Blinken: Biden Admin. Taking College Protests ‘Into Account’ on Israel Policy, But We Won’t Cut Israel Off

During a portion of an interview with CNN National Security Correspondent Kylie Atwood on Friday that was aired on Friday’s broadcast of CNN International’s “One World,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken reacted to demonstrations on college campuses by stating that “we listen to the American people and we’re supposed to both represent them and reflect their views. So, we take all of this into account.” But the administration also focuses on America’s best interests and they won’t stop shipping weapons to Israel.

Atwood asked, “When we look at these protesters, you said earlier that protests in the United States are a hallmark of democracy, but will these protests at all impact the policy of the Biden administration?”

Blinken answered, “In our democracy too, of course, we listen to the American people and we’re supposed to both represent them and reflect their views. So, we take all of this into account. But, again, it’s important that –.”

Atwood then cut in to ask, “So you might consider stopping shipping weapons to Israel? Because that’s what they’re calling for.”

Blinken responded, “No. We’re focused on what’s in the interests of the United States, how do we best reflect both our interests and our values in our foreign policy across the board, whether that’s with Israel or with anyone else.”

In another segment of the interview, Blinken stated that some in the protests are antisemitic, but others are just passionate about issues in the Middle East.

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett