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U.S. Embassy Opens in Jerusalem; Iran Hopes Europe to Salvage Nuclear Deal; Christian Churches Targeted by Terrorists; U.S. to Help North Korea if Demands are Met on Denuclearization; New lava fissures in Kilauea, Hawaii; Royal wedding countdown. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired May 14, 2018 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR In just a matter of hours, the United States will break with decades of policy and tradition. Officially opening its embassy in Jerusalem.
I'm Becky Anderson in Jerusalem where we have special coverage for you today.
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm George Howell live in Atlanta. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. Other stories we're following this hour here on CNN.
The roar of lava spewing into the air on Hawaii's Big Island. New fissures opened up, posing a new threat and causing new evacuations.
Plus, this is the week Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tie the knot. We'll take you live to Windsor to see how people are marking the occasion with a beer.
ANDERSON: We are just a few hours away from what is an historic event here in Jerusalem. For the first time since the country's founding, the U.S. embassy will be located here.
U.S. President Donald Trump making that decision late last year to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the embassy from Tel Aviv.
Well, a high level U.S. delegation is now in town including the treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin and President Trump's daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner. Mr. Trump will appear in a pre-recorded message, but not everybody here is celebrating the move.
(CROWD CHANTING)
ANDERSON: Palestinians are planning a day of protests. Jerusalem is a Holy City of course to them as well, and they say recognizing it as Israel's capital undermines their claim. They say the U.S. decision disqualifies Washington as an impartial broker in any Israeli/Palestinian peace talks in the future.
And they are getting support from Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan says, and I quote, "Jerusalem, especially East Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine. We know this, he said, in an Islamic world." Well, that is in stark contrast to comments from Israel's prime minister. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: You can't base peace on a foundation of lies. You base peace on the foundations of truth. And the truth is that not only has Jerusalem been the capital of the Jewish people for millennium and the capital of our state from its inception, the truth is that under any peace agreement you could possibly imagine, Jerusalem will remain Israel's capital.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Oren Liebermann here with me in Jerusalem at the start of what can only be described as a very, very politically emotive charged week, Oren.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Absolutely. Probably the most sensitive most volatile week in the entire calendar, and that's because of everything that's going on this week. And that begins with Jerusalem day, which was the festivity yesterday where Israelis mark what they consider the reunification of the Holy City.
It's marked with a provocative parade of Israeli Jews through the Muslim quarter of the old city. That leads into embassy movement today, which is today. A number of festivity, ceremonies, reception, press conferences around that, and that leads right into Nakba Day where Palestinians mark what they consider the catastrophe of the creation of the state of Israel.
On top of that, this week is also the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan. That comes with its own tensions. So, all of that gives so many flash points to this week. But one thing is absolutely for certain. This is a week where Israelis will be celebrating.
LIEBERMANN: Israel recently marked its 70th birthday with celebrations and speeches. Among the reasons for the Israeli leaders to celebrate was this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NETANYAHU: We are delighted with President Trump's decision to move the embassy here. It says a simple thing. Peace must be based on truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: But why is this such a big deal? Israel has always seen Jerusalem as its capital city. Why not the rest of the world?
A bit of history here.
Israel was established in 1948. Jerusalem was a split city between Israel and Jordan for nearly two decades after that until 1967 when Israel occupied east Jerusalem and the West Bank. When Israel annexed east Jerusalem in 1980, countries pulled their embassies out of the city in protest. That's because east Jerusalem is supposed to be the capital of a future Palestinian state.
The U.S., meanwhile, had its embassy in Tel Aviv. In 1995, the U.S. passed a law requiring the country to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but every president since then, Republican and Democrat, has waived the move, citing national security concerns.
[03:05:02] President Donald Trump promised during his campaign to move the embassy, a promise he kept in December.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But today we finally acknowledge the obvious, that Jerusalem is Israel's capital. This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: So where will the new embassy be located? Right here behind me in what is now the U.S. office for consular services. This is where you would come to renew a passport or apply for a visa.
The building itself sits right next to the green line which delineates east from west Jerusalem. It sits firmly in west Jerusalem but an expansion to the building to make it the embassy will require some building in no-man's land which is sort of a buffer zone between east and west Jerusalem.
It holds very little practical significance in terms of modern day Jerusalem, and yet that zone contains incredible political importance. The mayor of Jerusalem celebrated the official opening by posting the new road signs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIR BARKAT, MAYOR, JERUSALEM: It sends a very, very clear message to the Jerusalemites and others the intention and the back and the support Israel has in the sovereignty of the city of Jerusalem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIEBERMANN: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said more countries were looking at moving their embassies to Jerusalem as well. So far only Guatemala and Paraguay have committed to taking that step.
ANDERSON: John Bolton, the new U.S. National security adviser echoing many in the Trump administration when he says recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital makes peace easier. Not as far as the Palestinians are concerned. What are we hearing from them?
LIEBERMANN: Not at all. That is also a line we've heard from Benjamin Netanyahu himself, but it's a recognition of reality. When Trump said that he tried to frame it by saying this is where foreign leaders meet with Israeli leaders. This is where the Knesset sits, the Supreme Court, this is where the government is held and yet that's not how it was taken at all.
Palestinians are furious about this. Jerusalem's final status was supposed to come at the end of negotiations. And this anger hasn't abated at all. In fact, we just got a statement a short time ago from Palestinian secretary general -- PLO Secretary General, Saeb Erekat and I'll read you a part of that statement.
It reads, "This infamous hostile act against international law and against the people of Palestinian places the U.S. on the occupying power of Israel which continues to oppress the Palestinian people and colonize their lands towards destroying the possibility of region of just, comprehensive, and lasting peace."
The anger hasn't abated, hasn't dissipated at all from the Palestinians and that's why they consider the U.S. no longer able to act as a mediator and arbiter of peace negotiations, which they have done for so many decades.
ANDERSON: We have no details on what the next plan is, of course, for the U.S. vis-a-vis peace negotiations. We await to hear this seemingly intractable conflict continues.
Thank you for the time being. That's the latest from Jerusalem. A lot more to come in the hours ahead, though. George, back to you in Atlanta.
HOWELL: Becky, certainly we know that security has been raised there in Jerusalem ahead of what could be a volatile week. We'll be back in touch with you later in the hour for more of your reporting from Jerusalem.
Now to the Iran nuclear deal. Iran's president says that Europe has a limited amount of time to preserve the nuclear agreement. Hassan Rouhani says that Iran will remain committed to the accord just so long as its interests are ensured, but there is opposition to that from hard liners.
In the meantime, Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif continues his international tour trying to convince other signatories to keep the agreement despite the U.S. backing out of it. He is now in Moscow, following his first stop in Beijing.
The U.S. president, Donald Trump reinforced his opposition on Twitter, saying this. "Remember how badly Iran was behaving with the Iran deal in place? They were trying to take over the Middle East by whatever means necessary. Now that will not happen."
And the U.S. national security adviser John Bolton telling my colleague Jake Tapper European firms that do business with Iran could face possible sanctions. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE TAPPER, HOST, CNN: So President Trump said this week, quote, any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could also be strongly sanctioned by the United States. Is the United States going to sanction European companies that do business with Iran?
JOHN BOLTON, UNITED STATES NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I think the issue here is what the Europeans are going to do. If they're going to see that it's not in their interest to stay in the deal, we're going to have to watch what the Iranians do. They'd love to say in the deal. Why shouldn't they? They got everything they wanted from the Obama administration.
But I think the Europeans will see that it's in their interests ultimately to come along with us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: And CNN covering this story with our correspondents around the world. Our Fred Pleitgen standing by in Tehran, Iran. But first our Matthew Chance, following the story live this hour in Moscow.
Matthew, first to you, of course with Javad Zarif's visit to Moscow there, it again puts Russia again in a unique position here to be a power broker in the Middle East, working even closer with European nations that are at odds with this U.S. decision to back out of this deal.
MATTHEW CHANCE, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Yes, I mean, and it's true that Russia does occupy this unique position between those European signatories of the Iran nuclear deal and with Iran itself. It's got really good relations with Iran because it's fighting side by side with Iran to support their joint ally in Syria, Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president.
They've got a long-standing nuclear relationship with Iran as well. They're kind of building or have been planning to build a network of nuclear reactors for some decades now in Iran.
And of course diplomatically, they've always supported that country when it came to the negotiations to forge that nuclear deal. So yes, Russia is in this unique position to try and encourage the Iranians to stay within the framework of the nuclear deal, despite the fact that the United States has pulled out. And that means Russia is increasingly essential to the efforts of the European signatories as well.
Because without Russia encouraging Iran, Iran is much more likely to leave the framework of the deal. Of course, Russia is acting in its own interests as well, because it sees this deal as important. That's why it signed it.
It sees it first of all, as the best way of preventing Iran developing nuclear weapons, which is why it was such an integral part in forging that deal.
But it's also concerned, Moscow that is, also concerned about what comes next, what the plan B is as it's called of the United States. And the concern in Moscow is that it's regime change. And of course Moscow is fundamentally opposed to any kind of action to change a regime in the Middle East and elsewhere that is sympathetic towards itself.
And so, yes, that's what is driving the Russians. They want Iran to stay in this deal as much as all the European partners do as well.
HOWELL: Matthew Chance, thank you for the reporting. Let's cross over to Fred Pleitgen live in Tehran. Fred, again, as we heard from the Iranian president, the pressure is on Europe. Iran wants this deal. It does mean investment but is there just as much concern there that these U.S. sanctions will bite and keep business away regardless of how this deal is tried, they try to salvage it?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Yes, there certainly is a lot of concern about this country's economy here in Tehran. Of course, and the rest of the country as well.
I think right now as far as Iran's position is concerned, there is really three main factors. On the one hand, you have the economic impact that you were just talking about. That's been severe even before the United States pulled out of the agreement.
I mean, even in a run-up when it start to became clear that the Trump administration was not going to go forward with the U.S. inside the nuclear agreement, the currency here in this country essentially tanked.
There was lot of economic concern. Right now, there is restrictions on how much money can be exchanged. So, yes, there is a lot of concern going forward about that. Then of course the question is, what is the reaction here inside the country? There is a lot of people who said that there would be a lot of turmoil between the hard liners and the moderates. That's only happened to a certain extent.
I think one of the things that's really interesting is that Iran's supreme leader who in the end has to sign off on any anything that happens in this country, he said look, we don't trust the Europeans to try and salvage this deal, to try and maintain Iran's interest but at the same time they are going to give these negotiations a chance.
They're going give the moderate government under Hassan Rouhani and especially the foreign minister right now Javad Zarif who, of course, worked exceptionally hard to get this deal going in the first place under the last U.S. administration, we're going to give them a chance and see if all this works out.
But they're also saying Iran's interest needs to be maintained, which of course means direct investment in this country, especially by European companies. And that's what then brings us to Javad Zarif's trip that he is doing to China, Russia, and then Europe next. And that is of course absolutely essential.
And I think really, the trip to Europe, the one that he is doing tomorrow in Brussels where he is meeting representatives of the European Union, and then also those key European countries, Germany, France and Britain, that is going to be really a pivotal moment for the future of the nuclear agreement, because that's where the Europeans, as far as the Iranians are concerned, are going to have to decide what they're going to do.
Are they going to push back against the United States and try and protect and insulate their companies that want to do business, or are they going to feel that that's not in their interest or they're not capable of doing that.
The Iranians are saying it has to be clear that European companies who invest in Iran cannot be stopped by the United States, can't feel pressure or fear by the United States. That's a pretty tall order considering obviously these European companies are long-term and very strong allies of the United States.
Notwithstanding the fact that all of them are pretty angry at the United States for pulling out of this agreement, especially after you have the French president and the German chancellor go to Washington and try to speak to President Trump.
A lot of them really feel like the U.S. really has not really sold them out, but certainly has not acted in Europe's interests. So it's going to be a pivotal meeting tomorrow, but certainly there is a lot of concern here in Tehran, George.
[03:15:04] HOWELL: You took the words right out of my mouth, pivotal indeed, especaily with these long-time allies, you know. Where does this go from here? Fred Pleitgen live for us in Tehran, thank you.
Still ahead here on CNN Newsroom, the latest on a wave of deadly terror attacks in Indonesia. Some shocking details to tell you about given Sunday's suicide blasts. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. I'm George Howell.
We are following developing news out of Indonesia where just hours ago a new bomb attack rocked the city of Surabaya. That is the same city that was hit by deadly church bombings just on Sunday.
Four police officers were among at least 10 people wounded in the latest attack. An official says four suicide bombers on two motor bikes struck outside of a police station. Police there are still trying to identify them.
This comes after at least eight people were killed by suicide bombers on Sunday. Their targets were three Christian churches.
What we're learning about those suicide bombers is indeed shocking. That officials says they were a husband and wife, and they used their own children to help them carry out the blast.
[03:20:03] CNN's Pauline Chiou reports.
PAULINE CHIOU, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Shock, confusion, and horror. A series of suicide bombings Sunday morning, targeting three Christian churches in Indonesia's second largest city. Carried out within minutes of each other by six members of the same family with suspected links to ISIS in Indonesia.
Worshippers at Santa Maria Catholic Church, and the Indonesian Christian church and the Pentecost Central Church in Surabaya run in disbelief, ushered by police, amid scattered debris as more people are reported dead or injured.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): They are doing mass and my husband was receiving guests. He opened the doors. He's injured really badly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHIOU: This CCTV footage captured one of the suicide bombers riding a motorcycle before detonating his explosives. According to police, the father drove a van with his wife and two daughters, aged 12 and 9. He dropped them off at one of the churches where they detonated a bomb inside.
He then drove to the next church and detonated his bomb in front of the building. At the same time, the two sons blew up their bombs while riding motorcycles at the third church.
ISIS' media wing claimed Amaq News Agency claimed the responsibility for the blasts, describing them as martyrdom attacks without providing any proof to substantiate the claim.
The predominantly Muslim country has long struggled with domestic terrorist groups, particularly the Al Qaeda affiliated Jemaah Islamiyah, which has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks between 2000 and 2010, including the deadly 2002 Bali bombings which left more than 200 people dead.
In recent years, the Asian nation has been fighting against radical extremism as ISIS attempts to recruit new members.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOKO WIDODO, PRESIDENT OF INDONESIA (through translator): The country's apparatus will not let this kind of cowardice be allowed. I'm calling for all layers of the public to fight terrorism, to fight radicalism which are against the values of religion, our national values as a nation which upholds the value of God and diversity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHIOU: Pauline Chiou, CNN.
ANDERSON: Pauline, thank you for the report.
Now to Sudan, where time is running out for Noura Hussein, a teenaged bride who has been sentenced to death for killing her husband, a husband she says raped her. The case is shining light on forced marriage and marital rape in that African country.
Our Isha Sesay is following the story live in London. Isha, what more are you hearing from Noura's legal team?
ISHA SESAY, HOST, CNN: Hi there, George. Well, I've spoken to Noura's lead attorney, if you will, several times over the weekend. And in our last conversation, he seemed pretty upbeat, I should say about their chances for success with the appeals process. They have until the 26th of May to formally file that appeal, and he believes that on the strength of the legal argument that justice will prevail.
But he does also make the point that this is a process, it's going to take several months. Once they file the appeal, the deadline being the 26th of May, it will be a panel of three judges that will review everything, the evidence and making sure that the law has been followed, the technicalities as it were is fully in order. And it will take three to four months before they give a decision.
So we do have some time before we get a sense of how this appeals process will work. In terms of Noura herself, I do want to show our viewers that the lawyer tells me a team visited with her on Sunday. They found her to be upbeat. Hopeful even, George, that her life will be spared. George?
HOWELL: And certainly, along with your reporting and many others, the international community keeping close watch on this case. Isha Sesay in London, thank you so much for the reporting. We'll keep in touch with you, of course.
Top White House officials are outlining new details for a denuclearized North Korea. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the U.S. is going into the negotiations with its eyes wide open. But he believes that Pyongyang wants to make a strategic change.
This as North Korea has announced plans to dismantle its nuclear testing site later this month. Pompeo also says the U.S. will direct invest in North Korea if its leader Kim Jong-un agrees to President Trump's demands.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE POMPEO, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: This will be Americans coming in private sector Americans, not the U.S. taxpayer. Private sector Americans coming in to help build out the energy grid. They need enormous amounts of electricity in North Korea to work with him to develop infrastructure.
All the things that the North Korean people need, the capacity for American agriculture to support North Korea so they can eat meat and have healthy lives.
[03:25:04] Those are the kind of things that if we get what it is the president has demanded, the complete and verifiable, irreversible denuclearization of North Korea, that the American people will offer in spades.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: U.S. President Trump and Kim Jong-un have a meeting set for Singapore on June 12th.
The United States is preparing to open its new embassy in Jerusalem. We'll take you back live to Jerusalem for the very latest there.
Plus, Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is raining fire on the Big Island, and more eruptions could be on the way. Still ahead, the very latest from the danger zone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. You're watching CNN Newsroom. Thank you so much for being with us.
I'm George Howell with the headlines we're following for you this hour.
An official in Indonesia says there has been another suicide attack. Four police officers are among at least 10 people wounded by bombers outside of a police station in Surabaya. It is the same city where suicide attacks hit three Christian churches on Sunday. At least eight people were killed in Sunday's attacks.
The U.S. president, Donald Trump, has tweeted about Saturday's knife attack that took place in Paris. He wrote in part, quote, "So sad to see the pair attack in Paris. At some point countries will have to open their eyes and see what is really going on. This kind of sickness and hatred is not compatible with a loving, peaceful and successful country."
[03:29:57] President Trump is vowing to save Chinese jobs after his own administration sanctioned the Chinese Smartphone maker. He tweeted he is working to get ZTE, quote, "back into business" after it halted operations. A U.S. Democratic congressman tweeted back saying intelligence agencies have warned ZTE technology poses as cyber security threat.
Israelis are preparing for a big celebration, this as the new U.S. embassy is set to open a few hours from now in Jerusalem. President Trump announced the move from Tel Aviv last year. Palestinians are planning widespread protests, but indeed, this is an historic change in Jerusalem. Our Becky Anderson is following developments there live and picks up our coverage from here. Becky?
ANDERSON: George, we are still a few hours away from the official U.S. embassy opening here in Jerusalem. Daniel Shapiro is the former U.S. ambassador to Israel. He wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post last week which reads in part, advocates of a two-state solution see the embassy move as a blunder by the United States. It signals the death knell of prospects for peace. But the sky, he says, is not falling.
Moving the U.S. embassy to a location in west Jerusalem is correct and reasonable. West Jerusalem has served, he says, as Israel's capital since the founding of the state and no plausible two-state map would change that. Our embassy's presence in the city reinforces the legitimacy off historic Jewish ties to city which are too often denied by Palestinians.
Dan Shapiro joining us now. Thank you for joining us. Given your position, are you then saying that this move should have come sooner during your tenure here as U.S. ambassador under a Barack Obama administration?
DAN SHAPIRO, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL: Well, the law that requires moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem passed in 199, and it gave the president the ability to postpone it by six months at a time. Presidents Clinton, President Bush, President Obama and even President Trump at the beginning of his term used those waivers in order to not interfere with ongoing attempts to advance negotiations.
I think that was actually the correct decision. But the situation President Trump inherited was no negotiations and no real prospects for negotiations. The current leaders mistrust each other so badly that that's not going to happen likely in his whole term. So I think the reason to delay it no longer really applies.
ANDERSON: So with the greatest respect, just stepping back for one moment, I know there was an ongoing peace process in negotiation, but it was going nowhere ultimately under President Obama. So I put it to you again, do you wish this embassy move had happened earlier?
SHAPIRO: You know, we discussed it during the Obama administration and to me it would have made sense to do it in the context of presenting the broad outlines of the two-state solution. Ultimate decision was never made to do that, but during the negotiations themselves, I think it was perfectly reasonable to use that waiver.
ANDERSON: There will be people in this region you say quite frankly now that this step is being made, a two-state solution is dead in the water.
SHAPIRO: Well, it's certainly not in the cards any time soon. We have an Israeli and a Palestinian leader who completely mistrust each other. They're both hamstrung by very, very difficult domestic politics. Neither of them has the flexibility to make the kind of hard decisions that would be necessary. But it's still a strategic interest to the United States, and I think for both of them to ultimately keep that two-state solution alive.
And I think it's plausible under different leadership. So, the fact of moving the embassy does not interfere with that as long as we also make clear Palestinians could have their capital (inaudible) as well.
ANDERSON: You then will be celebrating this, what you see as overdue step, but warn that triumphalist (ph) here in Israel that it is premature to consider that Israel has, quote, won here. But without any details on a new U.S. peace plan, without any sense of what that would look like, without any sense that Israel has been forced to make any concessions, the bottom line to many is that this embassy move looks like a slam-dunk in favor of the Israelis.
SHAPIRO: Well, it's certainly something Israelis have sought. And it would have been better for the Trump administration to place this decision in the broad context of a two-state solution plan that includes identifying east Jerusalem as where the Palestinian capital will reside. But even if that doesn't happen at the same time as the move, which I would think should it have, it can come later. And if it's not this administration, then a future administration can build on what is happening today.
ANDERSON: Tell that to a 17-year-old Palestinian. And we're going to hear from one in a moment who says quite frankly, being stateless is grueling. You say it may come this administration. We may be looking at the next. What do you say to these young Palestinians, some of who may feel that the struggle isn't worth it any longer. Others say they are fueled, re-engaged with the Palestinian struggle because of what's happening.
[03:35:04] SHAPIRO: Yes, I would definitely say to such a person that I understand their frustration and their aspirations, their very legitimate aspirations for sovereignty and statehood and self- determination. The only way that can by achieved is through negotiations and it is going to be under different leaders. Again, I don't think the current leaders are capable of that. But to keep that alive is very much in the Palestinians' interest. That's how they can achieve their legitimate (ph) administrations.
It's also how Israel can remain its to remain a Jewish and Democratic state. That's why I say it's not a slam-dunk for Israel in the sense that the dilemmas that make two states in Israel's interests haven't gone away.
ANDERSON: You and I are going to continue to talk this morning, not least about what feels like the very order of the Middle East at stake at present, the decision by Donald Trump to ditch the Iran deal, this coming together of U.S.-Israel, and a Saudi-led alliance which may ultimately inform what happens with any U.S. brokered peace deal, or whether indeed the U.S. can broker anything going forward. That's what we will discuss a little later on. For time being, ambassador, thank you.
SHAPIRO: Look forward to it.
ANDERSON: On Sunday, I spoke with Malak AbuSoud who is 17 and describes herself as a Palestinian Jerusalemite. She wrote an essay about her identity and the plight of Palestinians that got her accepted to Georgetown University in Washington. I just wanted you to hear just part of the conversation that we had.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALAK ABUSOUD, PALESTINIAN JERUSALEMITE: I just spoke about myself, how I identify who I am as a Jerusalemite and how I feel connected to the city. The city that I'm connected with is now basically becoming Israeli. I felt really bad about that.
ANDERSON: Read us just a little bit, then --
ABUSOUD: Of course.
ANDERSON: -- of the essay, if you will.
ABUSOUD: Yes. As I was filling out this application, I read Israel, West Bank or other. I panicked while looking at my options because they had not seemed like options to me. They appeared more like statements. I would never call myself Israeli. I do not carry a Palestinian ID, and well, I am too patriotic to say other. Even my temporary Jordanian passport cannot help me at this point. Being stateless is grueling. I have experienced this many times throughout my life. Trying to fit the politically complex situation into a seemingly incomplex question, where are you from? So that's how I started it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Malak's essay that got her into Georgetown University. She is 17 years old. She is a Palestinian who has grown up in Jerusalem. Well, Isaac Herzog is the leader of the Israeli Labor Party and the chairman of the Zionist Union. We witnessed celebrations on Jerusalem day by Israelis in anticipation last night of the opening of the embassy here.
I spoke to Malak, who simply tells me that being stateless is grueling. As you consider the week that we are moving into, the opening of the embassy today at Nakba. The Palestinian when they consider the founding of Israel as a disaster, the beginning of Ramadan, what are your concerns?
ISAAC HERZOG, CHAIRMAN, THE ZIONIST UNION: First of all, I want to send a message of peace to all our Muslim friends throughout the Middle East and the world for the Ramadan, and may they have an easy fast and may the month bring peace with them. Secondly, I think that there is still hope. I think the two-state solution is still a possibility, but I think that when they consider the creation of the state of Israel as their disaster, and they don't understand that the establishment of an American embassy in West Jerusalem is something that should have been natural.
It only makes justice for the state of Israel as should have been done 70 years ago. President Trump in his own comments said the borders of Israel's sovereignty will be determined by negotiations. So it's all there except that one has to say the truth. Israel has a capital. It's Jerusalem, and I tell you outright, as the leader of the opposition we support that move strongly.
ANDERSON: Right. So should we get revealed the details of a Trump administration peace plan? And it includes the semblance of a two- state solution. And I know that you've been in contact with, you have relations with the Saudi-led Arab alliance who it feels may be in support of any deal that the U.S. hopes to broker. If you genuinely want to push for peace, would you join a Netanyahu government in order to affect that at this stage?
[03:40:08] HERZOG: I tell you, you're dealing with a very complicated internal Israeli situation.
ANDERSON: I understand that. HERZOG: We are the opposition. We will work to replace the government
of Netanyahu. That's what our position does. I paid a heavy political toll for searching that opportunity in 2016, two years ago, an opportunity where I negotiated with Netanyahu the possibility of a grand coalition that will change the future of the region. It collapsed predominantly by the opposition from his own party and the settler's movement.
However, also from my party, but that's irrelevant right now. Why? Because you have to get the parties to sit down and talk and nobody objects to sitting down and talking.
ANDERSON: Can the U.S. do that? Can Jared Kushner do that?
HERZOG: Absolutely. I think now that after this very unique week and this --
ANDERSON: Provocative.
HERZOG: -- and this very great day of celebration for us, now, afterwards the United States should come forward and put on its plan on the table. The famous ultimate deal of President Trump.
ANDERSON: Should, but will they?
HERZOG:L Well, I don't know if they will because I don't know what their mode of thinking is, but I believe that Jason Greenblatt, their emissary, the American emissary for the peace talks is trying his best, and I think one should consider it. And listen, it cannot be - look, let's take some facts on the ground.
For example, Palestinians in Gaza are those who are burning their own pipelines that bring them water and oil and fuel into Gaza. Why? Or else demonstrate against the fact that Americans are establishing an embassy in west Jerusalem, namely they should understand reality has changed. And I think also the Palestinian political system should rise above petty issues and say OK, let's sit down and talk.
ANDERSON: You're asking them to understand that reality has changed when ultimately it's changed against their favor --
HERZOG: I understand the pain and I understand the anger, although I don't accept it. But I think they have to understand as well. They have to understand the greatness of this city, the beauty of this place, and the fact that Jews and Arabs will always live together, and come forward with bold, innovative ideas that will bring future to our children.
ANDERSON: Let's hope that that is where we are headed.
HERZOG: Thank you very much.
ANDERSON: Thank you, sir. Always a pleasure. George, from us for the time being, that is it. Back to you.
HOWELL: Becky, thank you. We'll of course keep in touch with you. Still ahead here on Nnewsroom, the Kilauea volcano makes its fiery
presence felt once again. We'll assess the impact of the latest eruptions after this short break.
Plus, breaking with royal tradition, how Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be changing things up at their wedding come Saturday.
[03:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOWELL: Power of nature. Just look at that. New volcanic fissures have opened up on the big island of Hawaii. This one, number 17 erupted Sunday morning. It was several -- hundred meters or several miles - hundred miles long spewing lava high into the air. And the 18th fissure just opened up and is currently active and producing fumes and lava smoke.
Hawaii's Civil Defense Agency says continued earthquake activity and additional outbreaks on the big island are very likely, and the Hawaiian volcano observatory I should say warns that if an eruption occurs in Kilauea's crater, it could generate dangerous debris and significant ash clouds. All the activity has understandably rattled locals like John Davidson.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN DAVIDSON, HAWAII LOCAL: The first thing that I noticed was I heard what sounded like a jet turbine. Last week it's almost like your life is on hold. It's not like it's a hurricane where you think OK, in three days it will be here and go or a forest fire. This is almost like a slow motion train wreck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: A slow motion train wreck. You know, Pedram you know what to do with hurricane. You know what to do with tornadoes, things like that. But this is different.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is. Yes, you know, this is different, and itis one that is not as predictable as being able to see something coming your direction and being able to prepare for it. This could happen any second. And of course it has been very active for a couple of weeks now. The Leilani estates there, George when you take a look at these green triangles, those are the fissures that have been in place. You talked about number 17 and number 18 and notice these latest fissures have actually occurred just east of this particular community and beginning to now move farther downstream.
That's a sign to us when you take a look at this that we're seeing the expansion. We're seeing additional magma come to the surface, become lava of course at the surface and you take a look at the broad perspective. We're talking 27 miles or 43 kilometers away from the main chamber, from the main center there of Kilauea.
In fact, when you go up to the top of Kilauea and look down into this chamber, you will be able to see very quiet, at least what it appears, right, just some gases coming to the surface. But the lava that was there at the center, when you look at the thermal imagery from April 23rd and back again into the beginning of May, you see that gradually drop in level and that's concerning as well because with every one of those new fissures leading up to 18 now, as lava comes to the surface, lava here at the main chamber drops a little down.
And now it's down to about 300 or so meters lower than where it was back in the end of April and the beginning of may. In fact, when you take a look at kind of a cross section of this and look at the 3D dimension and come all the way down, the lava level is down somewhere around this region. We know the water table in fact sits at around 500 or so meters beneath that surface, and that's a critical threshold, because as you look at this all together, once we have the lava reach down to this level where it interacts with the water table, it's essentially like a pressure cooker, right.
You build a tremendous amount of pressure. All the rocks, all the debris, all the gases building up pressure down here and these large, large rocks are wedged in this very narrow chamber, George. So, as pressure builds, this interacts, of course, you have an immense amount of energy release in the form of a large explosion. That's what the next concern is here. And this has actually happened in 1924 across this very volcano, George, and we had boulders the size of trucks lofted some 20 kilometers away from this point so, that's why this is a very dangerous and unpredictable situation right now.
HOWELL: Wow, the fact that it can travel miles away, just the power from this type of activity. We'll stay in touch you. Thank you, Pedram.
JAVAHERI: Thanks, George.
HOWELL: Coming up, all things royal wedding. New details on the big day for Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
[03:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JAVAHERI: Well, after a few days of very cloudy weather across the United States, it is an entirely different story. Big time heat most of the southern U.S. records or set across the region. Also watching some tremendous rainfall and of course severe weather as well back into the plains, but here's what's happening out there across portions of Florida.
There is a disturbance here sitting on the west of 43 (ph) of the state that is pumping in tremendous amount of motion. In fact, the National Hurricane Center in Washington (inaudible) 30 percent chance. Let's get forward with the next couple of days into a tropical system. Of course, hurricane season a couple of weeks away but you notice, regardless of what it does, we do know this will produce tremendous rainfall in area that frankly needs some of these rainfall. So we're going to watch that carefully as we get this localized flooding take place across that region.
To the Midwest in the U.S. we go to Kansas City to Chicago, some bumpy flights certainly in store in the next 24 hours, maybe some delays as well. Chicago at 27, Winnipeg a stunning afternoon, well deserved 22 degree day. And Montreal runs up nicely to about 24. While in the south, we talked about the heavy rainfall working its way into the forecast, but notice this.
Atlanta's record (inaudible) drop off sharply back to seasonal values at the expense of a lot of rainfall over the next couple of days. While back towards the western U.S., another heat wave across the northwestern United States there. Seattle around 30 degrees. (Inaudible) City 32, Mexico City remains dry, highs around 27.
HOWELL: Just five days away now from the wedding of the year. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle due to tie the knot, and they will break from royal custom. They'll have the head of the Episcopal Church, an American bishop give the address at the service. Traditionally, it's given by senior clergy from the Church of England. CNN producer Anna Stewart is here to discuss all things royal wedding live for us in Windsor, England. How are people preparing for the big day?
ANNA STEWART, CNN PRODUCER: The whole town is getting prepared, George. We're expecting some 100,000 people to descend on what is actually a very small town. And as you said, this wedding is really going to break with tradition, not just with that American bishop giving the address, but things like the wedding cake. You know, the wedding cake won't be a traditional British fruitcake. It will be rather trendy. It will be a lemon and elderflower cake.
And we found out recently Meghan Markle won't be arriving to church with her father, which is what is traditional, but with her mother, Doria Radlan. And actually George, they will be arriving by car through this gate here, the King Henry VIII gate. They'll go through there into a horseshoe cluster and that is where Meghan Markle will ascend the steps into the church.
HOWELL: It is fascinating though to see so many people coming together. What is the feeling right now as people prepare for this?
[03:55:01] I means it excitement because you don't get to see something like this every day.
STEWART: Absolutely. I think there is incredible excitement here, particularly as Windsor obviously wasn't the location for the last royal wedding. So this has brought a new level of excitement to this town, which is very used to royal events. You know, the queen often spends time with (inaudible). In fact, you can't see it behind me, but the royal standard is up because the queen is home at the moment overseeing all the last minute preparations.
And George, we're actually expecting a few more details in the days to come. There will be plenty of speculation of course about what Meghan Markle will wear, who she will wear, who will be invited, but we will get some confirmed details from Kensington Palace about the bridesmaids, the pageboys, a bit more information about the wedding cake and the flowers. So, plenty of exciting of little bits of tidbits to come in the days ahead.
HOWELL: We'll of course stay in touch with you as we count down to the big day. The whole world will be watching for sure. Thank you so much for your reporting today. And of course you can stay with CNN for special coverage of the royal wedding all week long leading up to Saturday's big event. The marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
And we thank you for being with us. I'm George Howell at the CNN Center in Atlanta. For our viewers in the United States, "Early Start" is next. For viewers around the world, my colleague Hannah Van Jones picks it up from here.
