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CNN This Morning

Tonight: Biden To Give Prime-Time Address On Israel And Ukraine; Jim Jordan Loses Second Vote, Third Vote Expected Today; Antisemitic Incidents Surge In Western Europe Since Hamas Attack. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired October 19, 2023 - 07:30   ET

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

[07:30:00]

DR. YOUSEF KHELFA, CO-FOUNDER AND BOARD MEMBER, PALESTINIAN AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (via Webex by Cisco): -- should be lifted right now and safe corridors for the medical and humanitarian aid should enter now. There should be no delays. There should be no limit about how much of that aid.

And finally, I want to say that the health care facility and professionals should not be a target of the Israeli airstrike. Our colleagues back home -- they should work in a safe environment like anywhere.

You know, the children of Gaza is like any child anywhere in the world. They deserve to live in peace and they deserve to have access to basic health care. And I'm calling upon the international community and all the people with faith to intervene and stop that and join our team effort and as a (INAUDIBLE) they can join us like PAMA USA. We need help to start that and get medical aid in and make the health care professionals work.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: And Dr. Yousef --

KHELFA: Yeah.

HARLOW: Dr. Yousef Khelfa, that is something President Biden said he had secured agreement from the Egyptian president to get some of this aid in. But you're right -- we have to wait and see when it will actually happen. Time is of the essence.

Thank you for the work you do and for sharing all of that with us this morning.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, for more information about how you can help humanitarian efforts in Israel and Gaza, go to cnn.com/impact or text RELIEF to 707070 to donate.

Well, President Biden is back from his trip to Israel. He will be delivering remarks to the American people in prime time in an address tonight. Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer -- he's going to join us from the White House. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL) ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. I'm Erin Burnett live in Tel Aviv, Israel.

And right now, you can hear sirens here indicating these are the warnings for incoming rockets coming from Gaza. You just heard those sirens here as I began speaking.

President Biden is back in the United States after making his historic trip to Israel and -- there you go. When those sirens happen, as we told you, it's very soon that you then hear those explosions. That looks like it was actually some of them just to the south of us here over the Tel Aviv skyline and some of them, at least -- at least, the kind of ricochet that we're hearing from the Iron Dome. Interceptions are just over the Mediterranean Sea here.

Some context. I was speaking to someone this morning from Thailand who lives here and works here. Lives in a neighborhood outside Tel Aviv. One of the rockets that came in yesterday that broke through the Dome, or pieces of it, hit the apartment building next door with two children -- and some more coming in here -- were shaken as that happened. And, of course, that's happening here.

[07:35:07]

But I want to emphasize what's happening in Gaza is happening without an Iron Dome. And I think it's really important to give that context when we talk about what we're experiencing. It is excruciatingly different there, just miles away.

While in Israel on his visit here, Biden says he has reached a significant breakthrough in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza. The president saying that after a, quote, "very blunt negotiation" the Egyptian President El-Sisi has agreed to allow 20 trucks of humanitarian aid that have been waiting along that border to travel through the Rafah border crossing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you have an opportunity to alleviate the pain, you should do it, period. And if you don't, you're going to lose credibility worldwide. And, uh -- and I think everyone understands that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: All right, Well, here in Israel right now, the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is making a visit of his own today, so he is here as I speak. He is here to show solidarity with Israel. Also, though, to push for a humanitarian corridor into Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The relationship between our two countries has always been strong. But I want you to know at this particular moment you don't just have friendship, you have our solidarity. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNETT: Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian protests continue to grow across the Middle East and around the world. Some of them, of course, outside American embassies. The consulate in Adana, Turkey was closed down -- the U.S. consulate -- after 80,000 people were protesting there.

The demonstrations have ramped up since that hospital explosion in Gaza even though Israel has denied responsibility for the blast and put out data to support that, as the United States has as well.

Poppy, back to you.

HARLOW: Erin, thank you very much. We'll get back to you very soon.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Joining us now from the White House, President Biden's Deputy National Security Adviser, Jon Finer.

Jon, I think just hearing those sirens go off and then the blast very close to where Erin is shows how this is continuing at a rapid clip.

So, the president is addressing the nation tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. What can we expect from him, and will he give any updates that we have not yet had on, for example, the Americans that are believed to be held hostage?

JONATHAN FINER, PRINCIPAL DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Well, I think you can expect a few things from the president tonight.

One, to lay out his view of this extraordinary moment that we are in when it comes to our national security and international stability with a -- with a highlight and a focus obviously on the conflict in Israel and his visit there yesterday, as well as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine after Russia's brutal invasion there.

Second, he will connect those events and this broader moment to the lives of Americans back here and explain why this should matter to us. Why this must matter to us as Americans.

And then third, the importance of American leadership in responding to this moment and the importance of resources to enabling that leadership, which the president has shown in recent days and throughout his tenure.

HARLOW: Speaking of resources, the president pledged $100 million in an aid package to Palestinian civilians -- innocent civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.

How is the United States going to ensure that none of that ends up in the hands of Hamas?

FINER: Well, as you know, this was a primary focus of the president's diplomacy yesterday, both in Israel where he met with the entire Israeli security establishment, but also in his phone conversations with regional leaders, including President El-Sisi of Egypt. Getting assistance into Gaza is a complicated undertaking. It

involves, essentially, securing an understanding among Hamas fighters who control the checkpoints on the other side of the border, among the government of Israel, and among the government of Egypt. And the agreement the president secured will enable these trucks to flow as soon as the roadway can be repaired.

HARLOW: Jon?

FINER: But the president was also quite clear that if this assistance goes in it cannot be misappropriated. It cannot be taken by Hamas fighters for their own purposes. And so we're going to be watching that very closely. It has to get to Palestinian civilians who need it.

HARLOW: It has to. But the question is, from what you just said, is the U.S. then essentially in a position where it has to take the word of Hamas that it will not be taken? I mean, what other guarantee can there be?

FINER: We believe there is an understanding now among all of the players who control that crossing -- the Rafah Crossing in Egypt. President El-Sisi has given his commitment to the president. The Israelis have said that they will permit assistance to go through. So we believe in the next day or so that assistance will start to move.

HARLOW: But what I thought was interesting also from the president's readout of his call with President El-Sisi is the use of the word "in a sustainable manner." That's a quote. That the aid will flow in a sustainable manner. So not just these 20 trucks that are waiting right there.

What does that specifically mean? How much and for how long?

FINER: It means that Gaza is extraordinary -- is experiencing extraordinary hardship and the people there.

[07:40:00]

And by the way, I would point to the comments of your last guest who rightly pointed out that there are families and children, and ordinary residents of Gaza who should enjoy the same basic rights as people everywhere, including here. And they need this assistance in order to just endure the conflict that is underway.

That is going to require a lot more assistance than just a few dozen trucks, and it's going to require it throughout the duration of this conflict. And that's what we will be --

HARLOW: And --

FINER: -- pushing for and trying to ensure --

HARLOW: OK.

FINER: -- is what actually happens.

HARLOW: Well, that's key that you said for the duration of the conflict.

Let me ask you about the canceled part of the trip, which was going to be this summit of Middle Eastern leaders in Jordan.

This is what the Jordanian Foreign Minister said yesterday, and he's talking about the hospital strike that the National Security Council has now come out and said Israel is not responsible for. But here's what he thinks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AYMAN SAFADI, JORDANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Everybody here believes that Israel is responsible for it. The Israeli army is saying it's not. But to be honest, try and find anybody who is going to believe it in this part of the world. People are used to this kind of denying things and then admitting them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: And we saw the protests and continue to see them. Just thousands of people in cities across the Arab world, Jon, yesterday.

How does this complicate matters for the United States in trying to find a solution to this and peace?

FINER: Well, look, I think this is a cautionary note for governments in the region, frankly, for press in responding to each and every twist and turn in this conflict.

HARLOW: Uh-hum.

FINER: And there will be more of these to come.

It is important that people do not react immediately or overreact immediately to first reports in a time of war. We tried not to do that. We tried to take in information, assess what was happening, and then make a considered judgment about culpability and responsibility. We will be sharing that information with our friends and partners in the region. We have shared as much of that information as we can publicly.

But I think there is a lesson here I think for all of us that jumping to conclusions right away when there is war -- when people --

HARLOW: Yeah.

FINER: -- are not present at a lot of these sites can lead to mistaken analysis --

HARLOW: Yeah.

FINER: -- in the first instance that is then --

HARLOW: It --

FINER: -- very difficult to reverse. HARLOW: It's an important point and the White House did take time before coming out and going as far as the NSC went last night. Just to build on what the National Security Council said in terms of they -- the belief is the intelligence is, quote, "Israel is not responsible" for that explosion.

Will the administration be able to determine definitively who launched the rocket, specifically?

FINER: We're going to continue to look at exactly that question.

I will say there are a number of terrorist organizations that operate in Gaza -- Hamas, obviously, the most prominent one -- but there are others, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad as well. And so we will continue to try to attribute this rocket that we believe landed at the hospital to one of these groups but it might take time.

Again, this is a challenging situation without a lot of presence on the ground to go in and gather evidence.

HARLOW: Uh-hum.

FINER: And as we gather more information we will share it.

HARLOW: Yeah, fair enough.

Jon Finer at the White House, thank you -- as we wait for the president's remarks tonight.

FINER: Thank you.

MATTINGLY: Well, there is still deep uncertainty in the House as the speakership appears to slip even further away from Jim Jordan's grasp. There could be another vote today. We are live on the Hill. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL)

[07:45:12]

MATTINGLY: Well, a third vote for the Speaker of the House is possible later today. Jim Jordan failed to win the speakership yesterday faring even worse than he did in his second round than the first round of voting. Yet, he is staying in the race, at least for now, even though there are deep divisions within his conference.

And as Republicans try to find their way out of this standoff, some are pushing to expand the powers of the interim speaker, Patrick McHenry.

Joining us now is CNN congressional correspondent Lauren Fox. Lauren, it seems like Jim Jordan is losing votes by the hour at this point. Is this vote actually going to happen?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that is the major question this morning, Phil, and the answer is that we don't know whether or not Jim Jordan is going to try to take this to the floor for a third time. Patrick McHenry has made clear that is up to Jim Jordan to decide.

But the risk that is posed if he goes back to the floor today is he could lose even more votes than he lost yesterday. He had 20 defections on the first ballot; 22 defections on the second ballot. And the expectation is that he would have even more today if he went to the floor.

So the question looms does he decide to go forward or does he try and continue with a vote? So far, it doesn't seem like that effort has really gotten him anywhere. In fact, you have a number of holdouts who say that they are not going to vote for Jordan no matter what. So it's really hard to imagine, Phil, how he closes this deal.

That means that Republicans really have two options at this point. Do they try to run another candidate? Likely, anyone who would run at this point is not going to have an easy time getting 217 votes. It's really not even clear if anyone in the Republican Conference could get 217 votes at this point.

The other option, as you mentioned, would be empowering Patrick McHenry. McHenry has said repeatedly he is focused on getting Jim Jordan elected.

But at what point does the Republican Conference say enough is enough? We have to govern. We have a deadline coming up on November 17 to fund the government. We have to do something for Israel. We have to do something for Ukraine.

Those are the Republican voices right now that are really driving the train on the effort to try and empower McHenry in short order. But again, McHenry has a very delicate balance here because he has to let Jim Jordan decide for himself when it's time to call it quits -- Phil.

MATTINGLY: All right. Lauren Fox for us at the Capitol. Thank you.

In the next hour, we're going to talk to Republican Congressman Mike Lawler. He's one of the Republicans who voted against Jim Jordan both times.

HARLOW: Here in New York, an iconic Jewish deli vandalized -- a swastika on the building. And in France, police say there have been more than 320 antisemitic attacks since the Hamas attacks on October 7. That is close to how many that country saw in all of last year.

(COMMERCIAL)

[07:52:08]

BURNETT: As the war here in Israel continues in its second week and as pro-Palestinian protests are now happening around the world, a swastika graffiti was found scrawled on the wall of a building housing one of New York City's iconic Jewish delis. The picture that you're seeing here was posted on Instagram. And in the comments of the post was an outpouring of support for the deli, which was founded all the way back in 1954.

But there has been an increase in antisemitic acts in so many countries -- the United States as well as around the world, including in France where incidents have surged since the Hamas attacks here in Israel. French officials have recorded hundreds of them -- hundreds -- and say that online -- there's an online reporting platform now that has received over 3,000 instances of antisemitic behavior just in the past two weeks alone.

So I want to go to Melissa Bell because she's there in Paris. Melissa, what are you seeing?

MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erin, you have to bear in mind that France has not only one of the world's largest Jewish populations but actually, also Europe's largest Muslim population. And whenever there is an uptick of tension in the Middle East it is very keenly felt in communities in France -- many of them coexisting in very similar neighborhoods.

This time has proven no exception. And what we're seeing Europe-wide is a substantial uptick in those tensions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BELL (voice-over): Under the cover of darkness hate crimes caught on tape. Red paint dobbed across the front of two Jewish schools in the United Kingdom. Hate spreading from the Middle East after the brutal Hamas attacks of October 7.

YONATHAN ARFI, PRESIDENT, REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL OF FRENCH JEWISH INSTITUTIONS: Today, the violence is starting in the Middle East. We are starting to have antisemitic incidents in France.

BELL (voice-over): As elsewhere in Europe.

On Tuesday, an attempted arson attack on a Berlin synagogue. In France, 327 antisemitic acts since the Hamas attacks compared to 436 for the whole of 2022. And in the United Kingdom, 320 antisemitic incidents since the attacks -- a fifth of last year's official total in just 10 days.

EAMONN O'BRIEN, GREATER MANCHESTER COMBINED AUTHORITY, UK: We're trying to address both those real issues and the fear of it -- which, as I say, is sort of ever-present in many of our Jewish communities.

BELL (voice-over): The response from Western European governments has been uncompromising.

SUNAK: I promise you I will stop at nothing to keep you safe.

BELL (voice-over): France's interior minister vowing that no one will touch a single hair of a Jew. And the German chancellor describing antisemitism as contemptuous and abhorrent.

In France and Germany, pro-Palestinian protests went ahead despite bans that were aimed at preventing antisemitic acts. [07:55:05]

ARFI: When I see the demonstrations in American cities on American campuses I feel a fear as a Jew. Being -- feeling something hostile toward me.

BELL (voice-over): For France's Jewish community, the largest in the world after the U.S. and Israel, the attacks of the last few years, some by Islamists, have all too often been far too personal.

On Friday, a public high school teacher was killed by a former student in an attack linked by the government to the conflict in Israel -- not an act of antisemitism yet a measure of rising tensions the Jews in France and elsewhere in Europe are watching with a wary and fearful eye.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNETT: Well, today, four French airports have evacuated after bomb threats as well, Melissa. I mean, after eight airports in France were forced to evacuate yesterday for security reasons. And I know even at Versailles it was evacuated for security reasons for the third time in less than a week. I mean, these are pretty scary things to be happening and at such scale.

What is -- what is actually going on, Melissa?

BELL: I think what's been remarkable to watch this time, Erin, is just how quickly the tensions as they rose in the Middle East rose here immediately afterwards.

We saw with that attack last week on that school teacher in which he was killed and a couple of other teaching staff were several injured by a former student. Immediately afterwards, the terror threat level here in France was raised to its highest possible level.

And as you say, we've had a series of incidents since -- a measure, really, of that tension. The move of closing Versailles as well. The airports closing day after day. The country is very much on edge.

And bear in mind that this is a country that has a very recent and very bloody history of terror attacks. And you can feel on the streets of Paris a substantial police presence --

BURNETT: Right.

BELL: -- there as well, Erin, to reassure people that this is in hand.

BURNETT: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, obviously, remembering the horrific Bataclan and what that city was like in those days as we were all there.

Thank you so much, Melissa Bell -- Phil.

MATTINGLY: The U.S intelligence officials have been briefing lawmakers as to why they are confident Israel is not to blame for Tuesday's deadly blast at a hospital in Gaza. We're also learning new details about just how prepared Hamas was for its attack on Israel.

Retired four-star general and former CIA director David Petraeus joins us next. Stay with us.

[08:00:00]