State Department breaks down plan to deal with Columbia, Hamas, Rubio taking on NSA
As the Trump administration speeds past the 100-day mark, various conflicts around the globe are in a much different place than when the president took office.
It has been nearly 600 days since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Not only did the act of terrorism launch a full-scale war in the Middle East, but it also facilitated a chaotic wave of pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli clashes at home.
"We're guided by two principles that are guiding our approach to this conflict. The first is that we stand with Israel and Israel's right to defend itself. And the second is that Hamas must release the hostages," U.S. Department of State Deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott told Fox News Digital. "Those are the two guiding principles. And then we're looking at the long-term here in terms of what this is going to look like as a long-term solution to this conflict. Hamas cannot continue to exist."
A New York Times opinion article ran last week, titled "This Israeli Government Is Not Our Ally," just days before nearly 80 students were arrested during pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University in New York, illustrating that the strains between the two groups remain and the rise in antisemitism is still rampant.
"When it comes to some of these protests, and I use that word even somewhat lightly in terms of I don't even know if that's the best way to describe them, the secretary has been clear, the president has been clear, there's going to be zero tolerance for people that are here on visas that break our laws, that support or promote terrorism in the United States," Pigott added.
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"When you're looking at that visa process, again, speaking from the State Department's perspective, there's a vetting process to enter the United States for a visa," Pigott explained. "We're constantly monitoring the fact of, are you actually abiding by that visa? Are you [a student] doing things that are breaking our laws? And if you do, your visa may be revoked."
Overseas, Hamas freed the last living American hostage, Edan Alexander, reportedly to appease President Donald Trump.
Israel issued an evacuation warning for Yemeni ports after bombing the nation’s main airport last week.
While the U.S. and the Houthis reached ceasefire agreements, Israel continues to punch back. Pigott made clear that the U.S.’ past and future decisions to attack the Houthis are heavily dependent on Islamist organizations' actions.
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"The president's been clear, the secretary has been clear that the bombing that we saw was about freedom of navigation, protecting American interests, making sure we can have ships going through that area," Pigott explained. "The Houthis have capitulated, but this is about their actions."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s role as head of the agency got even more complicated after Mike Waltz left the National Security Administration (NSA) to serve as ambassador to the United Nations, and Trump assigned Rubio to fill the role.
Despite the increase in workload and responsibility, the State Department's deputy spokesperson says "the results speak for themselves."
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"Of that collaboration, of the fact that President Trump has that vision, is involved with the policy, is saying, we need to accomplish this, and Secretary Rubio helping to implement that vision," Pigott added.
"These are men and women that are dedicated on delivering results for the American people. I mean, this past 100-plus days have been the most successful 100 days, I would argue, in history from a president."