Audience of American Jewish leaders by the jewish spouse of the Vice President of the United States. The Vice President and i are outraged with this horrific Terrorist Attack perpetrated by hamas. With broken hearts we are sending our love, our strength, and our unwavering support to the people of israel. I am honored to be with all of you today as an american, as a patriot who loves this country, but also as a jew. The story of the jewish people has always been one of perseverance and resilience. In dark times we come together, and we fight back. We also seek to build a better world. Last year, before my trip to poland and injure germany, president diamond took me into the oval office. He told me how his father had taught him about the horrors of the holocaust and how he later travel to dhaka with his children and grandchildren to teach them those same lessons. So i know firsthand how important it is to President Biden to preserve our jewish history and to make sure that hate has no safe harbor in america and the world. As an american jew, i am so grateful that in this moment of tumult and pain, we have joe bidens president and Kamala Harris as Vice President. Its not now my honor to announce it to advocate for the jewish community. Please join me in welcoming president joe biden. Ville [applause] the president s comments range from sharing personal grief to sharing what he could about how he is trying to save israeli and american lives. I spoke to Prime Minister netanyahu i dont know how many times again this morning. And already we are seeking additional assistance to interceptors to replenish the iron dome, sending more fighter jets there. And made it clear, very clear, to the iranians, be careful. We want to make it real clear, we are working on every aspect of the Hostage Crisis in israel, including deploying experts to advise and assist with recovery efforts. The press is going to shout to, me and many of you are, what are you doing to bring, to get these folks home . If i told you, i wouldnt be able to get them home. Folks, there is a lot were doing. A lot were doing. I have not given up hope of bringing these folks home. But the idea that im going to stand here before you and tell you what i am doing is bizarre. So i hope you understand how bizarre i think would be to try to answer that question. In the days ahead were going to be closer with our partners in israel and around the world to ensure israel has what it needs to defend its citizens, its cities, and to respond to these attacks. I have known Bibi For Over 40 years. I am very frank relationship. I know him well. And the one thing that i did say that it is really important that israel all the anger in the frustration and i cant explain it, that exists is that they operate by the worlds of rules of war. The rules of war. There are rules of war. And i believe israel is doing everything in its power to pull the country together, stay on the same page, and were gonna do everything in our power to make sure israel succeeds, and god willing, bring home those americans who are in harms way. The president dispatch Secretary Of StateAntony Blinken to israel today before boarding the plane. Secretary blinken said this. Were determined to make sure israel gets everything it needs to defend itself. For the life and security of its people. Already significant Security Experience requested by israel its on its way, on top of everything weve been doing for years, including the memorandum of understanding negotiated by President Obama to make sure that israel as what it needs to defend itself. At the same time, we anticipate there will be further needs for the requests. We have already been working closely with congress on this and we look forward to continuing to do that to make sure israel has what it needs. Second, we will be reiterating, reaffirming the very strong message that President Biden has delivered to any country or any party that might try to take advantage of this situation. That message is, dont. The president has deployed, as you know, the Worlds LargestAircraft Carrier group to the region. To make very clear our intent to deter anyone not to plan any further aggression against israel. Finally, we are very focused on our own people, our own citizens. We lost 22 americans. That number could still go up. It probably will. At the same time, we have a number of americans remain unaccounted for. We are working very closely with the government of israel to determine their whereabouts, and if they have been taken hostage by hamas to work to secure the release. So all of these things are on the agenda over the next day or so. With israel, but the main point is this. We stand with israel, we will continue to do so. During our discussion now is democratic congressman Daniel Goldman of new york. Congressman goldman, i know you are in tel aviv when the attack started. You are with your family and your young daughters and son. You managed to get back, but as you stand there tonight in washington listening to the president , listening to the Secretary Of State, and given your recent experience being there, is there something more, is there Something Else you would like to hear from them . Well, i do think that President Biden has shown incredible leadership, and really demonstrated the solidarity that the United States has with israel. And also the Blanket Opposition to any terrorist groups around the world, whether it be alqaeda, i. S. I. S. , or now hamas with its horrific brutality over the weekend. I do have some information that i believe the State Department is working very hard and will be able to begin the process of helping americans get home within the next day or two. Thats obviously very top of mind for everyone, especially for me. I have thousands of people from my district who are stranded in israel right now. I think a lot of us have friends and people who have relatives and friends there. Many of us have been on the phone with them since this started. Im sure for you it has just been nonstop with your district, and your own family and friends. I read in your hometown newspaper, the new york daily news, about your time spent during the attacks in the hotel stairwell with your wife and your children, and trying to explain this to your nine year old and two or sixyearold. What have you been able to say to them as they go through what he is, i suppose, in their lives, their first chance, their first full sense of how israel and jews are threatened in this world . Thats the right question, because israelis deal with this from very young ages. It is unfortunately a fact of life over there to deal with sirens, to deal with sheltering, to deal with rocket fire from hamas and its other terrorist brothers and sisters. For us, of course, it was brandnew. I am familiar with how the Iron Dome Works and how the sirens work. But my kids have no idea much about war, much about any of that. Its been a process. Each of them are dealing with it differently. But its not over. Last night my nine year old daughter woke up and couldnt get back to sleep because she was worried that World War Iii was starting. My son is asking me, which team is winning. They all understand it differently, but the trauma remains, and its just a microcosm, of course, of what all of those families in the south that have suffered such brutality and such awful horrific unimaginable devastation to their families, to their loved ones, to their friends. And theyre going to have to deal with that. Not only today but every day going forward. The trauma is under discussed but it will remain for a long time. President biden said today that he cant discuss the details of what he is trying to do to get the hostages back. How do you prioritize what we should be doing at this point . I think you hit on all cylinders. Its not a mutually exclusive situation where you get hostages, you support israel, you either try to get the americans home who get are stranded there. We do it all here. I think this administration has jones raided its ability to operate on multiple different fronts, and certainly President Biden has ordered the military and fbi and other assets of the American Government to assist israel in getting back the hostages, and i know that returning americans homes a huge priority for the State Department for this government. So well continue to push for everything to be done. We certainly are standing ready, at least in the Democratic Party in congress, to pass whatever legislation is needed to make sure israel has what it needs to defend itself, and hope that the republicans can get their act in order so that we can have an operational House Of Representatives to pass legislation. I think most viewers, or many viewers who have never been to israel, really get the coverage of it in crisis and possibly think of it as a place that isnt permanent crisis all the time, that is always dangerous to go there, i remember when returning for my first trip in israel back to the 1990s, it was a senate trip, i was telling people what i was really surprised about what was what a great Tourist Direction Destination is as long as it is calm, as it mostly was when i was there. Talk about the israel that you were in the day before the attack, and the way life looked in israel the day before. Israel is a country about the size of new jersey but the diversity of its geography and its topography and of course the history that is there, there is one country, there are beaches, there is jerusalem, perhaps the holiest place in the world for many religions. It is also a tech hub. Some of the worlds greatest technology and technological advances have come from israel. Tel aviv is a beautiful beach city. Its a really remarkable place. The difference here, lawrence, and why i think we will need to understand that what happened on saturday is wholly an entirely different than what the cycle of violence that you referred to that we have become somewhat numb to, and its usually minor incursions or retaliations. Theres always tension. But this is one of the worst Terror Attacks in history. Were in many respects the 9 11. Certainly on the level of whatever ices has done and alqaeda. And that is very different in israel. That is not what life is like in israel, even when its unsettled. And so we need to draw a distinction between hamas the Terrorist Organization and the Palestinian People. It is my firm belief that if we can eliminate hamas, especially from the gaza strip, but that will not only benefit the peace and security of israel, but it will also benefit the peace, security, and prosperity of the Palestinian People, and that is what we should be striving for. We must rid israel of terrorism and we must find a way to boost to the Palestinian People so that there can be peace in the middle east. Congressman dan goldman, thank you very much for joining us tonight. Im glad you and your family were able to get out safely, and im sorry are children had to learn such a difficult and immediate lesson about their peoples history that way. Thank you so much, lawrence. And joining our discussion now is michael orrin, who served as israeli ambassador to the United States from 2009 to 2013. Hes a former member of the israeli knesset. Thank you very much for joining us on this important night. Really appreciate it. I want to just give you an open opportunity to react to what you have heard from President Biden over the last two days and the situation that you are living through there now. Thank you, lawrence. Thanks for having me on. This is been an extraordinary broadcast. The remarks by doug emhoff, by congressman gordon, and your remarks, lore oren lawrence, im sure they will touch the people of israel during this grim and determined time. Were determined to defend our homeland, to rescue the hostages. It wont be easy. Its an extremely complex situation. From a humanitarian Point Of View, certainly from a military and Strategic Point of view. I have been involved in u. S. Israel relationship for many decades. Both as a historian and as a practitioner, as a statesman. I have lived through many president ial addresses by many president s who we would define as pro israel. I have never heard a speech like the speech given by the president last night. What can i say . We were thierry, all of us. The passion, the connection that he made between his personal suffering. Heres a man we know who has suffered. He has lost a wife and two children. And the suffering of the people of israel. Is categorical condemnation of terror, is unequivocal support for a rate to defend ourselves. And then there were the strategic aspect of it, which i was surprised about, frankly, where he talked about not only was United States going to provide vital munitions to israel, without or even asking for, them by the way. Usually we have to go and ask the United States during conflicts, can we have that type of munitions, he was willing to move naval forces. This is very key, and a time when there is probably only one issue that received bipartisan support in washington, and thats the opposition to foreign entanglements, particularly in the middle east. Here comes the president of the United States and says im moving these naval forces opposite coast of lebanon eye lebanon, which is host to hezbollah. Also the streets of terry moves at the entrance to the persian golf, basically saying to hezbollah and its iranian buses, dont you dare. Even Secretary Of State blinken saying the same thing. Saying dont. Thats an extraordinary move. And quite surprising for me. And yes, the president s remarks to the American Jewish leadership reiterated the caveat, which is, we are going to give you this green light to do what you have to do to defend yourselves and to rig the gaza strip of hamas. We expect israel to act as the American Army acts, according to law. Which is code for saying please do your utmost to limit civilian casualties. And israel is doing it now. We bomb areas that have civilians in it, our pilots they have these knock knock things, these balms that have no explosives. They hit the roof, it lets people in the building know that building could be targeted. They leaflet the smes tasks as well. Were certainly going to do that. Its gonna be complex, as i mentioned. Its important that the president reiterate. What he is basically saying, i think was a kind of code. Im going Out On A Limb here. Im going Out On A Limb in terms of american politics, in terms of my party, and help me help you, he is saying to israel. I got that message. Others get that message last night. We dont actually have to reiterate. So literally to the American Jewish leadership. So its a remarkable moment in our relationship. But again, i have historical inperson likes perspective. I have never seen anything like. And i was very moved by. Having said that, we are poised. We are poised probably to have a major Ground Incursion into Freudian Slip at five in the morning, into gaza, but that could trigger a multi front war. Hezbollah will be hardpressed to remain on the sideline if israel is engaging in that type of incursion. And right now wearing joy in tremendous mode of International Support because of the suffering are people have experienced. Everybody here, lawrence, know somebody. Many people who have been kidnapped, killed, dismembered, beheaded, everybody, including my family. But that could change if there are large numbers of palestinian casualties, the narrative could begin to change. There is already some shifting on the international media. We have to be careful about that. The best we can. Its same time, we have to defend ourselves under utmost to return the hostages. Were dealing with a vicious, barbaras enemy that does not value human life. Not our life, and not the life of its own people. Its gonna be using its own civilians as human shields, and using hostages as human shields. The challenges here are myriad. We have no choice but to beat them. In an article in the forum in the jewish newspaper, i read about some of your own personal suffering. You talked about the rabbi, your daughters wedding, two of his sons were killed on the first day in military service, first day of this war. You have already been to a shiva for a 19 year old member of the Israeli Border police, a woman who was killed. Talk about what it means key in israel now, the closeness of everyone to these events. Im sure there is no one who does not have a story similar to yours or worse, and a Family Member being lost. And how will, in a certain sense, the whole country is sitting shiva now. The whole country is sitting shiva. Now its a very accurat