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CNN International: West Bank Violence Rising Among Palestinians, Israeli Settlers; Qatar Mediates Deal to Get All Foreign Nationals Out of Gaza; King Charles in Kenya as it Marks 60 Years of Independence. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired November 01, 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]

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Tuesday during talks with senior Arab officials in the Middle East. It comes amid news that the IDF demolished a house belonging to a senior Hamas leader in a village near Ramallah early on Tuesday.

Let's discuss this more with Roy Yellin, director of Public Outreach for B'Tselem, A nonprofit that works to document, research and publish information on human rights. Violations in Israeli occupied territories. Thank you very much for being with us this morning.

ROY YELLIN, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC OUTREACH, B'TSELEM: Good morning.

NOBILO: We're hearing reports that violence in the West Bank is escalating. Can you give us any more information that you have on that and perhaps provide some examples of what that's looking like?

YELLIN: So just two days ago, a Palestinian farmer was shot while harvesting his olives on his own field in the context of a settler pogrom attack. Since October 7th, we've been documenting unprecedented wave of settler violence. Which is backed by the Israeli military and police.

And it's all part of an effort that has two aims. The more immediate and specific one is to forcibly displace the people -- these communities from their land and handing it over to Israeli Jewish settlers.

And the other one is that some groups also within represented in the government, the Israeli Government, but definitely a lot of settlers on the ground want to exacerbate the situation and open a new front in the West Bank in addition to what goes on in Gaza and the perimeter of Gaza.

NOBILO: So that being taken into consideration and what has been the Netanyahu government and the war cabinet's response to this uptick in violence in the West Bank?

YELLIN: Unfortunately, this type of violence is receiving nothing but tailwind from this government. They've done nothing to stop it. If anything, they're, you know, adding more -- more fuel to this burning fire. Nothing concrete, no arrests, no nothing to enforce the law. What we do see is that in many cases and we're talking about daily, you know, daily instances of like, dozens of attacks. The soldiers are with the settlers, sometimes providing them like a private security firm and allowing them to do harm to Palestinians.

NOBILO: Can you give us a sense -- I'm presuming that there isn't data or polling on this of course, of what the majority of Israelis or the broader population thinks of these attacks, this vigilante justice, this violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

YELLIN: Well, in general, I think there's a lot of anger and rage against Palestinians in general among Israeli Jews. Understandably, after the atrocities that Hamas committed on October 7th. But I don't think that this wave of violence against innocent farmers receives any type of widespread support among the Israeli public.

I think the opposite. I think many are very much afraid that the West Bank is going to go up in flames and that this is a nightmare for most Israelis. We don't need more violence in this region. So I don't think it receives any sort of popular support.

But settlers and their political groups are overrepresented in the Israeli government, which is the most far-right government Israel ever had. And unfortunately, the silent majority is silent and also focused on really the horrible things that happened in Gaza, and also happens in the in the rest of Israel with Hamas launching rockets, Hezbollah launching rockets from the North.

People have their mindset on other things, on immediate issues, on their children, staying home, not able to go to school. So, understandably, they're less focused on what happens to -- in the West Bank. And settlers are using that in order to gain more land and to induce more fire.

NOBILO: Do you see any opportunities or pathways to pacify this and prevent this violence from escalating? Is there any recourse for Palestinians any way to pursue justice?

YELLIN: Unfortunately, there is -- this violence is not a new thing. The extent of it is, but we know for really over 30 years, there is impunity for settlers that are perpetrating such things, even if it's really severe cases where settlers shot people to death.

[04:35:03]

And we recorded at least seven incidents like that in the past few weeks.

I think that the only thing that will change the situation is international pressure on Israel. And I saw that President Biden addressed the situation. Others should also do that. Because Israel needs now the support and backing of the world, especially of the United States. And we believe that international pressure like that can kind of improve the situation, or at least make Israel do something in order to prevent those attacks from going on.

NOBILO: Just lastly to you, Roy, can I get your reaction to that story -- I don't know if you heard it right before we went to you live -- that the Israeli Government is downplaying the -- this document that has been leaked. Which talks about the relocation of millions of Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt. I know we're talking about the West Bank, but obviously this is a broadly relevant idea. What's your reaction to that leak?

YELLIN: First of all, it's disgusting that people are even, you know, contemplating such vast atrocities and crimes against humanity. So it's really absolutely disgusting, reprehensible. I can't find words to express how -- how horrified I am that Jewish people can even fathom conducting such horrible things. That said, it's the onus of the Israeli Government to disprove this.

There are elements in this government that has called for similar things that are supporting similar things. And you know, it's by their own words. We know that the Israeli Finance Minister said wipe out Hawara just a few months ago. It's up to them to say -- to downplay it. It's not up to me. I'm worried that people that are supportive of the such ideas are part of the Israeli Government. And if the Israeli Prime Minister has any shred of responsibility to what goes on, he should fire them today.

NOBILO: Roy Yellin in Tel Aviv, thank you very much for joining us this morning. Really appreciate your time.

YELLIN: Thank you for having me.

NOBILO: Just in to CNN. Qatar has negotiated a deal between Israel, Hamas and Egypt in coordination with the U.S. to get all foreign nationals and critically injured civilians released from Gaza. That's according to a source familiar with those talks. And it's important to note this agreement is separate from any hostage negotiations and there are no details yet on exactly how many people could be released or when that might happen, but we'll have more on that for you after a short break. You're watching CNN.

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NOBILO: Updating some news just in to CNN now. Qatar has negotiated a deal between Israel, Hamas and Egypt in coordinated -- coordination with the United States to get all foreign nationals and critically injured civilians released from Gaza. And that is according to a source familiar with those talks. It's important to note that this agreement is separate from any hostage negotiations, and there are no details yet on exactly how many people could be released or when that might happen. We have Scott McLean here with us who's tracking these fast-moving developments. Scott, are you learning anything else at this state?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so the details that we have so far are from Becky Anderson's sources -- a source familiar with the talks that have been ongoing. Obviously, you have to have a lot of parties on the same page in order to make anything happen at the Rafah border crossing. You need the Israelis, you need Hamas, then you need the Egyptians to all agree for anything to happen at all.

So this source has told our Becky Anderson that there will be 500 foreigners allowed to cross. There are some four or five, maybe 600 Americans there alone. Obviously, there will be many other people holding various other foreign passports. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but we could be talking about thousands of potentially foreigners who've been trapped inside Gaza. So 500 is very likely not all of the foreigners.

I think the open question at this stage is, is this a sign of things to come? Is this a sign that foreigners are finally going to be let -- be let out? Because it's been pretty bewildering to see people holding foreign passports saying I want out of this war zone and essentially the gates being shut. It's been pretty remarkable to see. You know, I'm struggling to find a comparison in another conflict where foreigners have been sort of trapped inside. Even on the Israeli side, foreigners were, you know, on some of the first flights out and were allowed to leave. But in Gaza, they have been stuck there. And now, at least some of them might be leaving.

I understand we have a live shot of the Rafah border crossing. It's not clear whether some or any of these foreigners have actually been able to cross yet. But that is the expectation at this point.

Obviously, there are ambulances on the Egyptian side waiting to take some 80 or so -- 80 or 81 wounded -- critically injured Palestinians to a field hospital that's been set up very close to the Rafah border crossing. Sheikh Zuweid City is where it's located. And again, 81 is surely a drop in the bucket when we talk about some of the strikes that we have been seeing. Thing like in the refugee camp, the Jabalya refugee camp where, you know, the number of wounded and killed -- we don't have final numbers, but it may well turn out to be a very high number. And that's just one day. We're seeing these kind of strikes all the time. The IDF says that there were 11,000 targets that have been hit since the outset of the war in the 3 1/2 weeks or so since the outset of the war.

And so, given that hospitals are filling up fast, given that they obviously don't have the resources that they need and that we're seeing people being treated on the floor effectively, it would be undoubtedly a positive sign if this were the beginning of a new trend. To allow injured Palestinians out and obviously foreigners out as well.

NOBILO: Scott McLean, thank you. Bring us any new developments that you get.

MCLEAN: You bet.

NOBILO: A Hamas spokesperson claims the group will release some foreign nationals held hostage in the coming days. It comes after Hamas says requests came from their respective home countries through mediators. Hamas hasn't clarified how many hostages will be released or which countries they come from.

On Monday, the militant group released a video showing three women believed to be hostages. One of the women demanded Israel continue negotiations to free all hostages, though it's unclear if her comments were made under duress. Her brother tells CNN, it's clear she isn't doing well.

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MORAN ALONI, BROTHER OF HOSTAGE SEEN IN HAMAS VIDEO: What we saw in the video is her in a very, very big distress. My sister is a calm person. Seeing her like that, hearing her means that she's not well. The fact that she's speaking doesn't mean that she's well. And the fact that people are now saying, OK, they look good. That's exactly what -- what they want us to think. Everyone is OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Meanwhile, the streets around Jerusalem City Hall have been filled with empty beds and cribs. Each represent one of more than 200 missing people taken hostage on October the 7th. We'll be right back.

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NOBILO: Welcome Back. Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla are in Kenya for a state visit. They received a ceremonial welcome in Nairobi on Tuesday. This visit comes as the East African nation marks 60 years of independence from British colonial rule. And some Kenyans continue to seek reparations for human rights abuses committed by the British Empire. CNN's Max Foster reports from Nairobi.

Elizabeth the second became queen while visiting Kenya in 1952 on the death of.

[04:50:00]

CNN's Max Foster reports from Nairobi.

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MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Elizabeth II became Queen while visiting Kenya in 1952 on the death of her father. That same year, Mau Mau freedom fighters led by Dedan Kimathi rebelled against British rule.

London responded by declaring a state of emergency and its military rounded up more than 90,000 Kenyans who were tortured, maimed and/or killed, according to the Kenyan Human Rights Commission. Their death warrants, signed by the British, hang in the Tunnel of Martyrs in Nairobi today.

FOSTER: Those who died in the resistance are honored here at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, along with all of Kenya's fallen heroes. King Charles coming here to lay a wreath. But for many Kenya, they want more than gestures.

FOSTER (voice-over): The British government did concede in 2013 that it sincerely regret the abuses. But it hasn't accepted responsibility or liability. But it has paid out a settlement of $30 million to more than 5,000 Kenyans who claimed human rights abuses. This mural depicts Kimathi. His daughter Evelyn wants a full apology from Charles and reparations from the U.K.

EVELYN WANJUGU KIMATHI, DAUGHTER OF MAU MAU FREEDOM FIGHTER: Though we are not expecting so much because we have tried to reach them, but they're telling us he is not a political leader, and he cannot make any political decision. But he's -- his willpower -- his goodwill is the one we want.

FOSTER (voice-over): Would the king go further and offer a full apology? This is what he said at a state banquet held in his honor by President Ruto of Kenya.

KING CHARLES III, BRITISH MONARCH: The wrongdoings of the past are a cause of the greatest sorrow and the deepest regret. There were abhorrent and unjustified acts of violence committed against Kenyans as they waged, as you said at the United Nations, a painful struggle to independence and sovereignty. And for that, there can be no excuse.

FOSTER (voice-over): So, short of a full apology and no mention of reparations.

WILLIAM RUTO, KENYAN PRESIDENT: While there has been efforts to atone for the death, injury and suffering inflicted on Kenyan Africans by a colonial government, much remains to be done in order to achieve full reparations.

KIMATHI: We will still continue pushing. Yes, the struggle continues.

FOSTER (voice-over): As it does in an increasing number of former British colonies across Africa and the Caribbean.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: CNN's Max Foster joins me now from Nairobi, Kenya. Max, very good to see you. It looks warm over there. So on the face of it, for those of us who don't understand the Royals, as you do, it might seem counterintuitive for the British monarch to go and visit for a 60-year anniversary of the end of British rule over Kenya. What is the purpose of the visit? What is King Charles hoping to get out of it?

FOSTER (on camera): So it's really, you know, he's here on government advice. So they're trying to establish a firm relationship between Kenya and the UK, forge a new relationship going forward. Of course, getting those economic ties really firmed up as well post Brexit. So it's about forward-looking. But they -- being forward-looking. We're going to see a bit more about that later on in the tour. But this first part was really dealing with the big sort of elephant in the room. Which is the rebellion and that horrendous suppression that the Brits put upon the people of Kenya.

And we've actually just had King Charles at this cemetery, this war cemetery. He met World War II veterans, one of which was 117 years old. Samuel he was called. They actually had to throw their medals away during the uprising in the 1950s because they didn't want to be associated with the UK. Today, Charles came here and presented them with new medals. So small token gestures, perhaps, but also symbols really of how they're trying to move on from the past and forge a way ahead.

NOBILO: In terms of popular sentiment, is there a desire to forge deeper ties with Britain, given that the complex and dark legacy of colonialism there?

FOSTER: Well, certainly the people we've spoken to that you know they feel that that was a great era of suppression in Kenya and the legacy lives on. And a lot of it is associated with the economy and how the chaos that followed British rule really damaged the economy and damaged society here.

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So I think there is a will actually to reestablish ties with the United Kingdom as a full equal partnership going forward. So they can benefit in terms of the economy, always a shadow of what happened in the 1950s. But I think there is a genuine will to deal with that. Of course, Kenyans want reparations, which is something the UK isn't offering and probably can't even afford at this point.

NOBILO: Max Foster for us in Nairobi, Kenya. Thank you so much. I'll see you in a couple of days.

Parts of northern Italy are dealing with heavy rain and violent winds. Flash flooding on Tuesday pounded Milan and caused Lake Como to overflow its banks. The severe weather took down trees, ripped off roof tiles and knocked out power. Heavy rains also hammered Tuscany. Forecasters say the wet weather will last through most of the week. It's been a year of deadly flooding in northern Italy. In May, storms killed at least 14 people. More than 20 rivers broke their banks, causing hundreds of landslides, submerging homes and devastating farmland.

That does it here today for CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Bianca Nobilo in London. "EARLY START" is up for you next.

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