Ooops, Fault of...State Deptartment?

Yep.

State Dept. Accepts Partial Blame for Fulbright Issue

The American State Department has accepted partial blame for not acting quicker to obtain visas for seven Gaza residents who were offered prestigious Fulbright scholarships. Answering persistent questions of reporters (*), State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Monday, "Was there a faulty decision-making process internal to the State Department in this particular case? Yes, there was. The Secretary saw it when it got to her level. She said 'fix it.' We hope that it has been fixed and that we are working with the Israelis to get these exit permits."

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(*)

Here it is in full:-

QUESTION: Sean, change subjects?

MR. MCCORMACK: Sure.

QUESTION: Change of subject, too. So --

QUESTION: Just on the Fulbright matter.

MR. MCCORMACK: Yes.

QUESTION: What did the Israeli – two questions, which I raised this morning. One, what did the Israeli Government say to you about what they intend to do regarding these seven people? And then secondly – well, let me just ask that and then we can --

MR. MCCORMACK: Okay. A two-step process. We’re working now to get the exit visas, or exit permits, visas, whatever you want – however we – you want to refer to them as, to go to Jerusalem for their interview so they can be interviewed for a visa so that, you know, should they have a successful visa interview – and by law, I can’t prejudge an outcome of a visa interview -- then they would be able to come to the United States to pursue their program. So we’re working through that with the Israeli Government right now.

One additional fact you guys asked me this morning, when was the first time for these seven cases that we approached the Israeli Government, the answer to that is Friday – this past Friday.

Now – so clearly, on our part, there was a decision-making process on this particular issue that is not what we would have hoped it would have been. The Secretary heard about these cases, immediately and acted to have people reconsider the decision-making process here. We then went to the Israeli Government and said we want to work with you on these seven cases – very important to us.

All that said, it’s not the – not to say that in the past we haven’t had some issues working with the Israeli Government on these kind of educational exchange visas. There have been some issues in the past. We want to move beyond those. I think we can look at this particular set of cases as a fresh start.

QUESTION: You’re saying that the first time that anyone – the Israelis came and --

MR. MCCORMACK: Yeah.

QUESTION: The Israelis said that these students couldn’t get exit visas.

MR. MCCORMACK: Mm-hmm.

QUESTION: And you’re saying that the State Department just took that at face value and never approached the Israelis to ask, until after the Secretary found out about this?

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, like I said, Matt, you – look –

QUESTION: I just want to make sure.

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, let me put it – restate it the way that I have put it. And that is: Was there a faulty decision-making process internal to the State Department in this particular case? Yes, there was. The Secretary saw it when it got to her level. She said fix it. We hope that it has been fixed and that we are working with the Israelis to get these exit permits so they – these individuals, again, can have a visa interview. That’s part of the process. And I can’t prejudge the outcome of a visa interview. And if they’re successful, these individuals would be able to pursue their Fulbright program here in the United States as originally envisioned.

QUESTION: Well, when did it first become clear that there was a problem with these applicants?

MR. MCCORMACK: It – what do you mean?

QUESTION: When did the State Department become aware there was a problem with them getting the – getting exit visas?

MR. MCCORMACK: I don’t know, Matt. I haven’t gone through – frankly, I haven’t gone through and done all the tick-tock on this, and I’m not going to get into the full explication of this entire thing with you, other than to say that: Was there a faulty decision-making process here? Yeah, there was.

QUESTION: Well, I mean, it seems like several days at least went by and no one --

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, you know, that -- you know, frankly, that’s – you know, it’s – if we have a good outcome here, which we all hope, have these people studying here under the Fulbright program -- we believe they’re qualified to do so -- again, pending the visa matter, that that will have been a good outcome and that everybody will have learned a lesson here in terms of internally.

QUESTION: Who made – I mean, you know, that’s a very passive --

MR. MCCORMACK: I’m not going --

QUESTION: No, no, but it’s a very passive construction: There was a faulty decision-making process here. I mean, what happened? Did the consulate not – did it not occur to them that maybe if we’re going to try to – if the U.S. Government is going to try to give fellowships to people, it should try to help them get to this country. I mean – or is it --

MR. MCCORMACK: No, I’m not going to – you know, I’m not going to do the “who shot, John” here. You know, people in the State Department are trying to do their jobs. Do we, every single time we make, you know – do we have a good decision-making process? No, we don’t. But a real test of management is, if there is in fact a bad process and a bad outcome, do you go back and fix it? And that’s what we’ve done, we hope, in this --

QUESTION: Well, there’s one thing I don’t understand, which is the Times ran the story on Friday.

MR. MCCORMACK: Mm-hmm.

QUESTION: The Times is, I think, generally rigorous about contacting people to comment on stories.

Did they not approach you, presumably Thursday, and say, hey, we’re going to run this story? These guys have gotten their notes, you know --

MR. MCCORMACK: Arshad, I would no sooner comment on my interactions with a news organization than I would --

QUESTION: No, but it just makes me wonder why you didn’t try to fix this on Thursday. I mean, that would seem like a rational thing and I mean you could have saved yourself a lot of grief.

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, Matt – (laughter) – Matt? (Laughter.)

QUESTION: I am honored. (Laughter.)

MR. MCCORMACK: What happened, Arshad, is that I associated -- I heard the word “grief” and I immediately defaulted to Matt. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: I think it’s the resemblance. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: Why didn’t you – why not do something on Thursday? I mean, it’s a reasonable question.

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, it is a reasonable question, Arshad. And all I can say is that we – on Friday we worked immediately to try to fix it.

QUESTION: Well, surely, you must be a little bit disappointed, though, that it did come to this, that it happened –

MR. MCCORMACK: Sure.


QUESTION: That it’s clearly become a –


MR. MCCORMACK: Surely, sure. So I was disappointed, as I’ve already said, and I will answer questions about this sort of thing. Absolutely. But the fact of the matter is, we got back and we’re working to fix it.

QUESTION: When do you expect these people to have their – sorry – their --

MR. MCCORMACK: Don’t have a – don’t have a date for you. We’re working diligently, I guess, is the best way to put it, to try to get them from Gaza so they can have the visa interview and then, if successful –

QUESTION: And they will not be --

QUESTION: So they’ll go back to Gaza after the interview and then they’ll need another visa to get out to potentially fly to the States?

MR. MCCORMACK: I don’t know the exact mechanics here. But basically, we’ll want to make sure that everybody who has a chance for the interview and then, if successful, move on to the --

QUESTION: I think Arshad asked this, but did -- and the Israelis have told you all that they will give them the --

MR. MCCORMACK: We’re working with them.

QUESTION: So not yet?

MR. MCCORMACK: We’re continuing to work on it.

QUESTION: So, you don’t -- you didn’t get any assurance from the Israelis they will have the right to leave the Israeli --

MR. MCCORMACK: They know this is an important issue for us and I’m sure that they will give due consideration.

QUESTION: But presumably they can’t promise they’ll get an exit permit any more than you guys will promise that they’re going to get a visa to the United States, right?

MR. MCCORMACK: Again, I’m not going to try to speak on their behalf, but I think they know this is an important issue for us.

QUESTION: Well, you’ve – the story of the Fulbrights themselves, yes? I mean --

MR. MCCORMACK: Yeah, meaning here as Fulbright scholars.


QUESTION: That’s –

MR. MCCORMACK: Yeah, again, presuming everything works out the way we hope it does.

QUESTION: Sean, why was it characterized at first as hoping the Israelis would reverse the decision there? Did you guys not have enough information at that point? I know Friday at the podium it was, we hope the Israelis will fall off a log to do this and reverse the decision-making. So I’m assuming that there were --

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, you know, look, this – none of this is to say we haven’t had some issues in the past. I’m here to tell you today we have – we had some of our own internal decision-making issues. But -- and let’s just hope that this hits the reset button on this particular kind of issue where we can work well on both sides, the Israeli and the American side, on these issues.

QUESTION: Sean, can I – can you give me just one more, because it’s kind of a process issue, but I think it’s a significant process issue. I mean, it’s my understanding, Sylvie mentioned on Friday morning that a Fulbrighter, a Palestinian Fulbrighter, had difficulty with the same issue last year. I don’t know about that specifically, but I have been told that there have been similar problems in the past with Palestinian Fulbrighters to get – to be able to leave, you know, to get permission from the Israelis to be able to leave to take up their fellowships in the United States.

MR. MCCORMACK: Yes, and --

QUESTION: And I’ve been – it’s my understanding of the Israeli process that they, at least post the Hamas takeover of Gaza, they don’t approve any of these things unless they’re specially asked. Now, maybe I misunderstood that, but that’s how I’ve – it’s been explained to me.

MR. MCCORMACK: Yeah.

QUESTION: And so the question is, and it’s an American process question – given that you’ve had a problem with these in the past, are you going to try to set up some kind of a new system or protocol for this so that, you know, it doesn’t just languish and that actually you make formal requests each time you decide to award somebody a Fulbright in Gaza so that they can actually go? Are you changing the process –

MR. MCCORMACK: Right.

QUESTION: -- you know, or is it going to be a sort Ethan Bronner writes a story and then we do it process? (Laughter.)

MR. MCCORMACK: You know, I don’t know if there is going to be a change in the process. But I think as long as this current Secretary is Secretary of State, I think the – everybody, you know, who had put their hands on this particular issue understands the importance of these kinds of educational exchanges for the Secretary and how she views them as important in our public diplomacy and foreign policy.

QUESTION: So do they have to go through the Consulate in Jerusalem for the interview or are they – if they’ve somehow managed to find their way to Cairo or something in –

MR. MCCORMACK: You know, Matt, I think the tradition has been for them to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know in theory whether or not it is possible for them to go elsewhere. I believe that they’re going to go to Jerusalem.

QUESTION: The Palestinian groups say that there are hundreds of these, something like 600 Palestinians who want to study abroad, also in Britain and Germany --

MR. MCCORMACK: Right.

QUESTION: -- and are not allowed out. What is – you know, what does this incident say about the broader Israeli policy of not letting people leave Gaza?

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, look, they – you know, since the Hamas has taken over Gaza in a coup, the Israelis have absolutely legitimate security issues with respect to the movement of goods and people across those borders with Gaza. Nobody is second-guessing that. And I can’t speak for any other people who may desire to participate in educational exchanges and other countries who desire Gazans to participate in those exchanges. They will have to speak for their own cases. I can only speak –

QUESTION: (Off-mike)

MR. MCCORMACK: -- It’s very difficult.

QUESTION: At least suggest that, you know, maybe the restrictions are a little bit too blanket? You know, you’re saying – you’re supporting that at least these Fulbrights should be let out. Well, what about the ones who want to study in Britain, for example?

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, I’ll let the UK Foreign Office spokesman speak to that issue. Not for me to do so. Yeah.