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CNN International: Protestors Disrupt Israeli Parliament On Monday; IDF Says It Uncovered Hamas Tunnels In Khan Younis; Netanyahu Rejects Hamas' Conditions To Release Hostages. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired January 22, 2024 - 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, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello. Welcome to CNN Newsroom. I'm Max Foster in London. Just ahead, we begin in Israel where dozens of protesters have disrupted parliament, demanding the release of hostages held by Hamas. This is as the military operation inside Gaza continues.

Then, a grand ceremony in India with where the Prime Minister has inaugurated a new Hindu temple. But, the event is surrounded by controversy, and we'll tell you why. Plus, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suspends his presidential campaign, making tomorrow's New Hampshire primary a one-on-one match between Nikki Haley and Donald Trump.

We begin with an emotional confrontation in the Israeli parliament. More than a dozen family members of hostages still held in Gaza forcing their way into a Committee meeting on Monday, holding signs and demanding the release of their loved ones. It comes after the Israeli military said Sunday it uncovered tunnels in the southern Gazan town of Khan Younis where intense fighting continues. The IDF says around 20 hostages were held in the tunnels at different times.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is outright rejecting Hamas' conditions for the release of the hostages. But, without elaborating, he told families that he has an initiative to secure the release of their loved ones.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond live for us in Tel Aviv. The families clearly aren't convinced by Netanyahu's words.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. No doubt about it. I mean, there is bubbling frustration and anger among the families of these hostages as the weeks stretch on since the last time that we saw a deal to release hostages. And now, as there are reports of ongoing discussions, ongoing negotiations, the families are trying to ratchet up the pressure. And today, you can see in this video, more than a dozen family members of hostages storming the Finance Committee meeting inside the Knesset, Israel's parliament, demanding action. One of the relatives saying, you will not sit here while they die there, saying it go on like this. You better know it can't go on like this, talking about their concerns, their fears that their children will die as hostages inside the Gaza Strip. You can also see that there were security officers trying to remove

them from the scene. This actually wasn't the only protest at the Knesset today. There was also one outside the Knesset with people calling for elections. And that is kind of the compounding picture that we are seeing here in Israel is that there is increasing pressure on the Israeli government not only from the families of hostages, but also from people who have, frankly, just lost trust in this government of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Growing calls for elections to be called soon. Polling indicating that Netanyahu is deeply, deeply unpopular here in Israel.

And so, the question is, how much pressure will it take for something to change for elections to be called? That much is unclear yet. But, what is clear is that we are going to continue to see more scenes like the ones you're seeing on your screen right now.

FOSTER: Yeah. What do we know about what's happening in Khan Younis?

DIAMOND: Well, in Khan Younis, this is really the main thrust of the Israeli military operation. They have said now that in northern and central Gaza they have ramped down their military operations, withdrawing thousands of troops from those areas, focusing there on pockets of resistance, is what they call it. But, in Khan Younis, we are very much still seeing an all-out Israeli military ground offensive, heavy fighting reported there late last week, and over the weekend. The Israeli military, according to Palestinian officials, actually storming the Al Nasser hospital on Friday in southern Gaza in the city of Khan Younis. And we know that the Israeli military has been engaged in heavy fighting there.

They also say that they have discovered tunnels as well as weapons facilities in the area of Khan Younis. One tunnel that they showed is about a half-mile long. It stretches about 60-plus feet underground, and there the Israeli military says that they found a tunnel system, including five cells within there, where they say that about 20 hostages were held at different points. They verified this, they say, by checking DNA evidence that was found on the scene, as well as the testimony of former hostages, just showing some of the conditions in which many of these hostages, including some have been released but some who are still held in Gaza, have been held.

FOSTER: OK. Jeremy in Tel Aviv, thank you for that update there.

So, Netanyahu not just getting pressure inside the country, also outside the country with key allies.

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Let's get the latest from CNN's Arlette Saenz who is live at the White House, because President Biden and the White House have made it very clear they do see a future two-state solution when it comes to the Palestinian areas in Israel, but it's been pretty flatly refused by Netanyahu, and that's causing some tension.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. That's right, Max. And President Biden has made clear that he is going to work to try to convince Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to support a two- state solution, even as so far Netanyahu has shown no signs of budging. Over the weekend, Netanyahu posted on social media that he would not compromise on full Israeli security control in Gaza. And this episode really highlights the latest tension point between Biden and Netanyahu, as many of their public disagreements have started to spill into public view. In this instance, it's around what to do in Gaza once this conflict ends.

Now, President Biden and Netanyahu spent about 40 minutes on the phone together on Friday, just one day after Netanyahu appeared to pour cold water on the idea of creating a Palestinian state. Officials say that in this call that Netanyahu said that his comments weren't necessarily meant to rule out a form of a Palestinian state in any form. And that is something that the two leaders discussed in this call. Sources said that they discussed the possible attributes of what a Palestinian state would look like. That would need to be negotiated going forward.

One thing that administration officials here in the White House have been talking about is the possibility of a future demilitarized Palestinian state. That is an idea that is intriguing to President Biden. And after his meeting, his phone call with Netanyahu, Biden told reporters that he believed that they would be able to reach some type of agreement when it comes to the creation of a two-state solution. But, it's entirely unclear how that will come about, especially as we have heard Netanyahu repeatedly shoot down these ideas of creating a Palestinian state.

Now, it also comes while the U.S. has been publicly supporting Israel. There is some frustration bubbling up behind the scenes with the fact that Netanyahu has so publicly disagreed with some of the American ideas and proposals. It all comes at a time when Netanyahu has been facing political pressure back in Israel. And this whole episode really speaks to the challenges President Biden faces when it comes to try to apply pressure on Netanyahu, not just with the possibility of a two-state solution, but also the way that Israel is waging its campaign in Gaza.

FOSTER: Arlette at the White House, thank you.

In China, at least eight people are dead, dozens are missing, after a landslide tore through a village in Yunnan province on Monday morning. State media reports that search and rescue operations are underway, and it's snowy and freezing conditions. The cause of the landslide isn't yet clear.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a controversial Hindu temple in the northern city of Ayodhya on -- well, that was today. It is the fulfillment of an election year promise and a move aimed at establishing Hindu supremacy throughout the country. Some say the temple is dedicated to Hinduism's lord Ram, and it sits atop the ruins of an ancient mosque that was destroyed by Hindu mobs more than 30 years ago. For the country's minority Muslim population, the temple is a painful reminder of religious divisions that have grown more pronounced under Mr. Modi's rule.

CNN's Vedika Sud joins us from there right now. What was the reaction, because this really does cut to the heart of many of the tensions throughout this huge country?

VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: Max, I'll have to apologize. I really can't hear you, because right behind me, we have thousands of people who have converged at this spot, which is about two and a half kilometers from where the consecration of the Ram idol took place today. Right behind me, you can see earthen lamps that have been lit by locals and those who come to Ayodhya over the last 48 hours. It's a moment of celebration for Hindus here. And this is just an example of what we've been saying all day, that over the next few days we will see thousands of devotees who will converge in Ayodhya to get one glimpse of the deity of the Ram idol that was consecrated today.

Now, coming back, yes, it's been a controversial inauguration, and that's for several reasons. What we should say right at the top also is that opposition leaders who were invited to the inauguration ceremony here in Ayodhya, some of them boycotted it. They claim that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to consolidate the Hindu vote base ahead of another election year. This is another year when India goes into elections, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a historic third term. Analysts worry that this could further impact the secular fabric of the country.

Now, telling you more about what happened today, at about noon, you had the Indian Prime Minister upfront and taking center stage inside the Sanctum Sanctorum of the Ram temple.

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And a lot of analysts and critics have said that secularism is a part of India's constitution. But, when it comes to the Prime Minister of India, he was presiding over religious ceremony, which should not have happened. But, there are a lot of Hindus like you can see around me across India and also overseas abroad who've been celebrating this moment, even at Times Square. The screening was out there for all to see. There are a lot of Hindus would converge there, celebrating the moment.

So, while there are Hindus who are celebrating this, the minority communities that you spoke about, there are about 200 million Muslims in India, and we spoke to some of the Muslims from the community here in Ayodhya, and they are upset. They said that this huge grand celebration brings back very ugly and very disturbing memories of 1992 of the clashes that took place back then, and they say that it's reopening old wounds. But, for now, the big picture is that this is cementing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's legacy as the ultimate Hindu nationalist leader. Back to you, Max.

FOSTER: Vedika, thank you so much indeed for joining us there.

Now, it is now a two-person race for the Republican U.S. presidential nomination. Nikki Haley is now the only major candidate taking on Donald Trump in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary. This after Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race on Sunday and endorsed Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RON DESANTIS, FLORIDA GOVERNOR: While I've had disagreements with Donald Trump, such as on the corona virus pandemic and his elevation of Anthony Fauci, Trump is superior to the current incumbent Joe Biden. That is clear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Trump returned the favor, saying DeSantis ran a good campaign. Meanwhile, Nikki Haley is expected to do well in New Hampshire. However, in the latest CNN poll, she is still trailing Trump by a pretty wide margin, as you can see.

CNN's Omar Jimenez joins us from New Hampshire with the details. You do wonder why she continues, but she clearly thinks she has got a good chance of doing well in the state.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And you know, her campaign has begun to temper expectations. They've even said a strong second place finish they would view as a victory, because for them that would mean they have momentum heading into the next states.

We will see if that actually holds true, because DeSantis' campaign, Ron DeSantis' campaign prior to this week had told us that they were in it for the long haul, that they were looking to further states down the line as they scaled back some of their operations. And here, less than 24 hours after he announced he was suspending his campaign, behind me, the super PAC, the political action committee supporting Ron DeSantis, they've still got their bus here in New Hampshire, a reminder, a remnant of the campaign that was. The bus is running. So, it may too make its way out of the state here.

Now, the bottom line is it is a two-person race. This is something that Nikki Haley said she wanted, and said was a reality after the Iowa contests about a week and a half ago at this point. But, for her, really, it is actually a reality. Everybody can agree on it, because at that time it almost seemed like an aspiration. The road does not get much easier for her, though, after DeSantis drops out, because many of his supporters have flocked to the former President or are expected to at this point.

And Donald Trump, while he is campaigning today, in some ways in the courtroom, because he is expected to appear in court in New York and then make his way here to New Hampshire later in the day, he just said in an interview this morning that it is highly unlikely DeSantis has picked for any Vice President position, which of course becomes the stakes as you look ahead down in this race.

And I also want to point out how unusual it is that we are a day -- have primary day here in New Hampshire, and we are down to just two candidates. Typically, when you have presidential elections like this, there are a number of candidates. In 2020, for example, when Joe Biden was running to this state, we were up to six candidates at this point. So, the fact that it is down to two shows, in some cases, the dominance that Trump has had in the polls prior to this point, but of course, the mountain of a task it is to actually try to cut into the support he has had and a mountain of a task that now faces Nikki Haley.

FOSTER: Yeah, absolutely. Omar in New Hampshire, it's going to be interesting. Thank you.

Donald Trump will take a break from campaigning to attend a court hearing in New York. The former President is asking for a mistrial in the defamation case involving writer E. Jean Carroll. It's not clear if he'll testify. The trial is to determine how much money Trump owes Carroll over defamatory statements. Later in the day, Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in New Hampshire ahead of Tuesday primary.

Still to come, from those stages in New Hampshire to Europe's corridors of power. Donald Trump's surging campaign makes the continents leaders take notice. So, what are they saying about a possible second term? We're live in Paris next.

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FOSTER: Well, he dominated talk at Davos. He is boldly promising to end the war in Ukraine, and he stormed the Iowa caucuses winning by a huge margin. So, what does Europe make of the resurgence of Donald Trump? The former President tested transatlantic friendships to the limit during his first term. Now, some European leaders are speaking their minds about a possible Trump return and taking very different approaches as well.

CNN's Melissa Bell live in the French capital for us. Melissa, just take us through the commentary we're getting from leaders, because the first time he ran, there were some very outspoken comments against him. But, you know, it's not the same this time. Is it? Just explain what reaction we're getting and why.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's not the same. I think the reactions that you're hearing from leaders, and we really began to hear this in Europe, these last few days after what we saw in Iowa, what we expect to happen in New Hampshire, the fact that Donald Trump looks likely to emerge as the presumptive nominee remarkably early in this process in a very different context, of course. As you say, the talk of Davos over the last few days, and European leaders really coming back this new year, looking ahead to the idea of this second Donald Trump term and what that would mean.

Some of the headlines here in Europe have been fairly hysterical. A nightmare scenario was the title of Der Spiegel, the German publication. But, you've also been listening to European leaders begin to speak about it, some in fairly measured terms, Emmanuel Macron saying that, look, we take the leaders as they come. It is not for us to decide the American people, but also pointing out that America is in a crisis of democracy, that it's the first priority is there for itself, and China at second, and allowing people to understand there for Europe really needs to sort itself out. And this is a theme ever since Donald Trump's first election that Europe needs to learn to stand much more firmly on its own two feet.

We've heard also, Max, from Christine Lagarde, the ECB head, and she had this to say. "If we were to draw lessons from history, as in the way we managed the four years of his mandate, he is clearly a threat", a very strong word she used there. "You just have to look at the customs tariffs, also the commitment to serve NATO, and the fight against climate change", to name just three of the areas that she outlined as being alarming when you consider the possibility of a new Trump term.

And yes, you're right, Max. It is also different, because whilst the first time he came in, there were a number of policies. First of all, no one really knew what to expect. Donald Trump, of course, is well known for winging it, making things up as he goes along. One European commentator recently pointed out there were a lot of things that were said that simply didn't then translate into policy.

But, what we do expect this time is that perhaps things will go further and wider and more deeply than they did before. Take for instance, the tariffs last time, one of the worries here in Europe and coming out of Davos, Max, is that at last -- during the last mandate, there were ad hoc levies, customs duties imposed.

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Now, he is touting the idea of a 10 percent levy across the board of American imports. That would be a huge and significant and far more deeply damaging to the global economy move than anything he did in his first term. So, there is the fear that an emboldened Donald Trump would come back with even more disruptive policies when it comes to the global economy. But, it's entirely in terms of the possibility that he might choose to gut (ph) the Inflation Reduction Act and all the implications that would have for the world economy, but also to do with American trade outside. And this, of course, is first and foremost on the mind of many leaders going into this New Year, Max.

FOSTER: Yeah. So, he is very focused on the U.S. He is focused on economy. People describing him as an isolationist as well. He isn't going to be as involved in Ukraine, not be giving as much money. So, that will affect Europe. Won't it? And then there is big questions about how he is going to work with China.

BELL: That's right. In the end, this is partly about the economy, but perhaps more importantly and substantively about the global architecture of peace that has existed since World War Two, threatened, shaken during his first term, the fears of what it would mean for his second eight years on, because, of course, the world has changed so significantly. His relationship with Vladimir Putin would no doubt take on an entirely different hue today than it did before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

One of the things that we heard these last few days from the EU's Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, who was trying to make the case of the European Parliament that Europe needed to make more of its own ammunition. He recounted a private conversation between, he said, Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission, and President Donald Trump during his first mandate in which the American President had told her that if Europe were attacked, in no way would the United States choose to get involved.

Now, it's astonishing is that remark is in the context of the NATO alliance and its obligations, it was a sobering reminder, I think, that he wanted to give European lawmakers that, in the end, Europe cannot rely on the United States even in the terms of the NATO agreement. That has implications for NATO. And of course, it has implications he suggests, Max, for the war in Ukraine. What will happen to the many billions that have been spent should Donald Trump return to the White House and make very different decisions with regard to Ukraine's future than the Western allies have so far?

FOSTER: OK. Melissa, thank you so much. We'll be looking at New Hampshire very closely.

Still to come, tens of thousands are rallying across Germany, calling for a ban on a far-right political party. That story coming up next.

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FOSTER: Anger mounting in Germany as huge crowds are protesting against the far-right party's stance on immigration.

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The public got wind of reports that the Alternative for Germany Party plans to mass deport migrants if it came to power, a move drawing comparisons to the Nazi era. Our Michael Holmes reports.

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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A huge turnout in Germany to protest against the rise of the far right, and an ideology reminiscent of the country's darkest days, waving signs that say never again and Nazis are disgusting, hundreds of thousands of people rallied in cities across the country over the weekend against the far- right party, the Alternative for Germany, and its anti-immigrant policies that many Germans say are similar to the Nazis.

JORG LAURENTSCH, PROTESTOR (TRANSLATED): Germany is undergoing a huge shift to the right, just as it was almost before the war or before the Second World War, and I don't think it's ever been this bad since the war.

HOLMES (voice-over): The AfD struck a nerve with many Germans after it was revealed that senior party members attended a secret meeting last year of neo-Nazis and other extremists and discussed plans for mass deportation of migrants, including German citizens. The AfD denies it is a racist or extremist group, and denies such plans a part of their policy, although calls to ban the party are growing. But, it has also recorded high polling in some states, and is expected to make gains in regional and perhaps European elections this year, something protesters say needs to change.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (TRANSLATED): I hope that it will make people change their minds, some may not yet be sure whether they will vote for the AfD or not. But, after these demonstrations, they simply can't do that anymore.

HOLMES (voice-over): German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has encouraged people to join the protest, saying extremism in the country is a threat to democracy, and a throwback to a time of hatred and violence.

OLAF SCHOLZ, CHANCELLOR, GERMANY (TRANSLATED): If there is something in Germany which must never ever find a place again, it is the national race ideology of the Nazis. The repulsive relocation plans by these extremists is just that.

OLAF SCHOLZ, CHANCELLOR, GERMANY (TRANSLATED): Michael Holmes, CNN.

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FOSTER: Well, thank you for joining me here on CNN Newsroom. I'm Max Foster in London. World Sport with Patrick is up next.

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