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CNN International: Netanyahu Says He Plans to Move Forward with Rafah Incursion; Palestinians Facing Food Shortages in Gaza During Ramadan; News Agencies Pull Image of Princess of Wales; Winning Moments from the Academy Awards; Ukraine Slams Pope's Call for Negotiations with Russia. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired March 11, 2024 - 04:00   ET

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

[04:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: So we'll do whatever we can to restore security for them and bring them home. If we have to do it with military means, we'll do so. If there's a diplomatic way to achieve it, fine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This photo was released by Kensington Palace. They told us it was taken by Prince William. Then we hear from the major picture agencies that they are withdrawing it and telling clients not to use it because they think it might have been manipulated.

RYAN GOSLING, ACTOR, SINGING "I'M JUST KEN" FROM "BARBIE": I'm What will it take for her to see the man behind the tan and fight for

me?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo.

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from around the world and in the United States. I'm Bianca Nobilo. Max has the day off, kind of.

It's Monday, March 11th, 8 a.m. here in London, 10 a.m. in Gaza, where Palestinians are marking the start of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan as the threat of an expanded Israeli offensive looms.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he plans to push ahead with a military ground incursion into Rafah, the southern Gaza city where more than a million people are sheltering. This comes just days after talks on a temporary ceasefire and hostage release failed to reach a deal. Israel had warned that it would launch the next phase of its war against Hamas if a deal wasn't reached by Ramadan.

But U.S. officials say the Biden administration isn't expecting Israeli forces to imminently expand operations. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is in Washington with those details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: U.S. officials tell CNN that the Biden administration does not currently anticipate that Israeli forces will expand their military operations into Rafah.

That's an area in Gaza where more than a million Palestinians have fled. And that has been a looming concern as negotiators worked around the clock to try to reach a ceasefire deal. That deal would include a six-week temporary ceasefire as well as the release of hostages, particularly the most vulnerable.

Now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that regardless of a deal, he plans to expand his military operation into this area, Rafah. President Biden, on the other hand, saying that that would be a red line. So it's unclear where this deal is headed, whether they can reach a ceasefire deal.

But this potential operation into Rafah could set up a showdown between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Biden.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: CNN's Scott McLean is following all of these developments and joins me now live from Istanbul. Scott, what do you make of the most recent comments from Netanyahu in particular?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Bianca. Look, it seems like the friction that we've been hearing about between President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu is starting to spill out into the open ever more publicly. You had this interview that President Biden gave to MSNBC on Saturday where he said that going into Rafah, the Israelis moving into Rafah militarily, would be a red line for him.

He also couched it, though, by saying that he'll never leave Israel, never cut off all weapons to them. And clearly that was not perceived as much of a threat to Benjamin Netanyahu or Israel's security. And so he made very clear in an interview yesterday with Politico and the German outlet BILD that his red line is October 7th and making sure it doesn't happen again.

And he will go ahead with an incursion into Rafah despite President Biden's talk of that being a red line. He said that that kind of an operation could last two months to root out Hamas there, perhaps even less despite -- and of course, this is despite the humanitarian situation taking place right there.

And what the Americans have said is a situation where, you know, they question whether it's even possible to evacuate more than a million people sheltering there in advance of any kind of military operations.

You also had President Biden in that interview saying that Netanyahu's actions are hurting Israel more than they're helping. This was the prime minister's response to that. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Well, I don't know exactly what the president meant. But if he meant by that, then I'm pursuing private policies against the majority, the wish of the majority of Israelis, and that this is hurting the interests of Israel. Then he's wrong on both counts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[04:05:00]

MCLEAN: So, Bianca, where we are with talks at this stage is, well, there frankly are none. There's none scheduled, at least that we know of. You had Hamas walking away from talks in Cairo on Thursday to try to reach some kind of a ceasefire agreement. The Israelis were never there at all because they say that Hamas has not addressed their demands.

And Hamas is pretty firm in what they're saying. We heard from its chief, Ismail Haniyeh, yesterday, as saying that any kind of a ceasefire agreed to by the Israelis needs to be a permanent one and IDF troops need to be completely withdrawn from Gaza and that no hostages will be turned over until that happens.

And while you don't have the Israelis imminently looking to go into Gaza, of course, all of that hangs over this as we now move into Ramadan.

And one other thing that Prime Minister Netanyahu said in that interview that I think is very important to mention is he left open the possibility of an expanded military operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, pointing to the fact that so many Israelis in the northern part of the country had been forced to evacuate their homes because of the back-and-forth fire between the Israelis and Hezbollah. And he says that, look, people will be able to go back to their homes if they can make a deal to make it safe for them diplomatically, they'll do it. But otherwise, they'll do it militarily one way or the other.

And this is pretty serious talk from the prime minister, considering that a new full-scale front with Lebanon would be really uncharted territory when they're also fighting in Gaza. Hezbollah is a much, much, much more formidable fighting force than Hamas. The Israelis say that there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of rockets in private homes near the Israeli border within firing range of Israel.

And Hezbollah also claims to have reservists in the number of some 100,000. So that could be a very serious escalation if the prime minister makes good on his promise.

NOBILO: Scott McLean for us in Istanbul. Thank you.

Local leaders in Gaza are pleading for food, clean water and other aid as Ramadan begins. They're also asking for help with providing essential services like waste management and sanitation, which are part of infrastructure destroyed or damaged by Israel in the war.

On Sunday, the U.S. and Jordan conducted an airdrop containing the equivalent of 11,500 meals into northern Gaza, though that's not nearly enough for millions of starving Palestinians. And Cyprus is working with the U.S., the UAE and European partners to create a maritime corridor to deliver aid directly to Gaza. The president of Cyprus has said that the first ship was due to leave on Sunday.

In Rafah, the mood ahead of Ramadan is grim with families struggling to find fresh, affordable food.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMAD AL-NAJJAR, DISPLACED PALESTINIAN FROM NORTHERN GAZA (through translator): This year's Ramadan is different from previous years. First of all, we are far away from our loved ones, our families, relatives and friends in the north. Everything is different. Even in the market, it's different. Things are missing. There are no Ramadan essentials. Everything is expensive and sometimes unavailable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Several major news agencies have withdrawn an image of Catherine, the Princess of Wales, and her three children, claiming that the photo has been manipulated.

It was released Sunday by Kensington Palace, the first official image of the princess since her abdominal surgery in January. The picture also included a message from her, thanking the public for its support while also marking Mother's Day in the United Kingdom.

Now, CNN has conducted its own initial review of the image and identified at least two areas which appear to show some evidence of potential manipulation.

If you look closely, the first area includes some potential altering of Princess Charlotte's sleeve cuff, and the second area, under scrutiny, is a zipper on the left-hand side of the jacket the princess is wearing. There's also quite a few others, for example, the patterning on Prince Louis's jumper. You can see bends and peculiarities with the tiles underneath the family as well, not to mention several more.

The questions surrounding the photo have prompted a lot of speculation, particularly on social media. Our royal correspondent and my co-anchor, Max Foster, has more on the photo's release and what the news agencies are saying about it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: This photo was released by Kensington Palace.

They told us it was taken by Prince William in the past week of his wife and three children. And we got the first words from Kate as well since she had her operation. Obviously, she's been out of action for several weeks.

She thanked people for their well wishes in her recovery. It was a big moment because we hadn't seen an official picture of her. There was a grainy paparazzi picture the other day of her in a car.

But this, you know, was a concerted effort by the Palace to really emphasize their message that she's been doing well, which is the sort of briefing that I've been getting in recent weeks.

[04:10:00]

But then we hear from the major picture agencies that they are withdrawing it and telling clients not to use it because they think it might have been manipulated. So touched up, perhaps, in several places.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Hollywood insider and royal expert Sandro Monetti joins me now live from Los Angeles. Sandro, great to have you with us this morning. It is a very unsociable hour where you are, so thank you so much for taking the time.

Let's begin with the Princess of Wales. Now, I was quite staggered by this. Obviously, it's not unusual at all for high-profile figures to have some element of touch-ups done to their photographs. But the sheer number of discrepancies here it's quite staggering and only adds fuel to the online speculation about what's really going on.

SANDRO MONETTI, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER MAGAZINE: Not even wearing her wedding ring in this photo. Now, in this era of AI, the photo agencies have built-in safeguards to look for manipulated photos.

What you don't expect is for the palace to be the source of these manipulations. What a shambles, what an embarrassment. This leads to key questions for Royal Communications, which is the new name for the press office, to answer.

Question one, who ordered this manipulation? Question two, who did the manipulation? And question three, the most important question of all, why?

NOBILO: And it's not just this photo, is it? I know that you watch the royals closely. There was the fact that Prince William withdrew very last minute, his attendance at a memorial. There's the fact that we had seen and heard nothing of the Princess of Wales before that photograph, which was picked up in, I think it was the New York Post or an American publication.

The circumstances around her appear mysterious to some observers at the moment, and this really doesn't help, does it? Because the level of manipulation potentially might indicate that, you know, if everything's fine, why would there be a need to do that?

MONETTI: This is basic crisis management PR, handled absolutely terribly. Yes, because this is only going to fuel much more speculation about the whereabouts and the condition of the Princess of Wales. Who's not been seen on any official engagements since Christmas, of course, being out with the royal family. And so, yes, look, there's nothing wrong with sort of telling the truth.

Now, people are demanding answers. But with all the conspiracy theories out there, I think the conspiracy theorists are not going to be satisfied until they see almost, I don't know, a kidnap-style proof-of-life photo of the Princess holding up today's copy of the Daily Mail with the date on it. So this is a real question that's got to be answered. I mean, all the reports saying, oh, people have tried to get comments from the palace, but the media office is closed on weekends.

What? It's just extraordinary. I mean, really, they need better people doing it. Give me a call. I'll do it for free. I love the royals. I'll help you out.

NOBILO: Of course, it might be likely, given that there are three young children in that photograph, that maybe we see this in the media sometimes, that the facial expressions were better in some photos than others, and they've tried to sort of merge them all together to create the perfect shot. But one thing which wouldn't be included in that is the absence of the wedding ring.

Now, is that normal for royals in photographs? Because I don't usually like to indulge in this sort of gossip, but obviously everybody else is in the United Kingdom at the moment and online who are engaged with this. So how rare is that that she wouldn't be wearing a wedding ring or her famous engagement ring?

MONETTI: After an operation, it's natural to remove the rings, of course, but if we're led to believe that this was a recent photo, a long time after she had left hospital, then it would be more surprising, and it only adds fuel to certain theories on the internet who will take that and run with it. And think, ah, well, because she's not wearing a wedding ring, maybe there's problems, you know, over the marriage.

Now, it's quite simple. You know, I think that the press office needs to sort of explain what they were doing because they're losing trust. This would never have happened under the Queen.

Now, when she was running the firm, she had the policy, never complain, never explain. They just would have had total media blackout and silence. But it's a new era now, and unrightly so, you know, they try and respond to it and reassure everybody, but they've totally mangled it.

They're the architects of disaster, and, you know, they've created their own crisis PR by ineptitude.

NOBILO: One last question to you on this photograph before we move on to the Oscars. Is it all the more strange, the fact that there is evidence of manipulation of this image? And you see a spectrum.

[04:15:00]

Some people are identifying one or two things, some people are identifying sort of in the high teens of tweaks to this photograph, that the Palace, I think, said that it was the Prince of Wales who took the photograph.

MONETTI: Yes, and so the photo agencies say that they were withdrawn, killed this photo because it was manipulated from source. That source is the future king. So they're pointing the finger directly at William. And so, yes, imagine what conversations are going on behind the palace doors about that and how they handle this situation.

And it's not the first time there's been sort of family Christmas cards mangled as well. So who on earth is doing the retouching of the of the photos? It was time to find someone better, because, you know, you know, there's teenagers on social media who can do this better than the highly paid officials at the palace.

Now, Sandro, please stay right there, because I also want to get your thoughts on the Oscars.

Of course, Hollywood has wrapped up its biggest night celebrating the best achievements in filmmaking in 2023 at the 96th Academy Awards. Awards darling "Oppenheimer" dominated the competition, winning seven Oscars out of 30 nominations, including awards for cinematography, original score, best director, best actor in both leading and supporting roles, and the top honor of the night, best picture. Not far behind with the genre defying comedy, "Poor Things," earning Emma Stone her second Oscar for best actress in a leading role.

And she was in good company. Here's what the winners of the top acting categories had to say during their acceptance speeches.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CILLIAN MURPHY, ACTOR, "OPPENHEIMER": We made a film about the man who created the atomic bomb. And for better or for worse, we're all living in Oppenheimer's world. So I would really like to dedicate this to the peacemakers everywhere.

EMMA STONE, ACTOR, "POOR THINGS": I am so deeply honored to share this with every cast member, with every crew member, with every single person who poured their love and their care and their brilliance into the making of this film. And Yorgos, thank you for the gift of a lifetime in Bella Baxter.

ROBERT DOWNEY JR., ACTOR, "OPPENHEIMER": I'd like to thank my terrible childhood and the Academy in that order.

DA'VINE JOY RANDOLPH, ACTOR, "THE HOLDOVERS": For so long, I've always wanted to be different. And now I realize I just need to be myself. And I thank you. I thank you for seeing me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: The Night also featured performances by nominees for best original song.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN GOSLING, ACTOR "BARBIE", SINGING "I'M JUST KEN" FROM "BARBIE": I'm just Ken. Where I see love, she sees a friend. What will it take for her to see the man behind the tan and fight for me?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: That is part of Ryan Gosling's show-stopping performance of "I'm Just Ken" from Barbie, made by Warner Brothers, part of CNN's parent company. His performance earned a standing ovation, but ultimately the movie's other nominated song, What Was I Made For, ended up taking the Oscar.

So back to entertainment reporter Sandro Monetti, who covered his 22nd successive Oscars ceremony this year. Sandro, that is an impressive tally that you've got going there. So how does this ceremony compare to those previous ones to you? What characterized it in your eyes?

MONETTI: Well, I've been a harsh critic of the Academy Awards in recent years, but I also throw bouquets as well. And I thought this was a really good ceremony. I thought it had dramatic high points. I thought it had emotion. I thought it had great speeches. And of course, it had that show-stopping performance by Ryan Gosling, which I suspect will be remembered long after many of the winners have been forgotten.

NOBILO: That really was impressive. I'll be honest. I watched the beginning of the ceremony last night before I went to sleep. And then one of the first things I did when I woke up was I wanted to watch that performance on my way in.

And to be able to deliver those vocals live, and he had such confidence in his performance, you know, often those things can be a bit shaky in previous Oscars ceremonies. And he also interacted with his "Barbie" cast members and others as well in the front row.

MONETTI: Ryan Gosling was also up for a Best Song nomination for "La La Land" several years ago and declined the opportunity to perform at the Oscars. I think it was John Legend who performed instead of him.

But yes, he did take up the offer this time. And he proved that he's not only one of the best actors in the world, he can really do a live song performance, you know, and that'll sort of entertain people all over the globe. You know, we're all humming "I'm Just Ken" this morning. He's kind of stolen the show from Oppenheimer in a way.

NOBILO: He has done. Have any moments stood out to you in particular of the acceptance speeches?

MONETTI: Do you know, I love every Robert Downey Jr. acceptance speech. It's always entertaining. I was so pleased to see him win.

[04:20:00] And also, as someone who's covered the Oscars for, as you mentioned, 22 years, this is the first time in 20 years that a blockbuster has won Best Picture. For two decades, the Academy have been rewarding independent, artistic, lesser-seen films.

And that's seen the ratings go off a cliff. Not since "Lord of the Rings Return of the King" exactly 20 years ago, you know, won 11 Oscars has, you know, a blockbuster done as well as this. And so, yes, maybe that represents a change because "Oppenheimer" was not just a hit with the critics, with the public as well. "Oppenheimer" took 956 billion, sorry, not that much, 956 million at the International Box Office, almost one billion dollars.

And so, yes, I don't think we'll see "Oppenheimer 2". But we have seen, you know, a definitely historic Oscar moment tonight.

NOBILO: And were there any notable snubs or do you feel like justice was done?

MONETTI: Well, I tend to disagree with all the selections of the Academy, but it doesn't matter what I think.

But I think the big surprise to the winner herself was Emma Stone winning Best Actress for "Poor Things" because momentum seemed to be certainly after the Screen Actors Guild Awards with Lily Gladstone for "Killers of the Flower Moon." And certainly her fans have been very vocal on social media.

Emma, I can't believe it, but, you know, she's very deserving, a great talent. And, you know, two Oscars already for her. How many might there be in her future? Her career is just getting started.

Sandro Monetti, I would love to see you do an acceptance speech because you have such impressive energy for one o'clock in the morning. Truly, I don't think I've ever seen anyone rival it. Thank you. Thank you so much. I appreciate your time.

Ah, just fantastic. Thank you.

Now, Kyiv is upset over Pope Francis's recent comments on Russia's war in Ukraine. We'll have more on what President Zelenskyy is saying to that after a quick break with Clare Sebastian.

Plus, Haiti is teetering on the brink of collapse. We'll bring you the latest on the escalating situation there, which prompted diplomatic evacuations over this weekend.

And time could be running out for TikTok. We'll tell you why some U.S. lawmakers think the social media site is so dangerous. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: Poland's foreign minister says the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine is not unthinkable, even though Ukraine is not a member of the alliance. In a speech marking the 25th anniversary of Poland's accession to NATO, the minister showed appreciation for the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron, who said last month that sending Western troops to Ukraine could not be ruled out.

But those comments drew swift response from European leaders, including Poland's prime minister, who said there were no such plans.

[04:25:00]

Meanwhile, Pope Francis has been criticized by Ukraine after saying that Kyiv should negotiate with Russia to end the fighting. In an interview with a Swiss broadcaster, the pontiff said Kyiv should have, quote, courage of the white flag to negotiate.

But Ukraine's foreign minister disagrees, saying in a social media post: Our flag is a yellow and blue one. This is the flag which we will live, die and prevail. We shall never raise any other flags.

Ukraine's leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, also dismissed the Pope's remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): When the Russian evil started this war on February 24th, all Ukrainians stood up to defense. All Christians, Muslims, Jews, everyone. I thank every Ukrainian chaplain who is with the army and the defense forces on the front line defending life and humanity. They support us with prayer, with talk and with deeds.

This is what the church with the people is, not two and a half thousand kilometers away, somewhere to mediate virtually between someone who wants to live and someone who wants to destroy you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: CNN's Clare Sebastian joins me now. Clare, based on recent experience in conflicts, it's never usually welcome when the pontiff intervenes. Did he put any of the burden on Russia? Or was the encouragement squarely for Ukraine to capitulate and negotiate terms of peace?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, he was asked about whether the sort of the idea of negotiation gives the stronger side the advantage. So in a sense, he didn't really. And I think that's why this is raising the alarm, because Ukraine has been very clear that it does not want to negotiate on Russia's terms. It does not want to freeze the conflict in place. It does not take kindly to any sort of suggestions that put the two sides on an equal footing in any kind of negotiating. Given that Russia is the aggressor here and they believe should not be rewarded for stopping the aggression.

Now, obviously, Ukraine is working on its own sort of peace initiative. There might be a peace summit coming up in Switzerland. We don't know an exact date for that. But this also plays into the sort of Russian propaganda line as well, which is that Ukraine is getting in the way of any negotiations, that it's Ukraine. And by extension, it's Western allies that are standing in the way of peace. But this has, as we've seen on multiple fronts at the moment, also

rallied some European support. The Latvian president coming out and saying one must not capitulate in the face of evil comments of support from the Polish foreign minister.

But it is difficult for Ukraine because this is such a sensitive time on the front lines. They are on the back foot in the ground war. And this is raising these kinds of debates which they then have to sort of tamp down.

NOBILO: We've been saying for some time that Russia's economy is on a war footing. And we know that there is this critical shortage of artillery for Ukraine. What more can you tell us about new data or analysis that suggests that discrepancy between artillery in particular that Russia has as its disposal in Ukraine?

SEBASTIAN: Yes, I mean, we've known that Russia has a -- I mean, within a non-democratic country, which Russia is, you can mobilize your defense industry more quickly. And they have done that.

We now have CNN reporting speaking to NATO, to NATO official, Western officials. They've got NATO intelligence estimates of the Russian defense industry, which says that Russia is producing around 250,000 artillery shells per month, which equates to about three million a year, which is more than double what the estimate is for U.S. and European production capacity combined. They're at about one point two million.

Now, it's not directly comparable because we know that Russia has always fired orders of magnitude, more artillery shells on the front line than Ukraine, partly because Russian shells were traditionally less accurate than the high quality shells that Ukraine was getting from its Western allies.

But it is unnerving given the situation that we're in. The reporting also shows that, according to a NATO official, there is now three and a half million people working in Russia's defense industry, about a million more than before the war. They're also importing a lot from North Korea in the millions in terms of artillery from Iran, around 300,000. And this, I think, really does, again, put the onus on Ukraine's allies to do more.

They are on the verge of doing the same. You're importing shells from outside through a Czech-led initiative, and that really, really reinforces the urgency of that.

NOBILO: Clare Sebastian, thank you.

Ukraine was in the spotlight at the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday night. "20 Days in Mariupol," the documentary about journalists working in Ukraine amid Russia's invasion, won the best documentary award.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It would show everything that happened in Mariupol. It would give at least some meaning to this horror. My brain will desperately want to forget all this. But the camera will not let it happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Here's the film's director accepting his Oscar.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MSTYSLAV CHERNOV, DIRECTOR, "20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL": This is the first Oscar in Ukrainian history. And I'm honored. I'm honored. But probably I will be the first director on this stage who will say, I wish I would never made this film. I wish to be able to exchange this to Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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