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CNN International: Truce Extended, Hamas To Release More Hostages; U.S. Secretary Of State Blinken In Israel For Talks; At Least Three People Killed In Jerusalem Shooting. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired November 30, 2023 - 08:00   ET

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

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MAX FOSTER, CNNI HOST: Hello, and welcome to CNN Newsroom. I'm Max Foster in London. Just ahead, Israel and Hamas reached a last-minute agreement to extend the truce in Gaza for a seventh day. This as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting officials in Israel, his third visit to the country since the conflict started. We'll have a live report with all the latest from Tel Aviv.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: And I am Becky Anderson live from Expo City here in Dubai, home to the next two weeks COP28, a new gathering convened by the United Nations, of course, that's saying that getting the world to act and act now. Well, earlier today, we heard from the COP28 President Dr. Sultan Al Jaber.

Max, as you know, there has been controversy around his appointment, as he also the head of the national oil company. But, for the next ten days, his focus and that of the delegates here will be on how this conference, this event, can be more than just a well-attended gathering, and get consequential, tangible results. We'll have a lot more for you on that, and specific steps that are being discussed from right here in Dubai.

FOSTER: Staying in the Middle East, the -- well, Israel and Hamas have agreed to extend their truce for another 24 hours. Just like the previous extension, Israel says Hamas must release 10 hostages a day to keep guns silent.

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MARK REGEV, SENIOR ADVISOR TO ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The Israeli position is crystal clear on this. If Hamas continues to release hostages, 10 a day, we will extend the pause.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Israel has received a list of hostages who are to be released in the coming hours. According to a Hamas statement, the group initially proposed releasing seven women and children, as well as the bodies of three hostages, they claimed who were killed in Israeli strikes, but it says Israel rejected that proposal. Israel believes there are still 145 hostages in Gaza who were taken October the 7th. This latest pause comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has returned to Israel for his third visit to the region since October the 7th. He met with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier, and is also visiting the West Bank for talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Let's bring in Matthew Chance. He is in Tel Aviv. Might this truce get extended? How long might it last?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's something that's obviously being discussed. In fact, Secretary of State Blinken has been meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister in order to discuss, amongst other people as well, discuss the next phase in the operation. But, whether that means more hostage releases or resumption of Israel's military activity in the Gaza Strip, I think is still to be decided when and where that would begin.

Meanwhile, there has been more tension boiling over in Jerusalem and in the West Bank as well. Earlier today, there were three Israeli civilians killed by Hamas gunmen, as well as seven people, according to the latest figures who were injured when two Hamas gunmen opened fire in what looks like a bus stop in Jerusalem. Within the past few minutes, there has been an acceptance by Hamas that their fighters carried out that attack that, saying that they were a direct response to the crimes of the Israeli government. Its activities in Gaza. Its treatment of Palestinian prisoners. And it's basically it's harassment of worshippers at the Al-Aqsa mosque as well as the activities of Israel in the West Bank city of Jenin, where there has been a military operation underway for the past few days.

So, Hama, they are saying that their fighters carried out that attack, which again killed three Israeli civilians and injured another seven. The two Palestinian gunmen were shot down by bystanders, two of which I think we're off-duty members of the Israeli security services. But, it all underlines, Max, just how tense the situation is, now as we head into the seventh consecutive day of the pause in the fighting in Gaza and the hostage releases in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and aid relief being allowed in trucks into the Gaza strip. That's going on to the seventh day.

Now, there is a list that's with the Israeli government, but it's still unclear whether it's going to go into an eighth day. As I say, those negotiations to try and determine that are currently underway, Max.

FOSTER: Presumably, the negotiations as they go into the later phases of this become harder and harder because we're talking about men being released, and ultimately, serving IDF soldiers.

CHANCE: Yes. That's right. I mean, obviously, as more and more women and children are released as hostages from Gaza, they become -- there were fewer of them, 27 women now according to the figures given to us by the Israeli government, and I mean, a couple of people, children who are under the age of 18. Already, there was controversy over that the list for today, which is meant to have 10 people on it. The Hamas saying that Israel rejected a proposal from their side, saying that they will be able to give seven live Israeli hostages plus the bodies of three others. Israel rejected that apparently, saying that, no, they want 10 live hostages. But, there is still no clarity today on whether there were 10 people on the list to be released later today or whether there is going to be kind of dead Israelis included in that release of people to Israel later day.

But, again, yes, it's becoming very difficult. And obviously, the next phase and Israel's intention is to get all the hostages released. But, the next phase is going to be looking at male adult, male Israelis that are held as hostage inside Gaza. And then, of course, members of the Israeli security forces as well. And there are dozens of them, we understand, that are being held by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza since October the 7th.

FOSTER: Matthew Chance in Tel Aviv, thank you.

The first group of Thai hostages released by Hamas back home now. 17 former hostages arrived in Bangkok a short while ago. Thailand's Prime Minister says he doesn't know the exact whereabouts of nine additional Thai nationals who are still being held in Gaza. Most of the hostages are believed to be migrant workers who were working in Israel when the October 7th attacks happened.

Well, leaders are reacting to the death of one of the most consequential foreign policy figures of our time. China is hailing former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger as an old and good friend.

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France calls Kissinger a giant of history, and Israel says it's mourning the passing of a great statesman.

CNN's Richard Roth has more on the controversial diplomat who drew both widespread praise, along with deep scorn.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know all of you will want to hear from the new Secretary of State.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Henry Kissinger never really needed an introduction on the world stage again, Kissinger, the most famous statesman of the last half of the 20th century, celebrated and controversial. As Richard Nixon's National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, the diplomat wielded enormous power and influence, so trusted that it was Kissinger who went to China on a secret mission to explore a historic opening of U.S. relations with Communist China

HENRY KISSINGER, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Whoever wins would be alone in Beijing with no communication. And therefore, if he didn't know Nixon's mind, he might do foolish things.

ROTH (voice-over): Initially, there were fears a U.S.-China ping pong exchange match would affect the high stakes political gambit.

KISSINGER: Every once in a while something happens in diplomacy, which transcends the drafting of cables. ROTH (voice-over): Vietnam, casualties mounted as the Vietnamese gained territory, Nixon and an undiplomatic Kissinger thought more bombing of the North would help.

KISSINGER: I would them recommend that we start bombing the bejeezus out of them within 48 hours.

ROTH (voice-over): Kissinger approved secret bombings of North Vietnamese units in Cambodia without congressional approval. He would say, sometimes statesmen have to choose among evils, moral compromises in messy conflicts. Kissinger and his Vietnamese counterpart Le Duc Tho were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their role in negotiating a ceasefire.

KISSINGER: I have to say I have never dealt with a group of people as treacherous as the North Vietnamese leadership.

ROTH (voice-over): Kissinger insisted trouble on the home front hurt chances to succeed in Vietnam.

KISSINGER: We lost the war because we were divided, and other because we were too uncertain about what we wanted.

ROTH (voice-over): Kissinger's support for a coup in Chile, and pro- U.S. Military strong men in other parts of the world drew criticism. Kissinger's legacy would be contested decades later when he testified in Congress at the age of 91. Kissinger grew up in Germany with war clouds swirling. His family fled when he was 15.

KISSINGER: About half of the people I went to school with and about 13 members of my own family died in concentration camps.

ROTH (voice-over): A Jewish Secretary of State who would later listen to his President criticize American Jewish leaders.

RICHARD NIXON, 37TH U.S. PRESIDENT: It's about goddamn time that the Jew in America realizes he's an American first and a Jew second. Well, I couldn't agree more.

KISSINGER: I only heard antisemitic comments when some Jewish group would attack him for something he had done.

ROTH (voice-over): In the Middle East, Kissinger performed what came to be known as shuttle diplomacy to separate Israeli and Arab forces, setting the stage for future peace accords. When Nixon resigned as President, Kissinger stayed on as Gerald Ford's Secretary of State. His opinion still widely sought after by governments and businesses after leaving public office.

KISSINGER: You want to leave your country better off than you found it. And there is nothing in private life you can do that's as interesting and as fulfilling.

ROTH (voice-over): There was one job Kissinger said he never got to do in his life, a sports announcer.

KISSINGER: Derek, who?

ROTH (voice-over): However, the globe-trotting diplomat did star in some of history's biggest games.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: More sad news from the music world. Shane MacGowan, head -- or lead singer of the Irish band "The Pogues" has died at the age of 65, according to a statement from his wife on Instagram. He reportedly had a series of health issues in recent years, including a hospital stay earlier this month. Back in the 1980s, The Pogues brought Irish folk music and punk rock together, and they're best known for their song Fairytale of New York.

We're going to take a short break. But, Becky will be live from the COP28 summit in Dubai when we come back.

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ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson, coming to you live from COP here in Dubai. And this year, it is taking place here, this climate conference in the United Arab Emirates. Time running out to prevent, what is this, irreversible harm of climate change. We need to act and we need to act now. That is the message being sent here, and that we need to find a consensus on solutions.

Well, a short time ago, delegates here formally adopted a climate damage fund to help countries hit hardest by the climate crisis. Well, that loss and damage fund is a big move on the first day of COP that hasn't been without its controversies leading up to this day from the appointment of Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the head of ADNOC, the national oil company here, as the president of the gathering to leak documents suggesting the UAE delegation offering visiting officials oil and gas projects. But, in his opening remarks, Sultan Al Jaber was adamant that he wants this to be a consequential COP and made virtue of the fact that he is including fossil fuel producers in the talks.

Well, earlier, I spoke with the Director General of COP28 Majid Al- Suwaidi about what else we might expect to see from this event. Have a listen.

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MAJID AL SUWAIDI, DIRECTOR GENERAL, COP28: Unfortunately, we know today we're not on track. What that means is we can't be doing the same thing we've been doing years and years expecting a different result. So, that's why the global stocktake is really important. We, as a COP presidency, have said from day one that we want to keep 1.5 within reach. That's our north star. How do we get there? We need to get there by addressing the 22 gigatons in emissions reductions. Let's focus on the science. Let's focus on the technology. Let's focus on the actions that we need to do. Let's make it about real world implementation that we need to make happen.

And we believe that if we all come together as a global community, we know we have the political will. Now, we need to deliver the action on the ground. If we can all come together in places like this, then we can really deliver on that 1.5 degree.

ANDERSON: Let's drill down then on these deliverables, phasing down or phasing out fossil fuels. Which is it to be from a UAE perspective?

SUWAIDI: Look, we all know that the language around fossil fuels is going to be a really important part of our conversation here. And there is a lot of different opinions on what that should look like. Our job as a COP presidency is to bring everybody together. It's not to specify exactly what outcome should be. What we need to do is get the parties to come together. And our President has been very clear about it. And we are providing the space, the opportunity. Now, we need the negotiators over these two weeks to deliver on that.

ANDERSON: The COP President, of course, is the head of the national oil company here, ADNOC, and he has conceded that this conversation is out there and needs to be had if it is phasing down. And you're not telling me that that is the perspective of the UAE in these negotiations. Is it realistic to assume that you have the backing of other oil-rich nations at this point where the UAE is positioned to be very categorically phasing down?

SUWAIDI: Becky, you raise the fact that he is a CEO. I think it's really exciting that for the first time we have a COP President who is a CEO. But, let's not forget that he is also our Minister of Industry and Technology. He is also the Chairman of Masdar. He built our renewable energy company here in the UAE, and has been an integral part of our renewable energy story, our energy transformation.

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He knows this industry, the sector. He knows the energy sector inside out. And when he challenges this community, when he challenges the sector, he does it from a place of authority. He does it from a place of knowledge. And that means he is the best placed person to deliver a result on this on this issue, and I feel very confident that we're going to.

ANDERSON: Are concrete goals on renewables realistic here? And if they are realistic, will they need to be paired with agreements on phasing down or phasing out fossil fuels, frankly?

SUWAIDI: We've identified fast tracking the energy transition as a key pillar of our COP. We can only do that if we speed up and scale up the energy of the future, and that's where the tripling of renewables target comes in. And yes, it is achievable. But, we also know we have an energy system today. So, let's get practical and pragmatic about it. And that's why we're saying let's work on energy efficiency. Let's decarbonize the sector. Let's work on methane. It has to be an all-of- the-above approach. And as we've always said, let's have an inclusive conversation. Let's not exclude solutions. Let's not exclude ideas. Let's bring everybody together, and let's unify. (END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: David McKenzie joining me now here in Dubai. Just heard the words there of the DG, was fascinating. The phasing down of fossil fuels, Dr. Sultan, who is the President of COP as of today, has said is inevitable. He said the spread at which that happens depends on how quickly we can phase up zero carbon alternatives while ensuring energy security, accessibility, and affordability. At the heart of all of this, is trying to prevent our world from becoming too warm for you, me, and our kids and our grandchildren to living going forward. What's the sense as this event opens, David?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There is so much to do. There is so much to do, Becky. I think it's significant that in the first few hours of this event, you have whim. This loss and damage fund, which had just operationalized, has been debated for years and years. We were in Egypt last year discussing this. A lot of countries had to be dragged over the line. But now, you have already nations giving a substantial amount of money to help the poorest nations to try and deal with the ravages of climate change. That is a positive development. We shouldn't forget that.

But, really, we are behind the curve. It's not about small steps. It's about giant leaps. The phasing out of energy sources from fossil fuels needs to happen, according to all scientists, and what people are wanting is a deadline and firm commitments from countries from this COP to say, when is this going to happen, and how fast?

ANDERSON: 10 days, let's just remind our viewers, 10, 12 days, the negotiators will be behind the scenes here, really hammering out what a statement communique, what a sort of conclusion from this event, COP28, will look like. The UAE wants that to be consequential. It wants this event to be really consequential and to make a difference. The last time we had a really consequential event, of course, was Paris back in 2015. What will success look like here?

MCKENZIE: What you need is bold changes, and you need concrete action. Already, just the last few hours, talking to activists, talking to experts, they need those concrete steps that are going to be agreed upon. But, it's not a simple process. We know this. To get to the climate situation where we have a livable planet, needs a deep reduction in emissions. It needs a transition to better energy sources. And it needs to happen very quickly.

This is critically a climate change conference where they're doing a stocktake, which is like a report card. They already know the results of the report card, and it's not an A. Let me tell you, we are way below the curve, as I said. If we go on the emission standards that even countries have pledged, we will blow past at 1.5 degrees Celsius increase of the Paris Agreements. We will go even way beyond that. So, there needs to be deeper commitments from countries to cut their emissions. And I think that's what the COP presidency will be hoping for. But, they will also be part of those difficult decisions and have to think about their own nations as well as the global scenario.

ANDERSON: What's different this time? Is the UAE is being determined to not just put the global south at the very heart of these discussions, but make a really big noise about that? I think back to Copenhagen, 2009, way before Paris. That was a disaster as far as a climate conference was concerned. So divisive. Global south really making a point to say nobody cares about.

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Has that changed? Do you see a real pivot?

MCKENZIE: I think if you look at this loss and damage fund, which again sounds maybe like jargon, but if you think of Pakistan, you think of Somalia, think of countries all around the world, which don't have the funds to stop the worst ravages of climate change that developed countries might have, I think this is a positive move. And this sets the tone potentially of this COP to say, we are hearing your pleas. We are setting up this facility, at least temporarily administered by the World Bank to get millions of dollars. Some economists reckon it is a trillion dollars a year that is needed. All of these things have to happen in concert. And that's why it's so challenging to solve this climate crisis.

But, just this year, we've seen with wildfires in Hawaii, floods in different parts of the world. We are in this right now. This is not some future esoteric event. So, what they would want to do here as presiding over COP is to get those concrete actions and pledges. Today is a good sign. But, there is a lot of work to be done.

ANDERSON: Well, the pledges are coming in, David. Thank you. The pledges are coming in, Max, on what is this loss and damage fund, which here on the very first day has been adopted. The language is out there. It was a year ago this time that loss and damage as an idea, was basically put in front of the world's community. It's now a fund which is at least monetized in the first instance and has a mechanism by which it can be operationalized. That is really good news coming out of this event on the very first day. There is so much more work to be done. More from us in the hours to come. That's it from me for this hour. I'm Becky Anderson in Dubai. I will be back with more coverage in just over 30 minutes. Max will be back with more news after this short break. Stay with us.

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FOSTER: Two planets seeking satellites have made an astonishing find, 100 light years from Earth. A solar system of six planets whose orbits are synchronized with each other. For example, for every six revolutions, the innermost planet makes around the Sun, the outermost, makes one, and the inner planets synchronize as well. Astronomers say they believe all solar systems did this when they first formed, but only a relative few still do. They say studying this system may yield insights as to how solar systems such as ours were formed.

Another accolade to Taylor Swift's monster year.

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She is being named Spotify's global artist of 2023 with more than 26 billion streams since January 1. Swift takes the number one spot from Bad Bunny, who had been on top for the past three years, in fact. He is now second on the list, followed by The Weeknd, Drake, and Peso Pluma. As for the most streamed song, Miley Cyrus gets the nod for her record-breaking hit Flowers. Spotify users can now see their personal yearly metrics on their mobile and desktop platforms.

Now, with 50,000 lights and a crystal star on top, the Christmas tree at New York's Rockefeller Center was lit on Wednesday night. Singer Kelly Clarkson hosted the event.

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Plenty to keep the crowds entertained as well, as they waited for the lighting with performances by this Radio City -- by the Radio City Rockettes, Barry Manilow, and two other music legends.

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Cher and Darlene Love singing Christmas (Baby Please Come Home). Now, Kelly Clarkson mentioned this fun fact, Cher sang backup for Love on her recording of the same song 16 years ago.

Thanks for joining me here on CNN Newsroom. I'm Max Foster in London. World Sport with Patrick Snell is up next.

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