as we will not shudder in fear as too many around the world already have. we will not sit quiet. [cheering] as antisemitism is being promulgated in classrooms and campuses around the country. the brutal reality of hamas cannot be diminished. they murder babies, they rape women, they abuse the elderly, they killed 30 of our fellow americans, hundreds of our israeli friends, and are currently right now holding 200 innocent men, women, and children hostage. how any one in america could sympathize with these terrorists is truly unfathomable. [cheering] friends, there should not be a shred of antisemitism in our country. not now, not ever. not only today, but in the coming weeks and months as israel fights to secure their most basic human right, the right to life, the united states must remain resolute. in the senate we will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with all of you. our jewish friends in israel, the united states, and around the world. may god be with those who have lost a loved one, those who are waiting on the phone for an update about a son or daughter, those who are facing unprecedented harassment and hostility, and those whose family members bravely serving in the middle east. and may god bless israel. god bless israel. as she rightly defends herself against hamas's brutal attacks, israel, the united states will always have your back. [cheering] >> we stand -- >> sandra: quite an assembly of speakers there, new speaker of the house, chuck schumer there, joni ernst, a remarkable show of support to a massive and growing crowd in washington, john. >> john: it's a scene you don't see very often in today's washington, four lawmakers from different parties, both sides of the aisle, holding hands in solidarity for israel there. we'll continue to watch this march on israel, this huge crowd that has gathered on the mall. there are more activities to take place in the coming moments and if more news is made, we will bring it to you immediately. speaking of news, let's good over to the pentagon, sabrina has been briefing, a short time ago she announced that an independent intelligence assessment conducted by the united states has found that hamas is indeed us