Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Tensions Growing After Biden Says Israel Conducts Indiscriminate Bombing; U.S. National Security Adviser to Conduct Extremely Serious Conversations With Israeli Officials During Visit This Week; Cop28 Calls for Move Away From Fossil Fuels; Critics Say the New Climate Agreement Lacks Progress Needed for Current Climate Crisis. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired December 14, 2023 - 02:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:26]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, Israel's prime minister vows to continue the fight against Hamas until the end. Despite a deadly attack on IDF soldiers in Gaza.

Vladimir Putin is set to deliver his first end of year news conference since the invasion of Ukraine.

And despite no evidence of wrongdoing, the U.S. House votes to open an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us.

Israel's defense minister says the military is pushing on with the fight against Hamas in northern Gaza, one day after nine Israeli soldiers were killed in a battle there.

Yoav Gallant says forces are hitting Gaza with great force, and have a duty to complete the mission, dismantle Hamas, and bring the hostages home.

He said while the war comes with prices, he expressed confidence Israel would win the battle.

Meantime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Israeli forces on Wednesday, and spoke of the great pain felt in Israel, after the loss of the nine soldiers.

Tuesday's casualties are among the largest loss of life in a single incident for Israeli forces since the ground offensive began. But Mr. Netanyahu made clear the fight will go on. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER, ISRAEL (through translator): I want you to pass this along to the last of the soldiers. We are continuing until the end, until victory, until Hamas is annihilated. Let there be no doubt about this.

This is important. It's a message I want to convey to each and every soldier over there.

I say this in the face of great pain, but also in the face of international pressures. Nothing will stop us. We will go to the end, to the victory. No less than that. I thank you. We do it because of you, through you. With God's help, and with your help. Thank you so much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: His comments coming as mourners gathered in Israel to pay their final respects to an Israeli colonel killed in battle on Tuesday.

The families of American hostages held by Hamas are expressing praise for the Biden administration, after meeting with President Joe Biden, a group traveled to sit down with him at the White House on Wednesday with some emerging saying they could have know better friend in Washington than the president himself.

Among those who spoke with Mr. Biden, is a couple whose son, an Israeli soldier has been missing since the Hamas attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RONEN NEUTRA, PARENTS OF MISSING IDF SOLDIER: We really wanted to make sure that both the American administration and the Israeli administration are doing everything in their power to bring our kids back. It's been 68 days, 68 days that we don't know anything about the whereabouts of our son. And so many people are asking their self this -- the same question, where are family members? How are they doing? There is no sign of life. We have no idea if they are wounded, if they are, you know, in desperate need of medicine.

It has -- we have to see some progress here. And we want to make sure that that's what the administration is doing everything in their power to bring them back.

ORNA NEUTRA, PARENTS OF MISSING IDF SOLDIER: I think it was one message that came clear for the president is that we need to stay hopeful. And I took that to heart. The administration is doing a lot. We need to make sure that the negotiations restart to bring the hostages home. It's urgent like Ronen said.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Elliott Gotkine is following developments. He joins us now live from London. So, Elliot, what more can you tell us about Hamas apparently being unwilling to resume hostage negotiations?

ELLIOTT GOTKINE, CNN JOURNALIST: Rosemary, this is a senior U.S. official telling CNN that Hamas is effectively being deaf to new overtures to resume the truce that lasted for one week between Israel and Hamas. And that saw some 80 Israelis released that had been kidnapped by Hamas and held captive there. That saw some 80 Israelis released and about three times as many Palestinian prisoners were being held in Israeli jails being freed in exchange.

[02:05:04]

Ever since that truce ended on December the 1st, there have been attempts to resurrect it. But as I say, according to this senior US official, those attempts are going nowhere. Now, that first truce was hard enough to get into effect, because what you have is the U.S. and Israeli speaking with the Qataris, the Qataris speak with the Hamas political leadership in Doha. And they then sought out their negotiations with the Hamas fighters inside the Gaza Strip.

Now, since Israel intensified, its fighting against Hamas when that truce ended on December the 1st, that has made that process even trickier, because, of course, the Hamas fighters inside the Gaza Strip are trying to avoid being detected.

So, that's making the process much more difficult. But as I say, despite attempt by the Qataris to engage with Hamas, that doesn't seem to be going anywhere, right now.

And even new plans, new ideas, such as getting a bigger number of hostages released, including men, not just women and children are also not being dealt with right now. in a kind of twist to this story is that David Barnea, the head of the Mossad, that's Israel's foreign intelligence service, was due to go to Doha to try to get this truce to get another exchange back on track.

That trip was reportedly cancelled. That's according to Israel Channel 13, which we've had confirmed by someone familiar with those hostage negotiations. But this caused outrage among those families.

So, while they are saying, some of those are saying, you were just saying -- describing President Biden -- as Israel -- as someone, they couldn't hope for someone better a greater friend in the White House to understand their needs. They don't feel the same way about the Israeli government right now. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Elliott Gotkine, joining us live from London with that.

A U.S. official says Israeli forces are testing a new strategy to try to degrade the Hamas tunnel network in Gaza, by flooding them with sea water.

It is being done on a limited basis for now to see if the operation could be scaled up. But it also comes with risks, as CNN's Nic Robertson reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice over): -- themselves a big, big enough for fighters and their weapons. Seen here in this Hamas propaganda video, which was also posted by the Israel Defense Force.

They are reinforced with concrete too. Two years ago, Hamas claimed to have built 500 kilometers more than 300 miles of them. The tunnels are spread all over Gaza. This map over two years old.

The IDF says they have discovered 800 tunnel shafts so far, and have destroyed 500 of them.

The entrances are often well hidden.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a 20-meter tunnel.

ROBERTSON (voice over): As I was shown by the IDF near a Gaza hospital, really well hidden, which means the tunnels can be really hard to find.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON (on camera): The idea of flooding the tunnels using the abundant seawater that's along the many miles of Gaza's Mediterranean shore is apparently a creative idea not just to destroy Hamas and quite literally flush them out, but also to reach the parts of tunnels that might never be discovered from above ground.

Now it's not without its risks. There could be hostages in those tunnels. There are very few details about how precisely the water is getting into the tunnels, how much water, how fast it's going in, or what you do if you suddenly discover your flooding hostages, other than the IDF say they have begun carefully testing it, and that this method is being trialed on a limited, limited basis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a tunnel.

ROBERTSON (voice over): Some of the tunnels are thought to be five floors deep. Some of the hostages who were freed have described them. This elderly hostage helped by her daughter.

YOCHEVED LIFSHITZ, FORMER HOSTAGE (through translator): We began walking inside the tunnels with a wet ground. It was moist all the time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are a huge, huge network of tunnels underneath. It looks like a spiderweb.

ROBERTSON (voice over): The IDF says it will proceed cautiously to make sure they are not flooding tunnels where the hostages are being held.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ROBERTSON (on camera): It's significant that more than six weeks into the ground campaign, this full scale of the tunnel problem is only now really becoming apparent. Even controlling the streets above is not enough to locate all the tunnels. So, flooding seems to be the new best option to really probe the extent of the invisible subterranean network both destroying Hamas, hiding that and denying it, they use, of course, a key caveat in success here is, if you can't find the tunnel, and it's not connected to a system you're already flooding, how effective can you be about flooding it, and knowing that you're hitting, destroying the whole of the tunnel network?

[02:10:24]

Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

CHURCH: The dire humanitarian crisis is deepening in Gaza, as Israel's war against Hamas intensifies. New video shows what overwhelmed hospitals are now facing and we want to warn you, viewers may find the images disturbing.

The video was shot at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza on Wednesday, and shows those injured being treated on the floor amid chaotic scenes. Many casualties were brought in on Wednesday after a reported strike. Several other hospitals in Gaza also reported receiving a high number of civilian casualties that same day.

The Hamas-controlled health ministry said Wednesday, the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 18,600.

And it's not just the expanding war but also the weather that's bringing more misery to Gaza's displaced population. Heavy rain has flooded makeshift tents and some have had to dig trenches to try to keep the water out.

In less than two hours, the Russian president is scheduled to hold an end of year news conference for the first time, since his country invaded Ukraine. Vladimir Putin will likely be asked about his recent announcement that he's seeking a fifth presidential term with the elections in March.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian leader might enter the new year in high spirits after the U.S. failed to pledge any new military aid to Ukraine. And that lack of funding from the U.S. has Ukraine's president trying to strengthen ties with the European Union.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Nordic leaders in Oslo on Wednesday with the Norwegian prime minister pledging nearly $800 million in additional support for Ukraine.

Later this hour, E.U. leaders will start arriving for the European Council summit in Brussels, and the E.U. chief is calling on members to give Ukraine a huge financial boost.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: We must give Ukraine what it needs to be strong today, so that it can be stronger tomorrow at the table when it is renegotiation -- negotiating a long lasting and just peace for Ukraine.

CHURCH (voice over): The summit will also focus on Ukraine's bid for E.U. membership and whether to fast-track accession talks. But the Hungarian prime minister and ally of the Russian president is opposed to Ukraine, joining the block.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): First of all, it won't be an easy meeting. It won't be an easy Summit, which will start on December 14th. We are very content that 99 percent of the member countries fully support Ukraine and that they are ready to start talks on future Ukraine's E.U. membership.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Clare Sebastian is covering all of this. She joins us now live from London. Good morning to you, Clare. So, what is expected to come out of this European Council summit in Brussels, particularly, when it comes to the possibility of Ukrainian E.U. membership?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Rosemary, I think at this point, it could go either way. Now, just for context, this would be a strictly political decision if they do manage to come to consensus on starting negotiations for Ukraine to join the E.U.

In reality, this process takes many, many years. The average, according to the Pew Research Center, is four years between starting negotiations and actual membership.

So, it wouldn't be an immediate membership for Ukraine. But obviously, it would be a major boost, given the weak that Ukraine has had with failing to get U.S. aid through Congress.

Now, obviously, consensus is not guaranteed. You talked about the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban. I want to read you a tweet that he put out just yesterday, which makes his position extremely clear. He said, Ukraine's swift accession to the European Union would have devastating consequences for European farmers, the E.U.'s budget, and European security it serves the best interests of neither Hungary nor the European Union, and therefore, we cannot support it.

Now, there is more to it than he laid out there. The backdrop to this is that the European Union has been freezing 10s of billions of funds for Hungary they then unfroze some of that yesterday, which one European member of parliament described as the biggest bribe in E.U. history.

So, you can see that this is starting off on a pretty tense footing. Rosemary?

CHURCH: And Clare, Vladimir Putin is set to deliver his first interview and news conference since the war began in Ukraine. What's expected to come out of that usually very long event. SEBASTIAN: Yes, it's really multiple hours. We know that Russian T.V. networks have basically cleared their schedules for a number of hours.

[02:15:05]

Today, like, I think, this is going to be an important moment. It was only announced two weeks ago. So, it's not long planned. They say they've already got some 2 million questions from the public, according to the Kremlin. They are not hiding, that they have been heavily choreographed. They even have what they're calling a combat group to root out fakes.

And apparently, President Putin has been going through these questions himself, but they've also invited a select group of foreign journalists. So, I think this is a sign potentially of confidence from Putin that he's seeing what's happening in the west with hesitation on Ukraine aid.

If his strategy, as many believe including Ukraine, is to outlast Ukraine, then, I think, you know, he's going into this with his position pretty secure.

CHURCH: All right. Our thanks to Clare Sebastian for that live report from London. And still to come, a U.S. citizen arrested in Venezuela. His family says he has been wrongfully detained and they are urging the Biden administration to help bring him home. They will join me live. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone.

A woman once dubbed Australia's worst serial killer has finally cleared her name. Kathleen Folbigg spent 20 years in prison after being convicted of killing her four young children over a 10-year span. But on Thursday, she received a formal pardon for an independent inquiry found reasonable doubt about her conviction.

New scientific evidence showed the deaths may have been caused by genetic factors. But Folbigg says officials ignored information that could have proven her innocence for years.

Her attorneys and others are pushing for the creation of independent review commissions in all Australian states.

A California family is urging the White House to help bring home their loved one who they say is being illegally detained in Venezuela. 38- year-old Savoi Wright is a U.S. citizen. His family says Venezuelan authorities arrested him on October 24th. They say he has been held for ransom and they're worried about his health and well-being.

A family attorney now says Wright is facing terrorism charges and is accused of conspiring with Venezuelan opposition members. His family is calling on the Biden administration to designate him as wrongfully detained. Well, joining me now from Oakland, California is Erin Stewart, Savoi Wright's mother, and Moizee Stewart, Savoi's sister. Thank you so much for joining us at this very difficult time. And you both, of course, asking for help to bring Savoi home safely.

He is a U.S. citizen and you say he has no political ties. But now we hear he is facing these terrorism charges, accused of conspiring with Venezuelan opposition members.

[02:20:02]

Does that make any sense to you? Moizee, I'll start with you.

MOIZEE STEWART, SISTER OF SAVOI WRIGHT: First of all, just thank you so much for having us. We really appreciate having this opportunity to speak with you.

And to answer your question, absolutely not. You know, Savoi, as my mom has mentioned in the past as a gentle giant. He is a nomad, he travels and works remotely as we all have as a family. You know, and it is unfortunate that he has found himself in this circumstance. You know, he was literally kidnapped.

He has been held for ransom, as you mentioned, which we paid. And now, we're just really wanting him home. We're doing everything that we can, we've been pleading with the state department, you know, really wanting to make sure that we get him home as soon as possible. You know, and we're just bumping into so many bureaucratic roadblocks, really, you know, in trying to do that.

You know, they are requesting that we have him sign a privacy release form, which I understand, but we can't even -- we can't gain access to him. His attorney can't gain access to him, you know.

So, it's like, it's just -- it's one thing after another, where we're doing everything in our power, trying to urge, you know, our government. To designate him wrongfully detained, which is so blatantly obvious.

We're doing everything that we absolutely can.

CHURCH: And Erin, you say that your son's kidnappers demanded large sums of money and that you paid all the ransom demand. So, why do you think they are still holding him? And what do you know about how he's been treated right now, and where he might be?

ERIN STEWART, MOTHER Well, you know, I thank you again, Rosemary, and we appreciate you so much. We did pay the ransom. And we continue to be extorted as he was passed from government facility to another government's facility. And during that process, he was actually set to be deported. And then, the military intelligence who is where he is now, DGCIM, came in intervened and took him.

And because he is American, we're assuming they have now made him a political prisoner. Along with the other American hostages, we know that where he is, it is a place that is notorious for very inhumane treatment. We know that Savoi did pass out and from the abuse and the neglect and was taken to a medical facility.

We do know that horrible things go on there. Savoi was placed in force, disappearance for four weeks. With them not even acknowledging that they had him, and with no communication to the family. And he was placed in solitary confinement. His human rights are being violated on a daily basis, his attorney has been denied access to him.

And so, it is a horrible situation and we are urgent not only for Savoi, but for all of the Americans that are there. That are, you know, that we want them home. We want all of our family and our loved ones home.

CHURCH: Yes, understandably.

And Moizee, you mentioned problems with the American government. A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department is telling CNN that they are aware that Savoi was arrested in Venezuela. But they say, for privacy, safety, and operational reasons, they don't always make wrongful detention determinations public, and they don't comment or discuss these cases.

What does that mean to you? You did mention a private privacy agreement that they wanted you to sign. But what help have you been receiving, if any, from the U.S. government on the treatment, and hopefully safe return of your brother?

M. STEWART: Yes, I feel like there is definitely an opportunity for more accountability. A lot more just proactive steps, really. You know, it took a lot to even get a full acknowledgement, let alone serious conversation about what's going on.

I think we all can agree now, we know that Savoi has been detained. You know, there is -- that's not a question. We have confirmed, heard from him himself, you know, that he is there.

And we -- like I said, we've just been encountering so many, just levels of resistance, really, you know, with being able to move forward with this process, which it's so clear cut, you know.

Someone has kidnapped, we are extorted. He's held against his will. All of his human rights have been violated continuously. They are currently being violated, and we are just told that there is not much that can be done, you know, and that you have to sign this form, but it's like how do we even get this form to? Have an ad -- very at the very least, as his family, we should be given that information. We are Savoi's advocates here on the ground in the United States.

[02:25:04]

So, we have to speak up for him. He doesn't have that right, right now, and that's what we're doing. And still we're just -- we're met with bureaucracy at every turn. So, we're really pleading again with the U.S. government, the state department, to do everything that they can.

You know, I do see that there is more of an effort being made to communicate with us. That's a step in the right direction. But really, this is an urgent matter.

You know, every day, every minute counts, and we need more action. We need him designated wrongfully detained not tomorrow, not next month, but now.

E. STEWART: And we're calling on Antony Blinken to review his case. It is very clear cut that Savoi is -- should be designated wrongfully detained.

And the other gentleman --

M. STEWART: Yes. Assistant Secretary of State of the Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian Nichols, did actually include Savoi, along with the other three Americans that have been designated wrongfully detained. He included Savoi with that, you know, in their press conference recently.

And we appreciate him acknowledging that because even he is able to see what is so blatantly obvious. Savoi should be designated wrongfully detained.

CHURCH: Erin Stewart and Moizee Stewart, let's hope your brother is brought home and your son is brought home safely and very soon. We thank you so much for talking with us, and sharing --

(CROSSTALK)

E. STEWART: Thank you.

CHURCH: Clearly, a living nightmare for you both.

M. STEWART: Yes.

E. STEWART: Thank you. And can we mention Savoi's GoFundMe "Bring Savoi Home." That would be very helpful if people would be willing to contribute to that. Thank you so much. We appreciate you.

M. STEWART: Yes, thank you so much. Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Thank you so much. Thanks for talking with us. We appreciate you too. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone.

Up to 45 percent of air to ground munitions Israel has used in Gaza are the so-called dumb bombs. That is according to the latest U.S. intelligence assessment, described exclusively to CNN by three sources who saw it.

The unguided or dumb bombs are less accurate and more likely to cause civilian casualties. The assessment comes amid rare U.S. public criticism of Israel.

[02:30:02] On Tuesday, President Joe Biden said Israel is conducting indiscriminate bombings in Gaza, while the White House still supports Israel's claim that it is trying to protect civilians. CNN Senior White House Correspondent MJ Lee pressed officials to explain that contradiction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I insist that the intent is there to minimize civilian casualties when the president himself said yesterday that Israel is bombing indiscriminately.

JOHN KIRBY, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR: Sometimes in war, again, not speaking for the Israelis, sometimes in war, your best plans, your best execution of those plans doesn't always go the way you want it to go. It doesn't always go the way you expect it to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: For more, we are joined by Adam Day, the Head of the Geneva Office of the United Nations University Center for Policy Research. He's speaking with us from Geneva. Appreciate you for joining us.

ADAM DAY, HEAD OF THE GENEVA OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR POLICY RESEARCH: Thanks, Rosemary. Good to be here.

CHURCH: So, nearly half of the Israeli ammunitions dropped on Gaza are these unguided dumb bombs, that is according to U.S. Intelligence. This of course undercuts calls from President Joe Biden for Israel to do all it can to avoid civilian casualties. And now, the president is accusing Israel of indiscriminate bombings in Gaza, despite continuing to support Israel's claim that it is trying to protect civilians. It's very confusing. So, how significant is this moment in the U.S.-Israel relationship? And could it signal a possible turning point, do you think?

DAY: I think it's a huge moment for U.S.-Israeli relations. And I think the main issue for Biden right now is an enormous loss of international support for how Israel is conducting this campaign. And if you just look at the General Assembly Resolution this week, which passed by 153 votes in favor, it really shows there is a far greater support for a ceasefire than for continuing this operation as it is now. And it's interesting to think that more countries voted to demand a ceasefire in Gaza than voted last year to condemn Russia's aggression in Ukraine.

And so, I think the U.S. veto the ceasefire resolution in the Security Council, its opposition to the G8 Resolution has made it increasingly isolated internationally, and that's putting a lot of pressure on Biden. It's clearly a worry for him. His comments about indiscriminate bombing are really a signal to Israel, I think, that U.S. support is not necessarily totally unconditional or open-ended when it comes to this particular operation.

CHURCH: Let's look at that, because President Biden also warned Israel on Tuesday that it's losing the support of the international community as the death toll rises in Gaza. But I mean, the same could be said of the U.S. as it continues to support Israel's war, as you point out, after the U.S. failed to support a UN General Assembly Resolution calling for that ceasefire. So, how likely is it the U.S. will feel the pressure to change its vote on this going forward, given what we're hearing now from the U.S. president and others? They seem to be a little shaky in their support.

DAY: Yes, I think, right now, it's unlikely that the U.S. will change a vote on a ceasefire resolution in the Security Council as it's currently written. I do think there's a proposal by the United Arab Emirates inside the Security Council for a ceasefire that might include some monitoring capacities. That's an interesting one. And I think that if Biden did want to send a signal of his disapproval of the way that the current campaign is going, not vetoing that proposal would be an interesting move. If I had to guess, I would say it would be unlikely.

But I think the key thing that Biden needs to do is get out of this zero-sum politics of just a ceasefire on its own. There needs to be a package that includes some sort of transition that reassures Israel on security, but also reassures the region and the Palestinians that there is a plan for the day after because, right now, my sense is that a ceasefire on its own is a nonstarter for Netanyahu, and that's really what putting a lot of pressure on Biden, why he's sending people to the region, including Jake Sullivan this week, to talk about what some of that package might look like.

CHURCH: Yeah, and serious talks they're saying these will be. Of course, Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu appears undeterred in his war, doesn't he, forging ahead. But what needs to happen in Gaza once this war is over? Because Mr. Netanyahu and President Biden don't appear to agree on the same path forward. Certainly, Israel isn't ready to embrace a two-state solution here. So what is the way forward?

DAY: It's a really tough starting point. And I think my starting point is that there are no good options and we should not be naive about that. But I think if your starting point is that a ceasefire on its own is unlikely to reassure Israel, my argument in the piece I wrote with them about (ph) in "The New York Times" has been it needs to be a ceasefire plus some other initiative. And then you have to go through the options that Biden and Netanyahu and the Palestinians have.

[02:35:00]

DAY: And option one that Netanyahu has said, which is staying on in Gaza indefinitely is certainly a non-starter for the EU and for the U.S. The U.S. has floated the idea of the Palestinian authority taking over. I expect that will be a key line from Jake Sullivan's trip to Jerusalem today. But Netanyahu has said that he will not allow the Palestinian authority back into Gaza. So the short term, it does not seem like there is PA option.

In the long term, that may be what is needed. And the U.S. now seems to putting a lot of emphasis on the idea of an Arab coalition to help the transition. Early this week, in Qatar, many Arab leaders said they wouldn't send a presence or troops. But I think this then leaves us with what may have seemed like an unimaginable option, which is a bolstered U.N. or the U.N. plus some other presence in Gaza. And this is something that I think needs to be considered seriously. The U.N. is already on the ground there. You've got the U.N. Relief and Works Agency.

U.N. agencies are delivering humanitarian aid. There is a political office in Jerusalem, some of the long-standing U.S. Military Observer Missions are in Israel right now, (inaudible). There is a U.N. Peace Operation along the Lebanon-Israel border. And so, this is a lot to draw on already. Of course, Israel may not trust these on their own. But some often were it maybe a U.N. plus some sort of transitional presence, maybe partnering with some of the Arab neighbors, maybe jointly led by the league of Arab states in the U.N. It could include some European troops too. UNFIL (ph) has mostly European troops along the border because Israel trusts them more. I'm not advocating for any of these, but I think these are the kind of options bringing together different actors with the U.N. involved. It's probably the only option that is going to work in the medium term at least.

CHURCH: All right. Adam Day joining us from Geneva, many thanks. Appreciate it.

DAY: Thanks, Rosemary. It's great to be here.

CHURCH: And still to come, critics of the COP28 say its new deal to move away from fossil fuels is not enough to stop a climate catastrophe. We will break down the agreement, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Groups representing oil and gas producing nations are calling for new investments into fossil fuel projects. It comes right after the end of COP28, the Climate Summit were delegates made the unprecedented call for countries to move away from the use of coal, oil and gas. CNN's Bill Weir breaks down reactions to the announcement at the summit.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): *Of the 198 nations that gathered in Dubai, any one of them could have derailed this global conference on climate change.

SULTAN AHMED AL-JABER, PRESIDENT, COP28: I must say that you did it.

WEIR (voice-over): So for some, there was a sense of relief when the Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber gaveled in a groundbreaking agreement to transition away from fossil fuels.

AL-JABER: I see a request from Samoa. Samoa, you have the floor.

[02:40:00]

WEIR (voice-over): But the small island nations most vulnerable to climate change saw no reason to cheer. ANNE RASMUSSEN, AOSIS LEAD NEGOTIATOR, SAMOA: We didn't want to interrupt the standing ovation when we came into the room. But we are a little confused about what happened. It seems that you just gaveled the decisions and the small island developing states were not in the room. We have come to the conclusion that the course correction that is needed has not been secured. We have made an incremental advancement over business as usual when what we really needed is an exponential step change in our actions and support.

WEIR (voice-over): "The influence of petrostates is still evident in the half measures and loopholes included in the final agreement," Al Gore tweeted about the watered-down language. And as OPEC congratulated the Sultan and called for oil field expansion, Climate Envoy John Kerry tried a more hopeful tone.

JOHN KERRY, UNITED STATES SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY FOR CLIMATE: The message coming out of this COP is, we are moving away from fossil fuels. We are not turning back. That is the future. The United States is going to continue to lead the charge on this, on the home front through investments and the Inflation Reduction Act, and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

WEIR (voice-over): Those laws have uncorked billions in clean energy investment. And the price of renewables has dropped so dramatically. Texas leads the nation in wind power. But the U.S. is still producing and exporting oil and gas at record rates.

WEIR: John Kerry was trying to frame this is somewhat of a win. It is historic. They are using the F word at a COP in a meaningful way. But he has to come back to a White House that has approved massive liquefied natural gas, infrastructure and drilling in Alaska and other places. How will those words work going forward into holding countries to account?

MICHAEL MANN, AUTHOR OF "OUR FRAGILE MOMENT": Unfortunately, the reality is that it was a disappointing agreement, because there was no agreement reached to phase out fossil fuels. There's much weaker T language of transitioning away from fossil fuels and the analogy I use, it's like your doctor telling you that you have diabetes and then you promising him/her that you will transition away from eating doughnuts.

WEIR: Professor Mann is among the many scientists eager to remind us that to meet the goals of the Paris Accord that carbon pollution needs to decrease by over 40 percent by 2030. Right now, the current trajectory is only 10 percent.

Bill Weir, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back at the top of the hour with more "CNN Newsroom." "World Sport" is coming up next. Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

[03:00:00]