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G7 Leaders Agree To Loan Ukraine $50 Billion; U.S.- Backed Ceasefire, Hostage Deal Appear To Be In Limbo; NYPD Hate Crime Task Force Investigates Antisemitic Vandalism. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired June 13, 2024 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: As he's previously talked about. This would ring-fence at least $50 billion of support for reconstruction for Ukraine. So, this is a very important move.

There are still some tiny details to be figured out about how you underwrite it and where some of the other monies will come from. That between the United States and the EU, the real hope now is that this can get done by the end of the year. Wolf?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I understand, Nic, that President Biden is also expected to sign a separate security deal with Ukraine. What can you share about that?

ROBERTSON: This is another big deal for President Zelenskyy, who has been sitting at the table with the G7 leaders today. Bilateral as you say, President Biden and President Zelenskyy expected to give a joint press conference. We'll probably get more details about it then.

But we know that this is a commitment -- again, a long-term commitment to Ukraine to train Ukrainian forces. There's no specified monetary amount on this agreement. But this is part of what President Zelenskyy wanted last year when he went to NATO.

He went to that NATO Summit. And he -- and he wanted to get that Article Five agreement from NATO effectively be treated as a NATO member. An attack on one is an attack on all. All the other countries -- all the NATO countries will come to Ukraine's support.

Well, this is the next best. All NATO nations that agreed were going to give these bilateral security arrangements with Ukraine. And that's what President Biden is doing.

This makes the United States the 15th NATO country to have done this. 17 remain. So, the hope is that with President Biden signing it today giving this security assurance to Ukraine that these other 17 NATO nations will do the same.

So, it won't be the same as Article Five. But it will mean if Ukraine is attacked, it will get immediate response and support.

BLITZER: Very significant development indeed. Nic Robertson covering the G7 Summit for us in Italy, appreciate it very much. Coming up. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wraps up his trip to the Middle East. But is a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza and a release of the hostages any closer? We have new information. That's coming up next.

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[11:36:47]

BLITZER: Secretary of State Antony Blinken is now with President Biden at the G7 Summit in Italy. Blinken coming from the Middle East where he met with mediators from Egypt and Qatar to negotiate an end to the Israel-Hamas war. But the two warring sides appear far apart -- still far apart on a proposed ceasefire deal and the release of hostages.

Joining us now is CNN Political and Global Affairs Analyst Barak Ravid who covers this story for us very well. Thanks, Barak, very much for joining us. Did Secretary Blinken's visit accomplish anything practical? Are they closer to a deal that would release the hostages and allow -- and allow a ceasefire to develop?

BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL & GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Hi, Wolf. Unfortunately, I don't think that the answer to this question is positive. It seems that, you know while Blinken was there, Hamas gave its response to the Israeli proposal that was detailed in President Biden's speech two weeks ago.

And from what Blinken himself said yesterday, Hamas did not accept the deal and presented a series of new demands. Some of it or going even further than its previous demands. And now both the U.S., the Qataris, the Egyptians, and The Israelis are sort of stuck. And there's no deal in the foreseeable future.

BLITZER: In an interview with NBC News earlier today, Barak, Secretary Blinken blamed the leader of Hamas for the continued suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Listen to this. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: You have one man who's probably somewhere deep underground in Gaza for Hamas, Mr. Sinwar, who's making all of these decisions. Well, he's relatively safe underground. The people that he purports to represent, they're suffering every day. So, if he has their interests at heart, he will come to a conclusion -- to bring this to a conclusion.

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, ANCHOR, NBC NEWS: Well, you've said that's --

BLINKEN: That needs to happen. And it needs to happen now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Pretty strong words, Barak, from the Secretary of State. Very sharp words. Is U.S. patience with Hamas now running out?

RAVID: The problem is that you know, even if that's the case and it is the case, the U.S. has no leverage over Hamas. And therefore, you know, president -- Secretary Blinken can you know, speak very harshly in interviews. But I don't think if Yahya Sinwar cares much about what Blinken says.

Sinwar does care what the Egyptians say and what the Qataris say. And I think that the challenge here for the Biden administration is to see whether Qatar and Egypt can really put more pressure on Sinwar in order to say yes to the deal. Until now, it wasn't the case.

BLITZER: Yes, important point. Secretary Blinken was also asked during that NBC News interview if this U.S.-back deal collapses right now, could the Biden administration potentially consider a unilateral U.S. deal with Hamas to release the five remaining American hostages in Gaza. Listen to his answer. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLINKEN: The best way to do that is through this agreement. That's the fastest way to do it. If the agreement doesn't work, we'll always be looking at what we can do if there's anything we can do to get our people home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:40:10]

BLITZER: So, what's your reaction to what he just said? He's not saying no to a unilateral deal necessarily.

RAVID: Look, Wolf. From every U.S. official I spoke to in the last six months, I heard the same answer. A unilateral deal between the U.S. and Hamas is not something that is really being considered. Every time that this issue came on the table people said, OK, what kind of leverage do we have over Hamas? What can we give Hamas that Yahya Sinwar, the leader in Gaza, really want?

The U.S. cannot give Sinwar a ceasefire. It cannot give Sinwar Palestinian prisoners who are in Israeli prisons. So, it's not even clear if the U.S. has anything to give to Hamas, if it even wants to pursue such a -- such a route, which again, from what I hear from very senior U.S. officials, they don't see this as a realistic way to go.

BLITZER: Earlier, Barak, you mentioned that both Egypt and Qatar, the mediators if you will, have helped the U.S. try to get this plan going. But how can they put pressure on Hamas to accept this proposal? I assume Qatar has more pressure on Hamas than Egypt does.

RAVID: Not necessarily. Both of them have a lot of leverage over Hamas. Qatar has leverage because Hamas's political office is in Doha. Hamas officials have bank accounts in Doha. And the Egyptians have leverage because they control the Rafah Crossing and the entry of -- entry or departure of people from Gaza, and they have a lot of Hamas officials in Egypt.

So, both countries have leveraged. The question is, when they tell the U.S. that they're pressuring Hamas, how does it really look like? And I think there's a gap between what the Qataris and the Egyptians are telling the Biden administration and what really happens on the ground.

BLITZER: As you know, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA says Israel has now bombarded a designated safe zone in Gaza today. Israel is denying that. Do incidents like this though, make compromises all the more difficult?

RAVID: I think that you know we saw that when Yahya Sinwar wants to get a deal, he gets a deal. We saw that in the previous deal last November. When he doesn't want to get a deal, he doesn't get a deal.

I don't think that this -- that you know incidents on the ground have a lot of influence on his decision-making. I think he's looking at it much more strategically. He wants to get out of this deal, the end of the war, and the survival of him, his close confidants, and Hamas's ruining Gaza. That's his goal at least for now. And he doesn't seem to be willing to compromise on those core demands.

BLITZER: One quick final question, Barak, before I let you go. Nearly two weeks ago when President Biden announced this latest ceasefire proposed deal. He said it was an Israeli deal that the Israelis have accepted it.

Now, they're waiting to hear from Hamas. But it's still unclear to me and maybe you can explain, has Prime Minister Netanyahu formally publicly officially accepted this proposal that President Biden unveiled?

RAVID: Well, again, it's an issue that has been discussed over the last you know, two weeks since Biden gave his speech. But I can tell you from -- you know when I checked it with -- I don't know, now it's a dozen Israeli officials. OK? Last week, it was half a dozen. Now, it's a dozen.

The Israeli war cabinet brought this proposal to a vote before Biden's speech. Approved it unanimously, including Mr. Netanyahu himself. Then this proposal was officially transferred to Hamas by Qatar and Egypt, and it was also transferred to the U.S.

Biden's speech is almost word by word the document which I personally saw. A three-and-a-half-page document that details the deal. I got it from Israeli officials. I saw it. And it's almost word by word what President Biden said.

So, again, this is an Israeli proposal. Why does Netanyahu not come out like President Biden did in a speech and say those are my principles, this is what I propose? Because he's under huge domestic political pressure from his ultra-national coalition partners. And he's afraid that if he will go out like that, they will leave the coalition. So, he's trying to, on the one hand, propose his deal in private, but not back it in public.

[11:45:02]

BLITZER: Barak Ravid, always important to have you join us here on the CNN NEWSROOM. Thank you very, very much.

RAVID: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: And still to come, a shocking rise of antisemitic incidents in the United States since October 7. And Congress holds a hearing on antisemitism on college campuses. We'll have the latest developments for you. Stay with us. You're on the CNN NEWSROOM.

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BLITZER: The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating reports of antisemitic vandalism across New York City right now. Police say vandals targeted the homes of several Jewish board members of the Brooklyn Museum, including its director. Antisemitic symbols were painted on the doors and windows of at least one home.

[11:50:05]

Meanwhile, New York's governor is slamming a pro-Palestinian demonstration as "despicable and inhumane." It happened outside of an exhibition honoring the people killed at Israel's Nova Music Festival back on October 7. New York Mayor Eric Adams said some of the demonstrators waived Hamas and Hezbollah flags.

Let's bring in CNN's Polo Sandoval. He's in New York watching all of this unfold. Polo, first of all, what's the latest on the investigation into these latest antisemitic vandalism incidents in New York?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it is an escalating series of demonstrations that New York City police officials are warning have strayed away from free speech. And now -- really now according to them is considered just blatant antisemitism. You mentioned this series of vandalisms that investigators here in New York are still following up on, still looking through surveillance video to try to track down the vandals who they say actually targeted five homes both in Brooklyn and in New York City.

Also, if you look at those photos that have been circulating at one of the homes, you can actually see some of those inverted red triangles. According to the Anti-Defamation League, that is, you know, Wolf, tracks these kinds of situations, these kinds of antisemitic attacks and incidents, that symbol often used by Hamas in Gaza. So again, that is still under investigation.

And this happened just days after what we've also know was this protest that had gathered outside of a building in lower Manhattan. That building had been housing or continues to house in a temporary exhibit that is dedicated to the victims of the Nova Music Festival that we all remember from October 7, that rave that turned into an absolute frenzy massacre. At -- once -- I had the opportunity to actually visit that exhibit last month. And one of the survivors of that attack telling me that the sole purpose of that is to celebrate the lives of those who were killed that day, and certainly to honor the hostages as well. However, what we heard, Wolf, just earlier this week was a group chant in their chant, calling it propaganda. And as you mentioned, the mayor also saying that Hezbollah and Hamas flags were flying outside of that exhibit. So, certainly concerning, especially now that the ADL is tracking a nearly 400 percent increase in antisemitic incidents that have been reported to them this year alone.

BLITZER: Very disturbing indeed. Polo Sandoval, thank you very much.

I want to get some analysis right now from CNN's Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller. John, you know New York. Are new -- are NYPD authorities deeply worried about this moving toward potentially, God forbid, violence or even terrorism?

JOHN MILLER, CNN CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT & INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: Yes, they are, Wolf. First of all, one of the things that factors into their thinking is that what started out with community members from Palestinian and Arab neighborhoods in New York City demonstrating against Israel's bombing in Palestine had shifted as more of the anarchist groups who were behind organizing some of the most violent demonstrations in the post-George Floyd incident time in New York City. Have moved themselves into these groups. And have been giving them tactical advice about direct action. It's not enough to protest. You have to do things.

And I think that could be one of the drivers of the shift from protest to blocking traffic to antisemitic rhetoric to now vandalism and property damage. What police are worried about is, what is the next iteration of that. Because we have seen before in cases where the rhetoric has gotten to a certain pitch. Not the group, but that lone wolf stepping up and going to the other extreme.

Remember the top supermarket. A teenager who was immersed in racist rhetoric online who went up and shot up that supermarket killing a number of people. Remember the Allen Texas shopping mall massacre where an individual who had been reading anti-immigrant vitriol online from that movement went and shot people who we believe were foreigners and migrants and immigrants there in Allen, Texas?

And remember, of course, the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. An individual who was in antisemitic chat rooms, who opened fire on that synagogue in the middle of services and a wedding and killed a large number of people. That's part of the concern of NYPD intelligence people, which is as the vitriol reaches this higher pitch, vandalism, antisemitism, will somebody cross that line?

BLITZER: And quickly while I still have you, John. The arrest of these nine Tajik migrants in recent days, are authorities in New York growing more concerned about what some are describing potentially, as sleeper cells on U.S. soil?

MILLER: Well, they are. And there's no indication from that group that there was a terrorist plot that was in the works, or imminent or a plot in New York City. But people like Mike Morell and Graham Allison who wrote the article this week in foreign affairs say all lights are blinking red just as they were before 911 because terrorist groups and nation-states like Iran are working hard to develop U.S. targets and perhaps U.S.-based attacks. And they're very worried

[11:55:17]

BLITZER: As they should be. John Miller, thanks as usual for joining us.

And to our viewers, thanks very much for joining me right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. I'll be back later tonight at 6:00 p.m. Eastern in "THE SITUATION ROOM," right back here tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. Eastern in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Stay with us. "INSIDE POLITICS" today with Manu Raju starts right after a short break.

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