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Reuters: Israel Agrees To Extend Cease-Fire; U.S. Evacuates Embassy In Tripoli; Malaysia Wants Access To MH17 Site; Second Black Box Found In Mali; Obstacles To Peace In Gaza; Reuters: Israel Agrees To 4-Hour Truce Extension
Aired July 26, 2014 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ANA CABRERA, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to CNN NEWSROOM from CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Ana Cabrera in this weekend for Fredricka.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN GUEST ANCHOR: And I'm Martin Savidge live in Jerusalem. We are getting reports that Israel has agreed to a four- hour extension to that temporary truce with Hamas. But will negotiators be able to bring an end to the fighting that has killed more than 1,000 people?
Plus --
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JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: We are suspending our current diplomatic activities at the embassy, not closing the embassy.
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CABRERA: The U.S. evacuates its embassy in Tripoli, Libya, as violence rages there in the capital city. What does this mean for Americans who might remain in the country?
And a plane carrying the 38 remaining coffins from the crash of MH-17 arrives in the Netherlands. Investigators believe there are still more bodies and more remains that need to be recovered, but pro- Russian rebels are marking this nearly impossible.
Some breaking developments out of Israel where Israel has agreed to extend a temporary humanitarian cease-fire with Hamas an extra four hours according to Reuters this morning. Both sides we both know had agreed to a 12-hour cease-fire. That was expected to end in the next hour.
SAVIDGE: Palestinians went out to survey the damage today. Hello, Ana. During the moments of quiet, and people found that in many cases, their homes have been completely destroyed, or only piles of rubble that were left in their place. And under the brick and stone, tragically, they are finding more bodies.
The ministry there, the Palestinian Ministry there is reporting that thousands of people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israeli operation. On the Israeli side, there are more soldiers who have been killed since last night. And that brings the total number of Israeli soldiers dead to 40.
CABRERA: Let's talk about how diplomats from seven countries are calling for this cease-fire to be extended further. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Paris today. He's working on a deal for a much longer, perhaps a seven-day cease-fire and working on this all week in Egypt without any luck.
So Martin, you have been there in Israel. Watching this situation unfold this week. What can you tell us about this new cease-fire being extended?
SAVIDGE: Well, you know, Israel is willing, it appears now, to extend at least until midnight local time. So that would be adding another four hours, but it doesn't appear that Israel is ready to go beyond that point. We've yet to hear from Hamas and whether they're willing to go along with that at all.
What really stands in the way of taking this from, say, 12 hours to seven days are the conditions. The Israelis do not want any conditions. They would like to be able to keep their troops in place, in Gaza. Hamas, of course, does not want that. And instead, Hamas' conditions are to expand and to release now, really take away the borders and allow free trade.
These are issues that Israel is not ready to start negotiating just simply to end the fighting. It looks like we'll get a few more hours, but beyond that, no. Nothing more.
CABRERA: Are those hours just meant to be sort of rest time for these two sides or is this buying time while there are actually negotiations happening? Do you know if that is happening, if people are negotiating?
SAVIDGE: Well, you know, I think it's really a case of small steps here. You take what you can get when it comes to those who wish to try to negotiate an ending. It's described as a humanitarian cease- fire. And that means essentially, it allows time for the people in Gaza to get out, to get food, to get water, to clear away rubble, and to try to retrieve the bodies that were still trapped in the debris.
But beyond that, it was trying to buy more time for negotiation, but it doesn't appear that that is working. We should check in with what is happening in Gaza, because today they were able to get out for the first time in a long while to see the damage that had been done as a result of days of shelling.
Correspondent Ian Lee is in Gaza City. He shows us what it's like in those neighborhoods.
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IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When the clouds of war cleared, this is the devastation that was left behind. We have a child's mattress. We have clothes. We have pots and pans. This area completely destroyed and it's not just this house, as you can see. There's other buildings down here to have been damaged and devastated.
And we've seen some people come through here and try to pick at little things they can take back with them to their shelters. This crater just highlights the massive amount of fire power that's being used in this area. This hole has to be at least ten meters deep.
If you look, there are slabs of concrete. It looks like a building was here. We're hearing is that this was likely the result of a 500- pound bomb. Neighborhood after neighborhood, house after house has been reduced to rubble like this, and, really, without any permanent cease-fire, this sort of devastation is likely to continue.
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SAVIDGE: I'm joined now by Ian Lee, he is live in Gaza City. Ian, shocking to see the level destruction and now to hear that more bodies are being found. What are the people there are telling you and do they want a longer cease-fire? I would imagine they would?
LEE: That's right, Martin. They do want a longer cease-fire, but they don't want it to just, to have an end to violence. What they want though is what they say is a lifting of this siege as they call it around Gaza. They want the borders to be open for goods and services to come in.
As they say that they're willing for the fighting to continue until their condition in Gaza improves. I was in an area where a lot of the devastating destruction as well as just some areas completely flattened, and I met one family whose house was peppered with shrapnel.
They told me, they came back just to get a few possessions to get some paperwork and to get out of there as quickly as possible. And one man told CNN that he wished the cease-fire hadn't happened at all because when he returned, he found his house was completely destroyed.
So a lot of people going through getting their possessions, but looking at the clock, they have about an hour left until the end of the cease-fire, if it isn't extended, to get back to a U.N. shelter, to get back to safety. There was hundreds of thousands of people out in these area, and they have not a lot of time to get back.
We are hearing reports that there could be an extension to this cease- fire. This is coming out of Doha, but when I talk to a spokesman, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here, they said there really will not be a permanent cease-fire until their demands are met.
SAVIDGE: Ian Lee in Gaza City. Thank you very much. Ana, it should be pointed out as we are now about an hour away from the end of the cease-fire, it looks like Israel is willing to extend. Whether Hamas does, we'll have to wait and see. For many of the people of Gaza, it was a day of both some relief, but also additional pain -- Ana.
CABRERA: A tough situation there. Martin Savidge, thanks. Now to the major developing story in Libya today. The United States has evacuated all its personnel from the embassy in the capital of Tripoli. The U.S. State Department says intense fighting between the militias in this area of the embassy that prompted the urgent removal of staff there.
Now the embassy workers were driven out of the country to neighboring Tunisia. This marks the second time in a little more than three years that Washington has closed its diplomatic outpost in Libya. Secretary of State John Kerry talked about this situation earlier. He said that the U.S. is removing personnel, his words, but is not closing the embassy, and is not going to give up on the country.
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KERRY: A lot of the violence is around our embassy but not on the embassy, but nevertheless presents a risk to our personnel so we are suspending our current activities at the embassy. Not closing the embassy, but suspending the activities and we have moved people on ground to Tunisia where they will then disperse to other places where we will continue our diplomatic activities in Libya.
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CABRERA: Global affairs correspondent, Elise Labott is joining me now from Colorado. Elise, walk us through how this evacuation went down and exactly what sparked it?
ELISE LABOTT, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Ana, the State Department and the deputy ambassador held out for a while. The violence has been really bad for the last several months and they had reduced to a core staff. This violence is taking place right near the airport, which is right near where the U.S. Embassy was.
So while, as Secretary Kerry says, the violence wasn't directed at the embassy, there was a real concern about staff on the ground there, as these rival factions were fighting for control of the airport. So this morning, the U.S. military helped with military aircraft overhead helped transport those diplomats out.
And what Secretary Kerry said it is a temporary suspension of operation, but Ana, as we've discussed this morning, when the U.S. pulls out of its staff it has to be destroy equipment and documents. It really doesn't close permanently, maybe, but it definitely is shuttering the embassy for the foreseeable future.
When you send the kind of message that the U.S. is getting out of dodge in Libya, I think it sends a real alarming message about the situation in the country.
CABRERA: Why is that an important distinction to say we're just pulling out temporary versus closing?
LABOTT: Well, they don't want to give the impression that they're abandoning Libya and they're not. U.S. diplomats will continue, Ambassador Jones will continue to be in touch on the phone. It's not the same as when you saw in Syria, for instance. When the U.S. pulled all of its -- or even when the U.S. pulled out of Libya the first time, during the war with Libya and the whole fight against Moammar Gadhafi.
The U.S. took all its staff and closed the embassy for the foreseeable future. They had no intention of opening it until there was a dramatic change in the situation and there was a new government in place. They want to send the message that they're still going to have business with Libya.
They still recognize the government and the country of Libya, but that it's not safe. As I said, it's a little bit of a distinction without a difference, because once the U.S. pulls out all of its staff, it is in effect sending even if it's not the intended message, an unintended message about the U.S. engagement in the country.
CABRERA: You do have to wonder when it's going to be safe to go back, after years of turmoil there. Elise Labott, thanks so much.
Still ahead in the NEWSROOM, more coffins arriving in the Netherlands from the Flight 17 disaster, while investigators still look for more remains in Ukraine.
Plus, they found the second black box of that other crash. The Algerian plane that went down over Mali, we'll have details about that, next.
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CABRERA: A short time ago, 38 coffins carrying the victims of the downed Malaysia Airlines plane, Flight 17, arrived in the Netherlands from Ukraine. But back at the scene of the crash, some bodies are still lying amid the debris. It has Malaysia's prime minister extremely frustrated. In a statement, he said investigators were only able to access certain areas of the crash site, and he is demanding both the pro-Russian rebels and Ukraine's armed forces cooperate so investigators can get to all of these different areas.
The group of Dutch forensic experts also were unable to reach the crash site today because of fighting in that area as it continues. There are 40 Dutch policemen now standing by in Ukraine. Their mission would be to help find human remains and belongings as well as helping secure the site, but they have not yet gone to the crash site.
Over in Mali, across the world, a U.N. spokeswoman says the second flight data recorder from that Air Algerie flight that crashed in Mali just a couple of days ago has been found. The jet wrecked killing everyone on board after it dropped from radar just 50 minutes after takeoff.
CNN's Al Goodman has the latest on the investigation there and how relatives are coping.
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AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the wreckage of Air Algerie Flight 5017. Not much left. The passengers and crew from 15 different nations, none survived. This man, a nursing assistant in Canada, says he bought tickets for his wife and their two young sons to leave behind Burkina Faso and to start a new life with him in Quebec.
MAMADOU ZOUNGRANA, LOST HIS FAMILY IN THE CRASH (through translator): My wife said she'd prefer to come sooner. I didn't want to change the flight. I said it would be OK. Maybe if I canceled, taken something sooner.
GOODMAN: It was an overnight flight from Burkina Faso to Algiers, but less than an hour into the journey, the pilot requested a route change due to bad weather, authorities said. Contact was soon lost. Severe storms are common in the area.
French troops stationed in the region supporting the government of Mali struggle against armed Islamist militants recovered the remains of the passengers. Nearly half were French citizens. Both of the plane's flight data recorders have been found and investigators hope they will provide clues as to what went wrong.
PRESIDENT FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, FRANCE (through translator): What we already know is that the plane's debris is concentrated in a limited area. But it is still too early to draw any conclusions. They will come in time. There are hypotheses including weather conditions, but we're not putting anything of them aside because we want to find out everything that happened.
GOODMAN: The French foreign and defense ministers offered additional details, but no conclusions saying relatives of the French victims will meet in Paris. The Algerian transportation minister said Mali will lead the crash investigation with help from his country and France. Interpol has also offered to help.
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GOODMAN: Here in Madrid, shock and sadness at the Spanish charter company, Swift Air, which operated the MD-83 aircraft for Air Algerie, the flight crew all Spanish. The pilots described as experienced. Al Goodman, CNN, Madrid.
CABRERA: Thanks to Al Goodman.
Just in the last 10 minutes or so, we see that France now declared a three-day mourning period in memory of those lives lost on Air Algerie's flight.
After the recent string of all of these air disasters, it's not surprising you might be a little hesitant or nervous to fly, but should you be? We'll check the realities and find out what you can do to protect yourself, next, in the NEWSROOM.
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CABRERA: It really is hard to believe that three aviation disasters happened in just one week. First, last Thursday, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down in Ukraine then on Wednesday, TransAsia Flight GE222 crashed in Taiwan and just two days ago, Air Algerie Flight 5017 went down in Mali. All of these disasters happening just so close together understandably has people on edge.
We visited the world's busiest airport here in Atlanta to see whether air travelers' nerves are rattled.
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ERIN ELLIOTT, DOMESTIC TRAVELER: Thought tab a second and sent my husband a message saying I hope I don't disappear somewhere on somebody's radar. Not too anxious.
LISA EMRICH, DOMESTIC TRAVELER: Glad it's a much faster way to get there than driving for sure and making sure my daughter is safe.
JARRET MICHAU, INTERNATIONAL TRAVELER: I felt pretty safe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Safe?
MICHAU: Wasn't too nervous. Not going any hostile territories.
JANE COHEN, DOMESTIC TRAVELER: I think it's still statistically less dangerous than driving in my car.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get from a to b, you have to do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CABRERA: Mixed reviews there. Are fears warranted? As we've said, as mentioned, data shows despite the recent episodes, commercial aviation is still one of the safest ways to travel.
Let's bring in an expert on this subject. Les Abend is one of our aviation analysts. As a contributing editor at "Flying" magazine, he's flown in fact the Boeing 777 for years, that's the aircraft for both the disasters involved with Malaysia Airlines this year, the disappearance of MH-370 and the crash of MH-17.
So Les, but that is just one thing, but when you see all these disasters, it might make people think twice about flying. Your thoughts?
LES ABEND, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Sure, it's understandable. But I mean, if you connect the dots on all of these, there really isn't a lot of dots to connect. It seems to me these are all unfortunate very close together, very close together, random tragedies. There's nothing that seems to have a real common denominator that draws them together at this point in time.
You have to remember, you know, aviation to most of the general public is a mystery. We have -- it's not like getting into your car and turning it's wheel and putting your foot on the gas, but there's a lot of aspects involved with an airplane as most folks would imagine, but specifically, statistically, as has been stated, it's really a lot safer means of transportation. CABRERA: Absolutely. What about flight paths? Is there anything we can take away from what has happened and the risks that some of these flights have flown through, with, you know, an area of war or an area where you just know bad weather is known to be very common? You know, should passengers investigate what they're flight path is before they get on a plane?
ABEND: Well, absolutely, being aware of the situation, I think, makes people a lot more comfortable. I very often invite nervous fliers into the cockpit to try to explain some of the systems to them. Sure. Weather has always been part of our avoidance procedures. We have a lot of sophisticated equipment, both in air traffic control and on the airplane itself, that we avoid this stuff.
As far as flying over routes of conflicts with missiles, I mean, this is not something that we contend with on a regular basis. This is just an extremely rare occurrence. It's a horrific tragedy. We get it. I think our awareness of these conflicts are going to increase, because none of us would have suspected at a cruise altitude we would have been -- some missile would have been a threat to us at those points.
Most of the threat that we considered shortly after 9/11 were from shoulder-launch missiles or shorter range-type stuff. But really in this day and age, when you get on an airplane, you're dealing with a highly qualified crew a highly trained crews and a lot more people on the ground that support this whole aspect of transportation.
CABRERA: It sounds like bottom line the fears may be much to do about nothing.
ABEND: Well, listen, they're understandable. I get it and I appreciate it. You know, and I every time I get behind the control wheel, I think about those folks and it's very important for me to make it safe, of course, but to make it comfortable for those nervous fliers.
CABRERA: Well, Les Abend, we do appreciate your insight. Thanks so much.
ABEND: My pleasure.
CABRERA: Word from the Mideast that Israel has agreed to a four-hour extension of the humanitarian truce in Gaza, according to Reuters this morning. What happens next? We'll talk to a member of the Palestinian parliament for his perspective when we come back.
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CABRERA: It's the bottom of the hour. Other top story, the United States has now evacuated all personnel from its embassy, in Libya's capital of Tripoli. It's about 150 people in all including about 80 Marines. The U.S. State Department says intense fighting between the militias in this area is what prompted the urgent removal of the staff there. Embassy workers drove out of the country in a convoy to neighboring Tunisia. Fighters jets and even an offshore U.S. warship provided support for them as they made that roughly 100-mile journey to the border. The State Department stresses that the embassy has just suspended operations. It will reopen when it can.
The last scheduled flight carrying victims of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 has arrived now in the Netherlands. Thirty eight coffins were received with military honors today. The remains are being taken to a facility to undergo forensic analysis to identify those remains.
Two hundred and ninety eight people were on board Flight 17 when it was shot down over Eastern Ukraine more than a week ago. Many bodies have been recovered, but some are still lying amid the debris. Pro- Russian rebels are accused of blocking investigators from searching all areas of the crash site.
Now to Iran, where worry is deepening this morning for the four journalists held there. The "Washington Post" says one of its American reporters was detained along with his wife. This was Tuesday night. Looking at video last month with CNN's Anthony Bourdain. Two other freelance photographers both U.S. citizens were also taken into custody and there is very little information right now as to where and why they are being held.
Doctors in Africa are worried that the deadly Ebola virus is spreading. A man has died in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation. Up until now they thought it was contained to three West African countries. So far Ebola has killed hundreds of people in just the last four months.
To Israel now, in a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was supposed to end in 30 minutes. But Reuters is now reporting that Israel at least has agreed to extend this truce by four hours until 5:00 p.m. Eastern.
Martin Savidge is live in Jerusalem. Martin do we know if Hamas has now agreed to this extension as well?
SAVIDGE: Hello, Ana. We haven't heard officially. There are some -- there is some talk that Hamas may go along with that extension, but again, nothing definitive from them. If this does actually happen, it would take it up to midnight local time. Of course, any couple of hours is welcomed -- Ana.
CABRERA: It's still not a long cease-fire. We've heard Secretary of State John Kerry calling for at least seven days to try to work on a more permanent solution of sorts. Any hopes for a longer truce?
SAVIDGE: You know, I think that there was some hopes at the end of the day that maybe it could be extended by 12 hours. Now we know that doesn't appear to be the case. Earlier there were hopes maybe extend it seven days. The problem with extending it seven days on both sides is that the Israelis fear that Hamas would use that time to re-arm and dig in, and continue their attacks once it's lifted. Hamas is saying, look, it doesn't do any good just to stop shooting to stop shooting. They had a specific list of demands that they would like to see, including lifting of the embargo. Israel would be opposed to that, because any demands that are granted might be perceived as a victory for Hamas.
That is what gets in the way of taking it longer. Right now, it looks like it's only going to be a few more hours. So will the two warring sides in this increasingly difficult conflict be able to reach a deal to end it? What will it take? Our Paula Hancocks looks at some of the obstacles to peace in Gaza.
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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hamas shows off its military muscle, a promotional video boasting of its fighters, rockets and tunnels. Israel's military releases footage of it destroying the enemy. A show of strength, much of the west considers a terrorist operation.
Both sides have a clear aim, to cripple or destroy the other, but it's a goal neither can currently achieve. So the question is what will it take to silence the guns this time? Hamas is clear about what it wants. The leader said Wednesday, we want a cease-fire today, but Israel must end the blockade now as guarantee. Then we can negotiate.
Israel withdrew troops and settlements from Gaza in 2005, but has controlled Gaza's waters, airspace and most borders ever since claiming they are protecting themselves against a more militarized Hamas. Human rights grouped called Gaza the world's largest open-air prison and say the blockade should be lifted.
AARON DAVID MILLER, WOODROW WILSON INTERNATIONAL CENTER: The Israelis may have to ease restrictions on imports and exports. Hamas salaries may have to be paid by the Qataris. Anything more, release of prisoners, or a complete end to both Egyptian and Israeli control of the border strikes me, frankly, as a bridge too far.
HANCOCKS: Hamas' tunnel network has surprised many. Its scope and sophistication, not only for smuggling weapons from Egypt, but also its tunnels into Israel, giving it immediate access to Israel civilian population. The Israeli military referring to this new battleground as lower Gaza.
DAN ARBEL, CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST POLICY, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: The terrorists operating in these tunnels are taking with them equipment not only to try and kill Israelis, but also to kidnap Israelis. They're taking tranquilizers with them, handcuffs, et cetera, to bring back some Israelis as hostages.
HANCOCKS: Israel wants to destroy this network before pulling out and move the Israeli public supports. Israel also wants to weaken Hamas as much as it can. It's suffered more military casualties in the past two weeks than in the previous five years. Hamas and other militant groups lost over 100 fighters, where more than 30 Israeli soldiers killed. However, more children than fighters have lost their lives so far in Gaza, making calls for a cease-fire all the more urgent. Paula Hancocks, CNN, New York.
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SAVIDGE: All right, let's talk now to a member of the Palestinian parliament, Mustafa Barghouthi is also the founder of the Palestinian National Initiative and he joins us now live from Ramallah in the West Bank.
I should point out that Minister Barghouthi and I met yesterday while seeking shelter from Israeli gunfire that was being shot as a demonstration. So Mr. Minister, it is good to see you again. Let me ask you this. What have you heard about this reported proposal to extend the temporary cease-fire another four hours?
MUSTAFA BARGHOUTHI, PALESTINIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Well, it's rather sad that the negotiations are taking place a few hours of cease-fire, although we need full and complete and lasting cease-fire. Today during the last seven hours, the Palestinians had to take out of the rubbles about 151 bodies of people who were killed by Israeli attacks, and many of them were injured, and stood there without help, without medical help, because Israel did not allow ambulances to reach them, and they bled to death.
So far 1,040 Palestinians have been killed in these 20 days, 90 percent of them are children and women, civilians, and about 5,400 injured. Mostly women and children. And that's why we need a cease- fire more than anybody else, and everything else can be negotiated on the table, including lifting the siege in Gaza, including shutting of the tunnels.
But the most important thing now is to save people's lives and to guarantee that Gaza will not fall back into a terrible siege that is creating the worst humanitarian crisis in this region.
CABRERA: Mr. Barghouthi, we know much of the world has been critical about Israel's position in all this. Particularly what you bring up. That is the number of civilian deaths that have happened as a result of this most recent violence. And Israel says its plan would be to demilitarize Hamas, but you say Israel's real agenda is take away Palestinians' rights to resist occupation. How can peace talks resolve a divide like that?
BARGHOUTHI: The Israeli side says that Palestinians are trying to kidnap soldiers so that they can exchange them with prisoners. Well, Israel is kidnapping 6,000 Palestinians now. They are putting them in jail and we're trying to get them out, and some of them have been in jail for 27 years. One of them, a relative of mine, was in Israeli jail for 34 years.
He was released in an exchange deal and now they re-arrested him again. Thirty four of our members of parliament are put in Israeli jail under the so-called administrative detention meaning Israel can put people in jail for unlimited period of time without even charging them. This is unfair.
Palestinians would not want to kidnap Israeli soldiers if they could have their prisoners released, and this whole thing could stop, if Israel eventually decides to end the occupation, which has become the longer occupation in modern history, transforming into a system of segregation and apartheid, must worst than South Africa at one point in time.
We want peace. We want security, for us and for them, but that cannot be achieved if Israel continues to control our lives, and drive us from free access to water and free access to electricity, and prevent us from communicating with our people in Gaza. I was born in Jerusalem.
Let me tell you, I was born in Jerusalem. I worked as a medical doctor in Jerusalem for 15 years, and since 2005, they don't allow me to enter Jerusalem. If I want to go there I have to sneak in and violate their orders. This is unfair, and that's the cause of the problem, and that is why we -- repeated cycles of violence.
SAVIDGE: Before we run out of time, let me ask you this -- if this cease-fire comes to an end, the Palestinians in the West Bank, we've seen signs of demonstration. It's a huge population there of Palestinians. What do you think will happen?
BARGHOUTHI: The people in the West bank, before that, in Gaza, and still continue to have peaceful marches, peaceful demonstrations, and the best traditions of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, and what we've seen two days ago was the most beautiful peaceful march with more than 25,000 people marching, demanding their right to enter Jerusalem and to pray there.
We were encountered with gunshots, 250 people were shot, six of them lost their eyes, six critically injured and one was killed. Yesterday the Israeli army killed nine other Palestinians. This should stop. Non-violent is my way, and I think it's more effective, but to succeed we need pressure on Israel to stop using terrible violence and indiscriminate shooting against peaceful demonstrators.
CABRERA: But where were you willing to compromise in all this? What are you willing to give up on your side so that you could go to Israel and say, look, we're giving up this, so now you can give something back, too?
BARGHOUTHI: We've already done that. Back 21 years ago, the Palestinian Liberation Organization that represented the Palestinian people recognized Israel. It is Israel that is still refusing to recognize the Palestinian state. We accepted a very painful compromise, which is to have a state in 22 percent of the land of Palestine, which is less than half of what the United Nations decided we should have had. And yet this was not enough for Israel. They continue to build settlements. They continuing to deprive us from our freedom and self-determination.
CABRERA: All right --
BARGHOUTHI: So we've done our compromise. The problem is that Israel is trying to compromise the compromise.
CABRERA: We understand your viewpoint. Thank you very much for joining us and giving us some of your time. Thanks.
SAVIDGE: Thank you, Minister.
CABRERA: All right. We'll be checking back in with Martin Savidge as well as we continue throughout the morning and throughout the day. The crisis in Ukraine, though, took a dramatic turn with the shootdown of Flight 17. How did something that started with passionate street protests get to this point? A look back at the crisis in that part of the world, next.
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CABRERA: Tension is increasing in Ukraine on two fronts today. In Donetsk, the pro-Russian stronghold, long lines of car, are clogging road there. Hundreds fleeing the city, driven out by heavy shelling and fierce, almost nonstop fighting in this area. At least a quarter million Ukrainians have left their homes this year.
And at the Malaysia airlines crash site, rebels say they are losing patience with investigators who still don't have full access to the site. The Netherlands says it may be sent in military police now to search for more bodies.
The shooting down of MH17 was by far one of the most shocking acts of violence to happen since this conflict in Ukraine along the border with Russia began. Do you even remember how this conflict began? Jim Sciutto takes a look back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The current turmoil in Ukraine started you can say in January of this year with protests that came to be known as the Midan. These were Ukrainians who rose up against the then pro-Russian president of Ukraine, Victor Yanukovych, accused of being corrupt and also protesting because he had cancelled a closer association between Ukraine and the European Union, which many Ukrainians wanted.
These protests eventually took over the streets of Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, and led to the pro-Russian president's downfall. Russia didn't like that. Moscow didn't like that. Particularly concerned about Crimea, where Russia's Black Sea fleet has its main base. Russia so concerned it launched what was in in fact an invasion of Crimea.
Took it over, annexed it and it didn't stop there. After Crimea was taken over, the pro-Russian rebels started carrying out attacks inside Eastern Ukraine again on the Russian border. That's where we are today. Pro-Russian rebels could control a great deal of territory and have very heavy weapons, which U.S. officials say are coming from Russia.
Including shoulder-fired missiles and now surface-to-air missiles that can take down aircraft. Before this passenger jet was shot down, in the last several weeks, several other Ukrainian aircraft were shot down including a transport plane a fighter jet and the belief pro- Russian rebels thought they were shooting at another Ukrainian military plane, when indeed they took down this Malaysian passenger jet.
Relations were bad after the invasion of Crimea. U.S. officials had told me that they have basically given up on a cooperative relationship with Russia. Now about damage control. This shootdown takes it to a whole new level. Dozens nationalities, Europeans, people from around the world, including one American killed in this plane crash.
As U.S. officials continue to say that Russia bears responsibility for this by arming these rebels with heavy weapons, in fact, possibly training them to use it, maybe being there when the plane was shot down, clearly the U.S. is going to have to take some action now against Russia further action and that will further strain relations between the two countries.
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CABRERA: Jim Sciutto reporting.
Now if you could believe it, there was even more drama on another plane overnight, scary moments on board a Canadian airliner after a passenger reportedly made a bomb threat. Scenes like this from inside the plane coming up next on NEWSROOM.
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CABRERA: Some dramatic moments on board a Canadian passenger plane overnight. Chaos and fear captured in dramatic cell phone video.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Heads down, hands up! Heads down, hands up! Heads down, hands up!
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CABRERA: The SWAT team storming the plane starting with an angry threat that forced this plane to turn back to Toronto escorted by U.S. fighter jets. Witnesses tell CNN affiliate CTV that a 25-year-old Canadian citizen said he wanted to bomb Canada.
Ali Shahi is the suspect, due in court today for a bail hearing. Now according to CTV, his demeanor just completely changed after he was in handcuffs saying he was sorry and loved Canada. He now faces four charges including endangering the safety of an aircraft.
Only minutes remain in a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. Israel reportedly says it's willing to extend the peace, but will Hamas agree? We will go live to Jerusalem in a new report in just moments.
And as scientists work to identify receipt remains of victims from Flight 17, pro-Russian rebels are still refusing to allow investigators to search for bodies at the crash site. All just ahead in the next hour of NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
