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Israel & UAE Establish "Full Normalization of Relations"; Demonstrators in Belarus Released from Detention Say They Were Tortured; Trump Repeats Call to Reopen Schools Despite Surge in Cases; CNN Speaks to Jimmy Lai; U.S. Military COVID-19 Cases Spike in South Korea. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired August 14, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:36]
HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: A historic deal or a royal betrayal depends who you ask. The UAE becomes the first Gulf nation to normalize relations with
Israel.
Then this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dr. Anthony Fauci raising concerns about disturbing trends in parts of the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: From education to tourism, pandemic politics is polarizing every aspect of our lives.
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY LAI, MEDIA TYCOON: It's very stupid to think that Hong Kong can be independent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: CNN speaks to media tycoon Jimmy Lai who was arrested earlier this week over the Beijing-imposed national security law.
(MUSIC)
GORANI: Welcome, everybody, to the program. This is CONNECT THE WORLD.
We do not have the coronavirus under control. That is from the United States top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci.
The latest dire warning coming as the Democratic ticket puts beating the pandemic at the top of their agenda. Democrat Joe Biden and his newly
announced running mate Kamala Harris again stressed the lack of leadership from their perspective coming from the president, Donald Trump, with Biden
urging for a nationwide mandate on masks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESUMPTIVE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Every single American should be wearing a mask when they're outside for the next three
months at a minimum. Every governor should mandate -- every governor should mandate mandatory mask wearing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, right now, at least 38 states in America have some kind of mask mandate in place. From the pandemic though to a crippling economy to
racial injustice, there is so much going on in the United States right now. Foreign policy though perhaps not a major talking point for most voters
this year, but it did come front and center yesterday when President Donald Trump announced that surprise deal between Israel and the United Arab
Emirates.
Here's what the president said to applause in the oval office yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a truly historic moment. Not since the Israel/Jordan peace treaty was signed, more than 25
years ago, has so much progress been made towards peace in the Middle East.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, as you might expect, whether or not you believe the deal is truly historic is open for debate. But it does make the UAE only the third
country in the Arab world and the first in the Gulf region to normalize relations with Israel.
So the White House is touting it as a big win. And so is Israel's prime minister, who like President Trump is under intense political pressure at
home.
Here's what Benjamin Netanyahu said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Israel and the UAE are two of the most advanced countries in the world. Together, we will transform the
region and forge an even better future for our people. This is a future of peace, a future of security, and a future of prosperity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, the Palestinian reaction very different, as you might expect. The Palestinian president blasted the UAE for what he calls a
betrayal of Jerusalem. Iran and Turkey also condemned the deal, but Oman, the Gulf nation Oman is supporting the UAE. Egypt and Jordan also have
diplomatic relations with Israel. Egypt is praising the deal and Jordan is striking a cautious tone.
Our senior international correspondent Sam Kiley is normally based in the UAE. Today, he joins us from Lebanon.
So is this deal significant or is it just kind of rubber stamping a relationship that Israel and the UAE had been working on for quite some
time already?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a bit of both, Hala. You're absolutely right. This is something that had been going
on for some time. They had been playing diplomatic footsy that led to -- before this announcement, an announcement a few weeks of a cooperation in
terms of developing an anti-COVID vaccine.
[10:05:10]
At the same time, the Emiratis have purchased Israeli software, particularly for surveillance in the past. They're very keen to establish
via the United States probably initially links in that realm. The Israelis, alongside the Americans produced sort of the military equipment that the
Emiratis want to get their hands on. They are after all involved in operations to a greater or lesser extent in Yemen or rather Yemen they
pulled out. But in Libya they have been active and they are increasingly active around the world.
So in that context, this really does establish in law what had been going on somewhat behind the scenes. But it goes a lot further than the
flirtation they have been having into the arrangement, the deal between the two. It's really at every level cultural, airlines, economic, the
development of technologies and so on.
So it is a real development from the Emirati perspective, they're delighted with it as is indeed the Israelis. The Palestinians, of course, have
condemned it. Not only does it merely suspend the plans of Benjamin Netanyahu to promise -- promises he's made in fact to annex large arias of
the West Bank, but no mention even of a cessation of the settlements on the West Bank. Excuse me, Hala.
So, in that context, it really brings the Palestinians back to the status quo and to having in their view lost the leverage of the Emiratis perhaps
with Israelis. The Emirati argument is very clear. They will have more leverage with the Israelis if they have formal diplomatic relations. They
don't have to be very deeply friendly. They can be influential though, particularly as they are the only one in the Gulf -- in that position at
the moment.
GORANI: All right. Sam Kiley, thanks very much. Coming to us live from Beirut with more on the significance and the implications of the deal.
We're covering this from every angle. I'll be speaking to Palestinian officials a little bit later. In the meantime, though, CNN Abu Dhabi's
managing editor, Becky Anderson, spoke with the UAE minister for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, shortly after this deal was announced. She asked
him why the UAE decided now was the time to do this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANWAR BIN MOHAMMED GARGASH, UAE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: So there was a long I would say internal dialogue and the dialogue also with
Americans of how can we do it, is it the right moment? And I think we think it's never a right moment. There's never a right moment, but at the same
time, if we really get this commitment, it will be like defusing a time bomb in the two-state solution.
As I said, ultimately the solution is in the hands of the Palestinians and in the hands of the Israelis and we urge them to go back to the negotiating
table. We know that prospects are dim right now. But we hope that through this we can actually achieve something.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ABU DHABI MANAGING EDITOR: The Israelis have said that they are suspending annexation at this point. Not stopping annexation. What
do you understand to be the situation? Is this just a short-term freeze and if so what happens next?
GARGASH: This is not a forever suspension. But I don't see it as a short- term thing. I think for different considerations, Becky. I think the Americans are part of this trilateral arrangement and I think this is
something that is positive.
I think the whole issue of establishing relations with Israel is a process. Israel has a vested interest, that this process is a successful one. And I
think for Israel to try and build confidence with moderate Arab countries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, the foreign minister just pointed out the new agreement leaves a big elephant in the room, which is how long will Israel keep the
annexation on hold? It's still on the table, the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, said yesterday. Even though the U.S. president in a
news conference in the briefing room said it was off the table. So these are two very different messages.
Now, on Thursday's announcement, the White House dodged that question as I mentioned. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JARED KUSHNER, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR ADVISER: The suspension will last -- it's going to take a while for these agreements to get fully enforced and
to go and I think that right now, the focus that Israel is going to be applying is towards building this relationship.
[10:10:02]
The opportunities that are now created because of this from an investment point of view, from the innovation point of view, from the health point of
view, from the tourism point of view and most importantly to both countries from a security point of view are very robust, and I do believe that for
the foreseeable future, you're going to see both countries focusing on that. I also think that Israel sees a lot of exciting opportunity in doing
what's being done today with other Arab and Muslim countries as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So this was Jared Kushner, the White House's senior adviser.
I'm joined by Ronen Bergman. He's coming to us from Israel. He's a staff writer for "The New York Times Magazine" and an author of multiple books
about the region and also wrote the story on this, or helped write the story on this for "The New York Times."
Thanks, Ronen, for being with us.
There have been unofficial visits by Israeli officials to the UAE for quite some time in the lead-up to this deal. Tell us more about your reporting on
this.
RONEN BERGMAN, STAFF WRITER, THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE: Yeah, the last year was significant though. It was not created in the last year. They have
been in mainly secret contact by the Mossad, Israeli foreign intelligence agency, throughout the last two decades with many Gulf States and others
and other moderate state based on mutual interests against Iran, against international terrorism.
But I think what Netanyahu -- Prime Minister Netanyahu has tried to do in the last decade was to bring this covert relationship into the open,
proving his point that he's able to negotiate peace in the Middle East without the Palestinians. That he's able to close the deal with other
countries. Arab countries, without establishing a Palestinian state.
This is the reason why the Palestinians are so upset, during the last year, negotiation intensified on the question of becoming -- of making this
public and the traveling -- the extensive traveling of the head of the Mossad back and forth to the UAE at the end of that provided the deal and
the deal is when the UAE is treating Israel as a legitimate partner and a neighbor in the Middle East, while Israel -- this was the main demand from
the UAE, is sacrificing something. I think the sacrifice here was really, really minor from the point of view of Netanyahu because he didn't mean to
annex anything any way.
So, the deal was give us the annexation and get legitimatization.
GORANI: Yeah. No, I mean, you mention the fact that the annexation wasn't something. I mean, is this an out for him? He wasn't really planning on
annexing anything. De facto, the West Bank is under Israel control and settlement expansion continues.
So, here he gets the diplomatic win. The UAE gets an economic relationship with Israel. Trump gets a diplomatic coup. But the Palestinians get
nothing.
BERGMAN: Yeah. Again, the Palestinians are the victims or the -- those who are being forgotten all the time. I think that the -- even one said the
Israeli famous for the Palestinians do not miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. I think the Middle East does not miss an opportunity to miss
an opportunity for the Palestinians.
And I think the Palestinians should reconsider how they manage their business in the Middle East and how they negotiate who is an honest broker,
who is not -- where do they put the leverage, who is the leader, by the way, because I think Abu Mazen in the last -- almost two decades since he
took over from Yasser Arafat, who's not able to provide the Palestinians with what they had and they cannot just blame it on everybody, it's also a
question of how they perform.
But what proof yesterday is that from the point of view from the many Arab states, the cooperation with Israel against Iran, the alignment with the
United States with the beneficial -- to the economic beneficial is more important than the Palestinian deal. There was the Palestinian issue.
There was many -- and for many in Israel for a long time thought that it wouldn't be any transfer from the covert to the overt part of the
relationship with these countries in the Gulf until the Palestinian deal is sealed -- well, it proved to be wrong.
GORANI: Right. Absolutely. For certain these Gulf countries, their mistrust, their concern, their fear about Iranian expansion trumps
everything else. Thank you very much, Ronen Bergman.
BERGMAN: Thank you.
GORANI: Joining us now from Rosh Pinna, Israel.
Turning now to those mass detentions of protesters in Belarus, we're hearing stories of torture and humiliation in government custody. Some of
the demonstrators who have been released describe horrific conditions, the guards withholding food, water, medical help.
Look at these images.
[10:15:01]
They're horrific. These are people who said they have been released from custody and who were beaten.
They report hearing screams from people being beaten to the point of broken bones. Outrage over those claims is fuelling the ongoing protests.
Our Fred Pleitgen joins us live from Minsk with more.
Talk to us about some of these horrific reports of torture and abuse and detention, Fred.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Hala. I mean, those reports certainly is what's driving a lot of people to
actually come back on to the streets. I think one of the things that the Lukashenko government wanted to do is scare people away from the protests.
But as you can see, right now, there are actually thousands of people who have come out here into the center of Minsk. This is first time they have
been able to enter the central of Minsk in several days.
So, you're really seeing the protesters score a big victory, being able to come here and protest in a peaceful way after there was so much outrage at
some of the images we saw, some of the things that we heard from people who were beaten. Some of the women who say they were forced to strip. People
humiliated on state TV which caused a lot of anger that is now halting protests like these.
Here's what we're seeing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The Belarusian opposition is coming out in full force. Thousands of people lining the streets of the capital Minsk,
peacefully calling for change while hoping things don't take a turn for the worse.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He should go away. Otherwise, he'll be -- it will be a civil war in our country. It's very scary because the Belarusians are
very peaceful people.
PLEITGEN: The protesters answer to a recent government crackdown holding up flowers as motorists honk in support.
(on camera): Despite the repression, despite the use of stun grenades, tear gas, the mask arrests and the beatings, the opposition is still coming
out. Their action now is more decentralized with marches like this one seemingly popping up out of nowhere to avoid the security forces.
(voice-over): Belarusian police and army units beat down crowds protesting the recent contested presidential election detaining thousands. State TV
parading and humiliating some of those arrested on air.
Many remain missing, possibly incarcerated here, the central detention facility where hundreds have been waiting outside hoping for any
information about the fate of their loved ones.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to understand that people like being beaten up, tortured, from the moment when they are detained, in the streets, then
they're taken to the local police station. They're beaten -- they're being beaten there and then they bring them either to here after maybe a day or
two and the beatings and tortures, they continue.
PLEITGEN: Strongman Alexander Lukashenka, who's ruled Belarus for around 26 years, claimed he won last Sunday's election, garnering 80 percent of
the vote. His opponent, opposition icon Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, has since had to flee the country.
The U.S. and E.U. have heavily criticized the election and at night in Minsk, many people are coming out and saying they believe the vote was
rigged and they won't take it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Once you want to be heard, when we -- nobody hears us, nobody sees us. Everybody will just realize it does not exist here
because we want changes. We want to just try to live another way. Not being afraid of the police.
PLEITGEN: The opposition is demanding talks and a new transparent election and they say the demonstrations won't stop until change happens.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN: It certainly seems to us, Hala, as though the opposition has really scored a big victory, with the big march. In fact, this march which
is the biggest I have seen since we got here, certainly the biggest one in the last couple of days, actually marched past the headquarters of the
intelligence service of this country which is something that would have been absolutely unheard of just a day ago or a couple of hours ago.
So it really seems right now a lot of people have lost their fear and also one of the things we're seeing right now is actual security forces, as,
again, Alexander Lukashenka says he's still in power, but certainly from the vantage point seems to be fading by the minute, Hala.
GORANI: All right. Fred Pleitgen live in Minsk, Belarus, thanks very much for that coverage.
Those demonstrators as Fred said apparently losing their fear. They're out in the open. They're demonstrating in large numbers. We will keep our eye
on that story.
The latest on the pandemic after the break. The Centers for Disease Control in the U.S. warning schools not to reopen too soon. President Trump though
says go ahead, open now. The latest on COVID-19 in America coming up.
And the U.K. is removing France from its list of safe destinations. Coming up, the new travel measures go into effect that may be affecting your
plans.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:22:24]
GORANI: Concerns are mounting in the United States over what critics call a blatant attempt to suppress the voting rights of the American people.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump once again pushed false claims about mail-in voting after making this stunning admission.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They want $25 billion -- billion -- for the post office. Now they need that money in order to have
the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots. Now, in the meantime, they aren't getting there. By the way, those
are two items but if they don't get the two items that means you can't have universal mail-in voting because they're not equipped to have it. If we
don't make a deal that means they don't get the money and can't have universal mail-in voting.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
GORANI: The president is saying out loud that -- the things that people would normally say quietly, right? If they don't get the money, they can't
do the job of getting all these mail in ballots to the voting centers.
Meanwhile, records show that both Mr. Trump and his wife Melania have requested mail-in ballots for Florida's primary election next week.
Meanwhile, leading infectious disease expert in the U.S., Dr. Anthony Fauci, says he's not pleased with how things are going with the COVID-19
pandemic. For the past three weeks the U.S. has averaged more than 1,000 deaths a day. The death toll now stands at more than 167,000 people. Dr.
Fauci warns if the country fails to get the virus under control, the consequences could be devastating.
CNN's Rosa Flores reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The nation's top health officials admitting they're disappointed with the U.S. response to the
coronavirus pandemic.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Bottom line is, I'm not pleased with how things are going.
DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, CDC DIRECTOR: This is the greatest public health crisis to hit this country in a decade. We were underprepared.
FLORES: This as President Trump repeatedly his call for schools to reopen.
TRUMP: We don't want the schools to shut down. We want the schools to open, but especially very young children handle it very well. So, we want
schools open.
FLORES: The CDC director says there should not be a rush for children to return to the classroom, especially in communities with high rates of
infection.
REDFIELD: We don't want to pressure anybody. The timing of that is going to have to be decided one school at a time.
FLORES: But in Tampa, Florida, the Hillsborough County school superintendent says his district was pressured into switching to in-person
learning after announcing the first four weeks of classes would be online. The Florida Department of Education denies rejecting the district's
reopening proposals.
Meanwhile, the NCAA canceled all fall division I championships except for FBS football.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Touchdown, Mustangs.
FLORES: Just hours before the first high school football game in the country took place in Utah.
DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, NCAA COVID-19 ADVISORY PANEL MEMBER: We delay it a little bit, not only can we bring the infection rate down, but we can have
better testing. At the end of the day it's not about what happens in the field but what happens outside the field.
FLORES: In Texas, testing numbers have been trending downward. And the state's positivity rate spiked to nearly 25 percent on Tuesday.
GOV. GREGG ABBOTT (R), TEXAS: This is something that the department of state and health services is investigating. We have far more daily testing
capacity than there are testing being undertaken.
FLORES: There's a slowdown in testing across Florida. As it announced over 6,300 new cases Thursday.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R), FLORIDA: We're testing a lot and a reason why some of the sites aren't doing as much is because people aren't going as much as
they used to.
FLORES: Dr. Anthony Fauci says these trends are concerning signs for the future.
FAUCI: This is the thing that's disturbing to me, is that we're starting to see the inkling of the upticks in the percent of the tests that are
positive which we know now from sad past experience that that's a predictor that you're going to have more surges.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Thank you, Rosa Flores, for that that report.
Like education, tourism is another sector severely impacted by the pandemic. The U.K. has added France to its quarantine list as coronavirus
cases rise all across Europe. Meaning travelers entering the U.K. from France if this is a plan you had in the future, well, you have to self-
isolate for 14 days inside the U.K. That is because France's recent spike in COVID-19 cases has caused concern.
France is saying, well, we'll take reciprocal measures.
Jim Bittermann joins us from Paris as the quarantine measures get ready to take effect.
So what does this mean in practice for people traveling between the two countries?
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it can probably mean a lot of hardship I think for people that are traveling if
they want to be traveling because it's not a point just to Brits. It's anybody going back and forth between Britain and France.
Now, the French have not clarified what the reciprocal action is going to. But on the British side, it's quite clear, if you're going into Britain
after tomorrow morning you have to quarantine for 14 days.
So there has been today a rush to the airports, to the 30 terminals to the euro star by Brits and other people who want to get to Britain before that
quarantine goes into effect. It's a rush, but not that big of a rush. The ferry operators tell us they had a doubling in reservations in a few hours.
We had a producer over a little bit ago and she said things did not look that bad at the Eurostar terminal. People are waiting in line for the
Eurostar, there weren't that many people waiting in line at the Eurostar terminal.
So in any case, it does not look as if -- like a huge rush, but there are people trying to get back and trying to get across the channel before these
measures go into effect, Hala.
GORANI: And what about the reciprocal measures from France? What are we -- what are we expecting and what impact will that have on tourism for a
country that really relies on that tourism revenue?
BITTERMANN: Well, I think it's going to -- long term it will have a big impact. In fact, the ferry operators have already said that while this --
they may appreciate the fact they'll get a lot of business in the next few days of people trying to get back and forth, all long-term if this goes on
for any length of time, it will be a disaster because there won't be people willing to quarantine for 14 days.
We don't know what the rules are going to be on this side yet. But we're expecting that it will be a voluntary quarantine, probably 14 days if it is
indeed a reciprocal action. I should say that in fact the numbers here in France while they have been spiking upwards have not been spiking upwards
that much compared to some other countries in Europe. It was kind of a surprise that the British imposed this on France and a really electroshock
as one of the people put it -- Hala.
GORANI: Got it.
All right. Jim Bittermann, thanks very much, in sunny Paris.
Up next, is it a diplomatic breakthrough or a devastating betrayal? I'll be putting those questions to the head of the Foundation for Ethnic
Understanding about this new Israel/UAE deal.
Plus, Iran extends a helping hand to Lebanon. What Iran's foreign minister says about what's going on there?
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:32:22]
GORANI: Let's dig deeper now into our top story. Israel agreeing to suspend the next annexing parts of the West Bank and what's being called a
historic peace deal with the United Arab Emirates. The Trump White House, which brokered the agreement, is selling it as a big win, and yesterday's
announcement comes months before the U.S. election.
President Trump hopes to take foreign policy bows, but remember U.S. voters are coping with a lot at home. There's a raging pandemic and millions of
people no longer who have a job. So the Middle East might not be that strong on their radar.
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also looking for kudos from the deal. He may be trying to follow in the footsteps of other Israeli
leaders. Yitzhak Rabin, for instance, he struck peace accords with former bitter enemies, Egypt and Jordan, though those two countries were actively
in a state of war with Israel. That was not the case for the UAE, where rapprochement had been in the cards for quite some time.
Now, this means that the UAE gets to play peacemaker in the region which observers say is potentially hungry for more stability. While some nations
like Egypt and the U.K. have cheered the deal as a step closer to overall peace. The Palestinians are furious, they're calling the agreement a
betrayal of the Palestinian cause.
Becky Anderson has been talking with the E.U. foreign affairs minister, Anwar Gargash.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARGASH: We are committed to seeing an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as the capital of that. That is our political commitment. But on
the other hand, I think we, as part of the Arab world, we have been a big supporter historically of the Palestinian politically, financially,
otherwise.
We have also seen that with no communication, no links, we don't really have leverage. And I think by creating communications and links, we are
more able to have leverage and to influence. Again, the UAE is not ensuring that that the two state solution road is going -- is alive and well and so
on and so forth. That's up to the Palestinians and the Israelis.
But we saw an opportunity and that opportunity was to buy time, to try and avoid the worst case scenario, which is the early death of the two-state
solution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[10:35:00]
GORANI: All right. Rabbi Marc Schneier has been working with the leaders in the Gulf for the last ten years. He's the president for the Foundation
of the Ethnic Understanding. And he joins me now live.
Rabbi, you wrote an op-ed in Arab News and you said we'll see at least one more Gulf state established relations with Israel this year.
Could you expand on that?
RABBI MARC SCHNEIER, PRESIDENT, THE FOUNDATION OF ETHNIC UNDERSTANDING: My front page op-ed in Arab News I believe by the end of 2020, we'll see if
not one, but two Gulf States that will normalize relations with Israel, where in the midst of the very healthy competition, it's like a horse race.
There are six Gulf States that are going to cross the finish line. UAE won yesterday. I believe behind UAE is Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar.
Kuwait is lagging behind.
But I do believe that Bahrain very well could be the next state to normalize relations with Israel.
GORANI: All right. And let's talk -- because what we're showing here are images from east Jerusalem of Palestinians extremely unhappy with this
deal. They believe that the UAE stabbed them in the back. They're getting nothing out of this and that annexation suspended, not halted entirely, is
quite meaningless.
What would you tell them?
SCHNEIER: -- for the Palestinians, unfortunately, you know, their reaction is very similar to what I witnessed last June in Bahrain at the Peace and
Prosperity Conference, despite the representatives of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, of course, Bahrain gathered with the Israeli delegation to try and
bring economic opportunities and empowerment to the Palestinian people.
They should be grateful to the UAE. UAE singlehandedly rescued the two- state solution. Once there would have been annexation, the two-state solution is off the table. So if anything, I think they should be overjoyed
today and appreciate the historic role that UAE played here in normalizing ties with Israel.
GORANI: But you think they should be joyful at the situation they find themselves in today because they would argue there are settlers on land
that is meant to be used in a future Palestinian state. They won't get east Jerusalem. They have no self-determination, no autonomy, no control over
many of the roads crossing through the West Bank and you believe they should be joyful?
SCHNEIER: Yes. Your point about the Saudi peace initiative, known as the Arab League Initiative in 2002, there was a -- that there would be a
swapping of lands. There are settlements in the West Bank that Israel would return the equal proportion of those lands, you know?
I think this is a time of economic empowerment and opportunity and I witnessed firsthand last year in Bahrain, that the Gulf states today
recognize that they have skin in the game. They need to be directly involved in bringing the economic opportunities and empowerment to the
Palestinian people.
That's the direction that this movement of reconciliation is moving towards and I think it's another step in a very, very positive direction and very
important journey.
GORANI: All right. Thank you for joining us, Rabbi Schneier, for your views, the president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding. We will be
speaking to a Palestinian official a little bit later in this program for their perspective.
Let's get you up to speed on some other stories that are on our regional radar right now.
You know, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif is in Beirut discussing how his country can help rebuild Beirut after the massive explosion at the port
there. You have this kind of sort of tension in the region, illustrated with the visit here. This is the Iranian influence appearing in Beirut.
Zarif stressed that the Lebanese should be the only ones making decisions about the future government, though, of course, Iran very much supports
Hezbollah, the militia group, the government resigned last week.
Also among the other stories we're following. Afghanistan has started releasing Taliban prisoners as part of that deal to begin negotiations to
end a decades-long conflict. The first 80 of the 400 prisoners were released yesterday. Peace talks are expected to begin in Qatar within a
week of the release of the last prisoners.
Still to come, CNN speaks with billionaire media mogul Jimmy Lai about his recent arrest under Hong Kong's new controversial national security law. Do
stay tuned for that.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:42:28]
GORANI: You are looking at the direct effects of Hong Kong's new national security law. You see billionaire media mogul Jimmy Lai who is being led
away, taken into custody. Local police said he's been accused of colluding with foreign forces. At least nine others were also arrested on Monday
under the controversial new law. Two of Lai's sons were among them.
Jimmy Lai is the founder of the newspaper "Apple Daily", which has been fiercely critical of Beijing. Police raided the headquarters Monday as they
took him into custody. But the newspaper is refusing to bow to pressure.
You see staff welcoming Mr. Lai back to work after he was released on bail. It says it ramped up production this week eight-fold.
CNN's Will Ripley sat down with Lai to talk about the recent arrest and what is next for Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIMMY LAI, PRO-DEMOCRACY MEDIA MOGUL, HONG KONG: It is very stupid to think that Hong Kong can be independent, when they can send troops to, you
know, to canned you down in three hours. You know, this is not possible.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, you are going on the record saying, you are not pushing for independence, but you want people to have the
right.
LAI: To keep the rule of law and the freedom we have.
RIPLEY: And the right to say what they want?
LAI: Yes, exactly, you know, the freedom of speech. I don't associate with the independent camp. Not at all. I never have.
RIPLEY: Did you meet with U.S. officials at the consulate in other places, as China alleges? And you know try to encourage U.S. officials in
Washington, did you have a live connections in the states to sanction Hong Kong government leaders and what not?
LAI: Well, I did not do it in person. But in the interview, I did it, say, you know, that the only hope that we can get from is the U.S. you know, and
when they asked that whether the U.S. should revoke the special status of Hong Kong, I said, that is senseless. You know, what you should do is to
sanction China.
RIPLEY: Do you feel that some aspects of the pro-democracy movement have pushed China too far and lost?
LAI: Well, you can say that we brought China too far. We never burned Hong Kong (ph), we never looted the shops --
(CROSSTALK)
RIPLEY: Some people destroyed property, things along those lines.
LAI: But yes, but that is a very small scale compare with what your riots now in the U.S. It's a very small scale.
RIPLEY: There hasn't been a significant protest since this law was passed, even when there were calls for people to come out. People didn't in large
numbers.
[10:45:00]
LAI: Yes, because of this law, people won't dare to come out. Only those very hard-core supporters of the movement came out.
RIPLEY: So, has China already won in that regard?
LAI: I think China already won with intimidation. The effect is a very strong already. You know, some people left, or are leaving. Many have
sidestepped the movement. And what have left of those hard cores like myself?
RIPLEY: I know your own children were among the group who are arrested. So, you are a parent and you obviously support the involvement of your own
children, but for somebody who may not have the money, or whose family may not have the money to defend themselves legally, do you think it's a good
idea to go out there, and still call for democracy and independence, if they now face the risk under this law?
LAI: I think it is a good idea, anytime, any situation that you are in, to fight for your freedom. Because without freedom, you have nothing left.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Jimmy Lai speaking to CNN.
Back to COVID, South Korea is seeing a jump in cases. More than 100,000 cases were reported on Thursday -- 100, not 100,000, apologies were
reported on Thursday alone.
You can see the spike is much higher than it consistently has been, if you take a look at the graph. 85 of those cases were from community
transmission, but imported cases are also an issue. American troops transferring to South Korea now face a 14-day quarantine after dozens
tested positive upon arrival.
Here's CNN's Paula Hancocks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Keeping fit with a five- month-old baby is a challenge. Working out when you whole family is in isolation with coronavirus is something else. Sarah and Lincoln Henjum,
their infant and one of their 6-year-old twins tested positive shortly after arriving in South Korea from the United States. They are among of
thousands of military personnel switching in and out of the country this summer.
MAJ. LINCOLN HENJUM, U.S. FORCES KOREA: My wife has a little bit of chest congestion. So she's coughing a little bit. And myself, I just have a weird
sense of taste. So everything I eat or drink tastes like burnt bread.
HANCOCKS: And they're all staying in two rooms in a special isolation facility on base, along with the family dog.
HENJUM: So that's my son's bed here. All the beds are twins. And then there's my bed over here.
HANCOCKS (on camera): How are the children coping? I mean, how are you keeping them busy?
HENJUM: We do get one hour of outside time between 3:00 and 4:00. We play kickball. We play some tag. We walk the dog a little bit.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Not the best start to a new posting but not unusual either. U.S. forces Korea say of 152 positive cases the vast majority have
been incoming personnel since June when the Pentagon started to lift transfer and travel restrictions.
The U.S. military in Japan is facing a similar challenge.
COL. LEE PETERS, U.S. FORCES KOREA SPOKESPERSON: When they come here, we can't control what happened where there at. We can control upon their
arrival here.
HANCOCKS: The U.S. military insists once they're personnel land, they enter and remain in a bubble.
COL. MICHAEL TREMBLAY, COMMANDER, U.S. ARMY GARRISON HUMPHREYS: Depart the direct bus right from the airport. We're going to walk into the reception
center, wash their hands. They signed in so we make a clear accountability of everyone we have here.
HANCOCKS: After a short briefing they have their first coronavirus test.
DR. ANDREW OH, MEDICAL DEPARTMENT ACTIVITY COMMAND KOREA: They sit down like this soldier is doing, fills this out and then we're preparing to do
laboratory sample which is behind you.
HANCOCKS: From there straight into special quarantine quarters for 14 days.
PETERS: Nobody is exempt, I mean, from a private to three-star general. Everybody goes through the quarantine process.
HANCOCKS: Everyone is allowed 90 minutes a day outside so long as a social distance. Colonel Peters says the second test before being released from
quarantine is key. A fifth of those who tested positive then had no symptoms at all. The USFK says they haven't had a single local transmission
case in more than 3 months. All cases have been reported.
But the Henjum family, all they can do now is play games, watch television, work out and wait for recovery.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Pyeongtaek, South Korea.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: We'll have sports news after the break. Stay with us. We'll be right back. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:50:52]
GORANI: Well, it's been a busy week for football in Europe and Don Riddell joins us for more on that.
And I'm told RB Leipzig had a good day.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah, rather good day. Thanks, Hala.
If you think that RB Leipzig have come out of nowhere to reach the semifinals then you're kind of right. The German team was only founded 11
years ago and they knocked out one of the most established teams on the continent, Atletico Madrid, and next, they're playing the team with the
deepest pockets Paris Saint-Germain.
There was a header there, and remember, that player has played in two of the last six finals. They would have fancied themselves to get close given.
Felix who had good moments he converted a penalty that brought Atletico back into the game. It was all for naught, though, with just two minutes
remaining, it led to the mid-fielder, Tyler Adams on the edge of the area. He pulled the trigger and the ball deflected into the back of the net.
That is a huge achievement for RB Leipzig, let's see if they can do it again on Tuesday against the Neymar and Mbappe and the Mighty PSG.
Today's quarterfinal is a clash between two European heavyweights, Barcelona and Bayern Munich have each won the European Cup five times.
Bayern have won the last eight games in the competition. While Barcelona are making a 14th consecutive appearance in the quarterfinals.
Bayern are considered to be the favorites here, but Barcelona are not too bothered about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARTURO VIDAL, PLAYED FOR BAYERN MUNICH FROM 2015-2018: Yes, I heard that. But I haven't paid it much attention because I know the people at Bayern,
the players and I think what is being said isn't what the players think. Obviously, they are really confident that they're not playing any old team
in the Bundesliga. They're playing against Barcelona, the best team in the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: OK. No matter how strong the athlete or how successful and how revered their careers will come to an end at some point. They all imagine
how it will end. Hopefully on their own terms, basking in the adulation of the fans but that's no longer possible during a global pandemic.
And after a glittery career, the UFC star Daniel Cormier is preparing to bring down the curtain in an empty room. But as he told me this week, he
can still go out on a high because he's fighting his own old foe for the heavyweight title.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIEL CORMIER, FORMER UFC CHAMPION: It's good, but it's also -- it's sad a little bit, right? Everybody's came comes to an end. I don't think you
ever meet a professional athlete that truly wants to walk away, but you have to understand that there's a time for everything. You know?
At 41 years old, I get to fight for the heavyweight championship in the world. I couldn't have imagined going out with a better -- in a better
situation and becoming a champion again. So it's -- it's bittersweet but I think when you start thinking negative, it's when you become overwhelmed
with sadness. I look forward to the next chapter, which I believe is going to be just as big as this one.
RIDDELL: Conor McGregor retires all the time and comes back all the time. Is this definitely it for you?
CORMIER: Yes, this will be it for me. I'm not one of those guys who wants to go and come. At 31 years old, Conor can do that. You can't do that when
you're in your 40s now. You make a decision and stand firm with it.
RIDDELL: What do you think you'll miss the most about this life you have had for so long?
CORMIER: It's when you walk through the curtain, and there are 20,000 people in the arena just yelling and screaming and going crazy. That energy
is something that you will never be able to recreate. No matter what you do.
But I will miss that energy of being a fighter. The fight weeks, the build- ups, all these things that you take for granted while you're in it. You miss it whenever you're done.
RIDDELL: How much time have you given in the last few years to what your last fight is going to be like and feel like?
[10:55:01]
CORMIER: Let me tell you something, I may have played out a thousand scenarios, this was not one of them. Being in the midst of a pandemic with
no fans, fighting in the UFC apex in the 25-foot cage. That was the one thing I could have never imagined. I will not be able to bask in the
adulation from the fans and that's okay because I have had that for 20 -- 24 fights. You know, I have been able to fight in front of the people.
This time, I'm going to do it with my army, with my soldier that I'm going to war with, my coaches, we're going to capture another championship.
RIDDELL: So, this is a final fight in a trilogy with Stipe. Obviously, you know him very, very well. Based on what has gone before, what are you
expecting this time around?
CORMIER: You know, I think that he's going to come out and try to implement some of the same things he did in the second fight that were
successful for him. But I do anticipate some changes. You know? Nobody tries to approach two fights in the same way.
So I expect him to change some things up. But I expect a hungry, strong, refreshed (INAUDIBLE) is octagonal Saturday night.
CORMIER: How often do you think about the way that the second fight is going? You were looking good and then it didn't end in your favor. Do you
have any regrets about that?
CORMIER: I do. You know what I mean? I think we regret a lot of things in our life and I regret not being more prepared for the fight, for the long
fight. I regret not keeping my hands up and fighting smart. You know, I regret going away from the game plan that my coaches set in front of me.
You know, I was winning the fight and it gives me confidence going into the third one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: An unusual way to say good-bye in an empty room without any fans there, Hala, but if you're a fan of Cormier, he's not going too far. UFC
fans are going to hear him in the commentary booths calling the fights in the future and he says he's looking to whatever comes next in his career.
Back to you.
GORANI: OK. Thank you, Don.
I'm Hala Gorani. What is coming next shortly is another hour of CNN. I'll see you on the other side of the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: A monumental moment for some, a massive betrayal for others. Not such a big deal for another group of people.
I'm Hala Gorani. Welcome. This is CONNECT THE WORLD.
Now, there are three. The United Arab Emirates has become the third Arab.
END
