State Department briefing becomes heated after question about Israel

A tense exchange played out at the State Department’s daily press briefing on Tuesday as a reporter for a wire service accused the US government of being deliberately obtuse regarding how much money American taxpayers send annually to Israel.

Matthew Miller was taking a question from Said Arikat of Al Quds Daily at the briefing when he jumped in to take issue with the dollar amount Arikat quoted in terms of annual aid to Israel. When Arikat asked him for the exact amount, Miller said he couldn’t provide it offhand.

That prompted a response from Matt Lee, a reporter with the Associated Press, who pressed Miller why he couldn’t provide the total amount of aid the US had supplied Israel since October 7, when Hamas launced a massive terrorist attack against Israeli forces and civilians.

“So, we give them $3.3bn per year,” Miller said, referring to base levels in the US federal budget. He then attempted to explain additional funding totals: “And there was additional money that was approved in the supplemental [national security funding request legislation]. The reason that it’s hard to...answer that question, definitively, is—”

“That you don’t want to,” Lee broke in, finishing Miller’s sentence. But Miller pushed back.

“No, there are different ways of looking at it,” the State Department spokesman responded. The two began to talk over each other for several seconds.

“I know there are, I’ve been through all of this!” exclaimed Lee, a veteran of the State Department press corps. He pointed out that numerous private organizations had come up with estimates of the total US aid to Israel between October 7, 2023 and the present, and said that the agency “hadn’t seen fit” to do the same.

“It can’t be that difficult to separate what has been given to them post-October 7th,” Lee went on, as Miller repeated that the US could not give a definitive answer other than to question the number mentioned by Arikat moments earlier.

The exchange was indicative more than anything else of the frustration felt by some journalists surrounding the lack of transparency US officials have been willing to show on the record regarding the US-Israel relationship.

On Tuesday, excerpts of a new book focused largely on the Israel-Gaza conflict penned by legendary Washington journalist Bob Woodward hit DC media circles. In the book, Woodward describes Biden as privately much further at odds with Netanyahu than any of his aides, officials, or agencies have been willing to acknowledge. The incumbent Democratic president is quoted as calling Netanyahu a “f***ing liar” and accusing him of having no military strategy for ground operations in Rafah — where Biden drew his red line against a full invasion.

Woodward’s book, War, is due to hit the shelves in the coming days. A White House spokesperson would not comment on the quotes, explaining Tuesday: “[Biden and Netanyahu] have a long-term relationship. They have a very honest and direct relationship, and I don’t have a comment on those specific anecdotes.”

Israel’s war in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of more than 40,000 people, according to health officials, while in recent weeks the conflict has spread into regions of Lebanon where Hezbollah is active.