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CNN International: Biden Arrives in Israel After Gaza Hospital Blast; Hundreds Believed Dead in Gaza Hospital Blast; Biden and Netanyahu Meeting in Tel Aviv. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired October 18, 2023 - 04:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[04:30:00]

MICHAEL STEPHENS, ASSOCIATE FELLOW MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES, RUSI: How do you then translate what you're seeing to getting Arab states back on board with the program that you have for the region? I think it's going to be very difficult. I think first of all, you have to deescalate the violence. You have to provide some solution that makes -- that makes it certain that the Palestinians will have their rights respected and that they have security, that they have electricity, water, food, et cetera.

But then you've got to start talking about what happens after. And I'm afraid to say, I think in the current environment, there is no hope that you can start talking about regional peace deals or what it looks like visa v Iran, et cetera, because there's still so much potential for escalation. That all you're doing is putting out fires as they emerge one by one.

Let's not forget, of course, Becky, that you've got protests against Israel and the United States breaking out across the region. You had the U.S. embassy in Beirut stormed by mobs of people last night. There are so many problems to address that thinking strategically about how you then move forward is very difficult. Because it's about calming the anger. People are so frustrated. The region, as some people would say, is starting to boil. You've got to get that tension down otherwise this could escalate much further. And then we really don't have any pathway, you know, for peace.

So I think that's what's got to be done first. Then you've got to say, OK, look, we've got to start moving on a Palestinian track that looks political and rather than military. But that's a conversation that Mister Netanyahu will have to enter into. Let's see if he does or not.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I think you know what you've rightly pointed out is that the slippage of this violence becomes a national security issue to so many countries around this region, and it will be the reason why you are seeing these statements of condemnation. What happens here doesn't stay here. It slips across the region, and that puts everybody's national security at risk. Michael, thank you for joining us. We going to take a very short break. Back after this.

[04:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Becky Anderson in Tel Aviv for you, where the time is 11:35 in the morning.

U.S. President Joe Biden has landed in Israel. He landed just a short while ago. His visit comes amid deepening tensions in the region after a blast killed hundreds of people at a hospital in Gaza around 7:00 in the evening last night.

Palestinian officials put the blame on ongoing Israeli air strikes. The Israel Defense Forces, the IDF, denies any involvement.

I want to bring in CNN's White House correspondent, Arlette Saenz, in Washington, and Scott McLean with us in London. And Arlette, let me just read the statement that was released by the White House while the President was flying here. Because, of course, you know, this blast at this hospital in Gaza, you know, we we've been discussing how that may change the framing of Joe Biden's trip here. This was released while they were flying in, quote, it says:

I am outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at the Al Ahli hospital -- the Arab Hospital in Gaza, and the terrible loss of life that resulted. The United States stands unequivocally for the protection of civilian life during conflict, and we mourn the patients, medical staff and other innocents killed or wounded in this tragedy.

We know the President is now with the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who he hugged, embraced very warmly on the tarmac when he arrived. Just about 1/2 an hour ago. And what do you make now of that statement and the objectives that the U.S. President may have here?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, that blast at that hospital in Gaza certainly have shifted the dynamics of President Biden's trip to Israel. This was a trip meant to show solidarity with Israel, as well as trying to ascertain what needs they will need going forward. But it also speaks to the volatile situation in the region and also the growing humanitarian concerns and the risks being posed to civilians as this war between Israel and Hamas wages on.

Now White House officials heading over into this trip have sought to downplay expectations about the president emerging from this trip with concrete deliverables. Instead, officials say he will be there to manage what is increasingly becoming a complex situation.

In just a short while, we do expect to see President Biden sitting down one-on-one with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Part of the goal of this trip is trying to seek a more input and insight into Israel's plans going forward. And White House officials say that the president is prepared to ask tough questions of Netanyahu as this war is taking shape.

Of course, one of the big concerns from this White House and something that the President is expected to bring up in these talks, is the issue of getting humanitarian aid into Gaza as well as ensure -- ensuring that minimization of a risk to civilian life. You have seen a lot of frustration bubbling up, including from Arab

allies about the situation in Gaza. We've seen protests erupt overnight after that blast occurred at that hospital in Gaza. Of course, the White House says -- that the U.S. says that they're still assessing the intelligence surrounding this incident. The Israelis have provided some intelligence to the U.S., which it's analyzing at this time. And so far, the U.S. has not assigned a responsibility to anyone for this blast.

Of course, you have Hamas saying that it was Israel and Israel saying that it was the Palestinian Islamist Jihad group. But this all really speaks to the volatility and the quickly shifting nature of this trip. Of course. President Biden, in addition to meeting with Netanyahu and Israel, he was set to travel on to Jordan for a critical summit with the leaders of Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, as well as Jordan. But that was completely scrapped after that blast at that hospital.

And one of the key concerns going forward is what the U.S. and these Arab allies can do together to try to open up that humanitarian corridor to get aid into Gaza. The White House saying that they want to ensure that there is sustained aid to Gaza. But there are also broader questions about how civilians will be impacted in this conflict.

[04:40:00]

That is likely something that President Biden will bring up in his discussions with Netanyahu.

Of course, Biden values that personal connection. Having that face-to- face time. So there are certainly going to be some possibly very frank conversations between the two leaders. As Israel is still ascertaining and determining their path forward as they're seeking to root out Hamas. Of course, Biden's overall goal in this is to prevent this from escalating into a wider conflict. His trip there meant to act as a message to potentially rogue actors in the region, not to get further involved into this war. But it does come at a complicated time, not just for those geopolitical dynamics, but also the president's political dynamics here at home.

Of course, these series of meetings today will be another step in trying to not just ensure that the U.S. is offering that support to Israel, but also trying to stem this from spreading into a wider conflict.

ANDERSON: Yes, Arlette, thank you. The response from the region and these are U.S. allies. And let's just while we pause for a moment here. This is President Biden with the Israeli Prime Minister.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Mr. President, Joe, I want to thank you for coming here today and for the unequivocal support you have given Israel during these trying times, a support that reflects the overwhelming will of the American people.

I've seen your support every day in the depth and breadth of cooperation that we have had since the beginning of this war, a level of cooperation that is truly unprecedented in the history of the great alliance between our two nations.

We see that support in your steadfast commitment to provide Israel with the tools we need to defend ourselves. We see that support in the clear message you've sent our enemies not to test our resolve and in the two American carrier battle groups that you sent to the region to back up those words with action.

But above all, Mr. President, the world sees that support in the moral clarity that you have demonstrated from the moment Israel was attacked.

You've rightly drawn a clear line between the forces of civilization and the forces of barbarism. You described what Hamas did as "sheer evil." It is exactly that.

Hamas murdered children in front of their parents and parents in front of their children. They burned people alive. They raped and murdered women. They beheaded soldiers. They -- they searched for the secret hiding places where parents hid their children.

And just imagine, Mr. President, the -- the fear and the panic of those little children in their last moments as the monsters discovered -- found out their hiding places.

Hamas kidnapped women, children, elderly, Holocaust survivors. I know you share our outrage on this, and I know you share our determination to bring these people back.

On October 7th, Hamas murdered 1,400 Israelis, maybe more. This is in a country of fewer than 10 million people. This would be equivalent to over 50,000 Americans murdered in a single day. That's 20 9/11s. That is why October 7th is another day that will live in infamy.

Mr. President, you rightly said that Hamas is worse than ISIS. The German Chancellor, who visited here yesterday, said that Hamas were the new Nazis. You're both right. And just as the civilized world united to defeat the Nazis and united to defeat ISIS, the civilized world must unite to defeat Hamas.

I can assure you, Mr. President, Israel is united to defeat Hamas. And we will defeat Hamas and remove this terrible threat from our lives.

The forces of civilization will prevail, for our sake, for your sake, for peace and security in our region and in the world.

Mr. President, for the people of Israel, there's only one thing better than having a true friend like you standing with Israel, and that is having you standing in Israel.

Your visit here is the first visit of an American president in Israel at a time of war. It is deeply, deeply moving.

[04:45:04]

It speaks to the depth of your personal commitment to Israel. It speaks to the depth of your personal commitment to the future of the Jewish people and the one and only Jewish state.

So, I know I speak for all the people of Israel when I say: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you for standing with Israel today, tomorrow, and always.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, Mr. Prime Minister, thank you very much.

Look, folks, I wanted to be here today for a simple reason. I wanted the people of Israel, the people of the world to know where the United States stands.

I've had my great Secretary of State here. He's been here for -- a lot. But I wanted to personally come and make that clear.

The terrorist group Hamas has slaughtered, as has been pointed out, over 1,300 people -- and it is not hyperbole to suggest slaughtered -- slaughtered -- and including 31 Americans as part of that.

And they've taken scores of people hostage, including children. You said, imagine what those children hiding from Hamas were thinking. It's beyond my comprehension to be able to imagine what they were thinking. Beyond my comprehension.

They're -- committed evils that -- and atrocities that make ISIS look somewhat more rational.

You know, Americans are grieving with you. They really are. And Americans are worried. Americans are worried because we know there's -- this is not an easy field to navigate what you have to do.

But the fact is that Israel, as they respond to these attacks, it seems to me that -- have to continue to ensure that you have what you need to defend yourselves. And we're going to make sure that occurs, as you know.

And we have to also bear in mind that Hamas does not represent all the Palestinian people and has brought them only suffering.

You know, years ago, I asked the Secretary of State, when he and I were working in the Senate, to write something for me. And he said -- he wrote a line that I think is appropriate. He said, it's not -- we lead not just... Well, I won't go into it. I'll wait until later. I'm taking too much time.

But the point is this -- that I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday. And based on what I've seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not -- not you. But there's a lot of people out there who are not sure. So, we got a lot of -- we got to overcome a lot of things.

And it also means encouraging lifesaving capacity to help the Palestinians who are innocent, caught in the middle of this.

And -- well, any rate, that's -- that's who we are -- not just me, but I mean that's who the United States is. And it's just not the example of our power, it's the power of our example that's almost as important.

The world is looking. We -- Israel has a value set like the United States does and other democracies, and -- and they're looking to see what we're going to do.

So, Mr. Prime Minister, I'm very happy to be back in Israel with you. Thank you for having me. And I'm looking forward to having a thorough discussion about where everybody goes from here. But thank you.

And I want to say to the people of Israel, their courage, their commitment, their bravery is -- is stunning. It's really stunning. I'm proud to be here.

NETANYAHU: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

ANDERSON: Right. Well, you just heard the U.S. President speaking, sitting beside. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister. And Joe Biden said, or certainly underlined, that the U.S. will provide whatever support Israel needs. He said the world is watching. Israel has a set of values like the U.S. has, and it is important that they stick to those.

[04:50:04]

I want to bring back, CNN's White House correspondent Arlette Saenz in Washington. And I think the words that we heard from President Biden there go a long way to addressing what you and I have been discussing in the last hour or so. The delicacy with which Joe Biden will need to walk a line here, given what happened in Gaza last night, with the attack on the hospital, hundreds of people died. What he said, you know, I understand that there is some confusion as to, you know, who was behind that attack. He was pretty emphatic that, you know, that that we need to sort of calm things down at this point. This is difficult, isn't it for Joe Biden -- Arlette?

SAENZ: Yes, it's a very complicated and dynamic situation that the President is trying to navigate at this moment. He made this trip to Israel with the intent of trying to show that steadfast support that the U.S. is ready to commit to Israel as it wages its war against Hamas. You heard the president saying there that the U.S. stands ready to offer support to the country. As well as the President trying to make this symbolic a show of force to the Israeli people.

You saw him on the tarmac embracing Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. You see him side by side with him vowing that they U.S. will continue to support him.

But the president also made some points about the future of this war. As well as talking about the civilian impact that is occurring on the ground there. It was important to note that the president said Hamas does not represent all Palestinian people. You have seen this concern spreading among Arab allies about the fact that there are civilians caught in the middle of this fight between Israel and Hamas. And Arab countries urging Israel to exercise some restraint in that manner.

I also think it was important, as you heard the President talk about that blast at that -- in that hospital in Gaza. He said he was deeply saddened and outraged. And from the president's perspective, based on what he has seen, he has believed that it was done by the other team. But said that there are still some questions out there from other people.

So it will be interesting to hear in the coming hours if the U.S. has seen any further intelligence. Of course, Israel has said that it was not done at their hands. While Hamas has accused Israel of doing so earlier today as the reporters and officials were flying over to Israel, White House spokesperson -- National Security spokesperson John Kirby said that Israel feels very strongly in their conviction that they did not cause that blast at that hospital.

But it speaks to the extremely volatile situation that the President is walking into in the region, especially as there are growing concerns about access to humanitarian aid in Gaza. As well as the risks being posed to civilians in the region.

Now, the White House has said that the President is prepared to ask Netanyahu some tough questions. Of course, one of the things the president wants to do during this trip is get a handle on Israel's plans going forward, as they're planning to continue this war.

But it certainly has become an even more complicated situation for the President, especially after that blast at that hospital in Gaza, which then prompted the cancellation of his trip to Jordan. Of course, the White House saying it is due to a three day mourning period. But it was at that meeting that the White House had really hoped to talk with Arab leaders in the region. The President of Egypt, also the President of the Palestinian Authority, and King Abdullah of Jordan, and so far, the White House has downplayed expectations for the president to leave this trip with any concrete deliverables. They say his focus more so is on managing the complicated dynamics on the grounds there.

Of course, one thing the president did want to talk about is trying to open up that humanitarian corridor to get aid into Gaza. And these will all be issues that the President has to navigate, not just on this trip but in the days and weeks ahead.

Arlette Saenz is in Washington. Let me go now to Peter Lerner joining me here in Tel Aviv -- the Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner. He's a spokesperson for the IDF. And Peter, you've been talking about exactly trying to explain exactly what Israel believes happened. Over like the Palestinian observer to the United Nations says it is the Israelis who are lying about what happened, pinning the blame on Islamic Jihad.

I have to ask you; will you release more material for your investigation? And do you expect that the material you aren't releasing, you know, will go some way to convincing those who believe Israel is responsible for this, that that this will be, you know, sufficient?

[04:55:02]

LT. COL. PETER LERNER, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES SPOKESPERSON: Here's what we know. We know that Palestinian Islamic Jihad launched rockets at Israel. We know that one of them was -- fell and hit and impacted and killed Palestinians in in Gaza, the Al Ahli Hospital.

We know it because we know that the IDF did not conduct operations in their area, not by land, not by sea and not by air. We know it because our radars identified the trajectory of the rockets, as they were being launched over -- overhead of the Al Ahli Hospital, and we know finally, because they admitted it themselves.

But you're asking me for proof. You don't need to get proof from me. All you need to do is switch over to Al Jazeera, who broadcasted it live and you can actually see -- I've got a screen capture. You just for you to see this it's on Al Jazeera from last night. And they broadcasted the rocket hitting inside the Gaza Strip. So if you're asking for proof, you don't really want the proof, you just want to make sure you have a story. And unfortunately, there is so much premature --

ANDERSON: I -- hand on. I don't want you to suggest.

LERNER: -- prematurely for (INAUDIBLE), important about this. But it's just doing the disservice to the--

ANDERSON: Hang on, Peter. If that is unfair, I do not want you to suggest that we are not seeking the truth. Peter Lerner, we are trying to seek the proof and that was the question that I asked you and you have provided what you can at this point and I appreciate that, but please don't suggest that we're not trying to identify the truth because that is exactly what we are doing, Sir.

LERNER: It's like you'll never be -- you'll never be content with whatever I share, because you'll ask for more and more and more and more. You know, when you can take what I say for face value and as I said, you don't have to believe one word like. When it when it was broad enough.

ANDERSON: Peter, I am. I am reporting what other people, what the, what the Palestinians are asking for.

LERNER: But it's not the Palestinians, you are parroting what Hamas is saying.

ANDERSON: OK. All right. Well, look, I'm going to leave it there. It's good to have you, Peter Lerner. It's good to have you, Sir.

(CROSSTALK)

LERNER: Has been manipulating --

ANDERSON: Understood.

We are trying to nail down the facts and it's good to have you with us. Thank you very much indeed. We're going to take a very short break, back after this.