WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Today, the U.S.# imposed new sanctions on Iran in## response to Tehran's unprecedented attack last# weekend on Israel.

The U.S. is also vetoing an## attempt in the U.N. Security Council to# create an independent Palestinian state,## all this as Israel continues to debate# how and when to respond to Iran's attack.

Nick Schifrin looks at the U.S.' attempt# to prevent even more regional escalation.

NICK SCHIFRIN: William, this afternoon, President# Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's top## national security aides talked about Israel's# potential response to the Iranian attack.

U.S. officials have made it clear they think# Israel should not respond militarily and are## trying to increase economic and diplomatic# pressure on Iran to help make their case.

For the lay of the land in the U.S.# and the region, we get two views.

Ambassador Dennis Ross played leading# roles in the Middle East peace process## for more than 12 years.

He is now the# counselor and a distinguished fellow at## the Washington Institute for Near East Policy,# a Washington think tank.

And Khaled Elgindy has## participated in past Israeli-Palestinian# negotiations and is now the director of## the Middle East Institute's Program on# Palestine and Israeli-Palestinian Affairs.

Thanks very much.

Welcome,# both of you, to the "NewsHour."

Ambassador Ross, let me start with# you, and let's start in New York.

The U.S. is vetoing a resolution that would# have allowed the state of Palestine to join## the U.N. as a full member.

U.S. allies# and fellow permanent member the United## Kingdom is abstaining and France is voting in# favor.

What's your response to those votes?

DENNIS ROSS, Former U.S.

Envoy to# Middle East: Well, I'm not surprised## that the Biden administration is going ..

I think they look at this# as not just a symbolic move,## but at this point the Palestinians don't look# like a state.

And so I don't think they're## prepared to recognize it as such in a U.N.# context.

I also think they see this as not## necessarily connected to the diplomacy that# they're engaged in right now with the Saudis.

They clearly still have an interest in trying to# reach a Saudi-Israeli normalization deal.

I think## they're negotiating exactly what that might mean,# not only in terms of bilateral U.S.-Saudi issues,## in terms of defense treaty, the Saudi# development of a nuclear industry.

But I## think they're also talking about what would the# Palestinian component of this understanding be?

What would the Israelis have to do in# terms of recognizing some kind of move or## commitment towards Palestinian statehood?# I think, while they're negotiating that,## they're not interested in having a# symbolic move at the Security Council.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Khaled Elgindy, what's your# response to the U.S. vote in New York?

KHALED ELGINDY, Middle East Institute: The# U.S. vote is not at all unexpected.

I mean,## we expected that the United States would# veto this resolution.

They have said it.## They have said all along that the# only possible way for a Palestinian## state to emerge is through direct# bilateral negotiations, which means## essentially that Israel has a permanent# veto over Palestinian self-determination.

And so this is an attempt by Palestinians# maybe to do an end run around that principle.## But I think even they understood that this# was not going to pass.

I think President## Abbas has pursued this for his own reasons.# I think he's looking more and more obsolete,## given the destruction in Gaza.# He's unable to influence either the## military or the diplomatic equation and# is looking for some way to be relevant.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Dennis Ross, as I mentioned,## some of this effort by the U.S. to try and# ta.. New sanctions announced on Iran# today, on Iran's drone program,## Iran's defense industrial base, including steel# production, the first time that those sanctions## have been imposed in about three years.# Do those kinds of actions help convince## the Israeli government not to respond to# Iran's attack with another military attack?

DENNIS ROSS: Look, I think it probably helps.

But I'm not sure it's enough.

I think the# Israelis would probably be more impresse.. we were closing some of the loopholes on sanctions# as it relates to Iran being able to sell its oil;## 91 percent of their oil sales are going# to the Chinese.

If we were doing more## to basically prevent those sales, convincing the# Chinese either not to go ahead or being prepared## to sanction Chinese companies, that would# probably be more impressive to the Israelis.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Khaled Elgindy, do# you believe that President Biden is## doing enough to try and influence Israeli# behavior, whether toward Iran or in Gaza?

KHALED ELGINDY: Well, I agree with Ambassador# Ross that it's probably not enough to convince## the Israelis not to go off on their# own or to pursue a military response.

And I think they're going to leverage that.# I think they're going to try and extract more## from the United States, quite possibly# up to and including the oil sanctions## that Ambassador Ross mentioned.

I mean,# that would be definitely a game changer## as far as Israel's decision-making.# But we're not quite there yet.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Ambassador Ross, there are# some Democrats who are wanting President## Biden to use more leverage on Bibi Netanyahu# when it comes to Gaza especially and condition## military aid until Israel takes certain# steps when it comes to the war on Gaza.

Do you believe the U.S.# should condition military aid?

DENNIS ROSS: No, I have not been in# favor of conditioning military aid,## especially right after Israel has just been# targeted with more than 350 cruise missiles,## drones, and ballistic missiles.

I think that# would be the wrong signal to send right now,## especially vis-a-vis the Iranians and many# of their proxies, including Hezbollah.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Khaled Elgindy, do you believe that# the U.S. can exert pressure on Israel, especially## when it comes to Gaza and how Israel wages that# war, separate from how Israel responds to Iran?

KHALED ELGINDY: Yes, absolutely.# There's no question that the lack## of consequences is precisely why we have this# humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza,## where we're now at the fastest any population has# reached the stage of famine in recorded history.

So there's a lot that the United States could# do.

It should.

It can and should condition## military assistance.

At a very minimum,# it could hold up the offensive weapons,## the massive 2,000-pound bombs that do# what President Biden called indiscriminate## damage in Gaza and that have caused# so much civilian death and suffering.

So, I think there are ways to condition# aid that don't necessarily affect Israel's## ability to mount a defense against# an Iranian threat, but that would## inhibit its ability to continue to cause# this mass death and destruction in Gaza.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Khaled Elgindy, Dennis# Ross, thanks very much to you both.

DENNIS ROSS: Sure.

Good to be with you.

KHALED ELGINDY: Thank you.