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Six Dead in Lebanon's Worst Violence in a Decade; Six Killed, 30 Injured as Lebanon Protest Turns Violent; Israeli Softens Stance on Deal, Could Accept Diplomacy; Police: Bow-and-arrow Attack Appears to be act of Terrorism; Lebanese President: Today's Violence is Unacceptable; Israeli Pavilion Celebrates New Ties with Arab World. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired October 14, 2021 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi. This is "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Welcome back. You're watching "Connect the World". Lebanon this hour under intense calm after a day of

bloodshed as if the many crises heaped on the country weren't enough today the capital saw this.

A Hezbollah protests erupted into the worst violence the country has seen in a decade. People in Beirut ran for their lives as snipers fired in the

streets. In all the Lebanese Red Cross says six people were killed and more than 30 were wounded. The army moved into restores order the violence

beginning of the supporters of the Iran-backed Hezbollah and an allied group stormed the streets.

They are demanding the removal of the popular judge who is investigating last year's port explosion. Judge Tarek Bitar wants to question some of

Lebanon's most powerful figures. This morning another judge rejected a complaint accusing Bitar of bias.

Well, the UN's Special Coordinator saying the following and I quote, lifting leveling out of its current crisis and moving forward on reforms

requires the efficient functioning of the state's legislative, executive and judicial institutions.

Well, my next guest tweeted last night in Arabic in anticipation of today's violence. This is a translation "Provocations will impact stability and

security; the army will bear a great responsibility once again, to ensure safety and control over the situation on the street".

He said, I will only generate a counter street and I want the free people will not succumb to attempts to bring them to their needs, along with the

#justiceisstrongerthanyourintimidation. Samy Gemayel joins us now.

And I just want you to explain what you mean by that why you included that hash tag and to your mind what provoked this violence Samy?

SAMY GEMAYEL, PRESIDENT, LEBANESE KATAEB PARTY: I mean, hello, Becky. Actually, we believe that Hezbollah have been trying to take over anything

that has to do with the state of Lebanon. They pressure to elect their ally as president of Lebanon, then they took over the parliament, then the

government and now they are trying to this through the judiciary, this institution that have been - has been standing up against all the - all

these - all the threats against the judge who is trying to do his job and hold accountable all those who are responsible of the Beirut Port

explosion.

So because some of his allies were indicted, they decided to remove the judge. So the solution for them is to get rid of the judge. So this for us

its - they are trying to destroy the judiciary in Lebanon and put the Lebanese army in a very difficult position. And we fear for the whole

institutions of Lebanon to fall under Hezbollah's grip.

ANDERSON: And I just want to remind our viewers who you are, Samy? You are a Lebanese politician, a former member of the Lebanese parliament and

following that explosion in August of 2020, you resigned along with two other members of your Kataeb Party that was on August the 8th just a couple

of days after that port explosion.

Hezbollah and its allied movement, which is called Amal Movement, and had called for protest today against Lebanon's highest courts' refusal to

replace this Judge Bitar overseeing the Beirut blast investigation. Both of those parties have accused the right wing Lebanese Forces party of sniper

attacks against their supporters today.

I do want for the benefit of the viewers who may not understand the machinations of Lebanese politics as much as you do. You have a family

history of being imbued in the politics of Lebanon. What do you make of that accusation briefly?

[11:05:00]

GEMAYEL: You know Hezbollah have been using violence and threats and even they are accused of killing the Former Prime Minister of Lebanon by the

International Court Rafic Hariri. And they are - they have been threatening the judge for the past two weeks, Hassan Nasrallah, the Head of Hezbollah,

accused the judge of being biased and threatened him.

Threatened to remove him when he sent someone from Hezbollah, to the Court of Justice to threaten the judges, physically and personally so - and they

have - it's not the first time they use violence they have - they are known to by a miniature that is there is fighting in Syria, fighting everywhere

in the region, taking orders from Iran and doing Iran's jobs in Lebanon.

So after years - after years and years of this situation, you know, the Lebanese people are fed up. So when they continue to threaten you, some

Lebanese people did a reaction. So what happened today is a reaction to a very long lasting threats and even violence used by Hezbollah.

ANDERSON: Yes. I do want to be completely transparent for the benefit of our viewers here and you, your uncle founded the Lebanese Forces Party was,

of course assassinated during the Civil War. And I have to say, there have been a number of people who've told me today that that what they witnessed

on the streets was reminiscent of that Civil War back between 75 and 1990.

So what you're saying is, without the Lebanese Forces Party admitting to or suggesting they were involved today, you say it wouldn't surprise you. Is

that - is that your point?

GEMAYEL: No, not at all. I think that the residents of this area, this area of Beirut, are known to be against Hezbollah. And these residents are fed

up with Hezbollah, using violence against them all the time. What we are saying that we want the Lebanese army to be present everywhere, and to get

rid of each and every weapon in Lebanon.

We want peace, we want to live in peace, we don't want violence anymore. But when you have an armed militia that is threatening you every day and

destroying the state of flow, and saying that you don't have this right to go to the tribunal or to go to the justice to get your rights, it means

that you are destroying your right to live in a car - in a state of flow and in a country that gets you your rights without having to resort to

violence.

So we are in a position today - are held us hostages by Hezbollah. And some people decided to react to these threats and to these ongoing provocations.

So yes, what happened today is terrible. We don't want this to happen again. And what we are asking as a solution for what we witness today is

for the Lebanese state to take total control of all the regions to get rid of all the weapons and bring Lebanon back to stability.

And this is what we are calling for. But unfortunately, you have an armed militia that has rights no one has, every time they are indicted with

something they consider themselves above the law. They consider that they don't have to answer to any kind of judge or justice system in Lebanon.

They provoke people. They can take Lebanon to war against Israel. They can take Lebanon to war in Syria. They can take Lebanon to war against the Arab

World. They can provoke the United States of America everyday by rising, also threats, et cetera.

This is not Lebanon. Lebanon wants to be a neutral country. We want to live in peace. We want to have stability. We want to be able to raise our

children without fearing what happened in the war was a huge lesson to all the events people, no one wants to go back there. We just want to live in

peace.

And unfortunately, we have an armed militia that is financed and owned by Iran is not letting us build our country in the future.

ANDERSON: You alluded to the United States there. So let's just talk about the latest from the State Department. The Spokesperson there Ned Price

accusing Hezbollah of threatening and intimidating Lebanon's judiciary and often I quote him here.

[11:10:00]

ANDERSON: Terrorists and illicit activities that threaten Lebanon's security, stability and sovereignty and he went on to say U.S. believed

Hezbollah was, "More concerned with its own interests and those of its patron Iran than in the best interests of the Lebanese people". Is that

true? Is it more concerned with his own interests and those of the Lebanese people?

GEMAYEL: Hassan Nasrallah, the Head of Hezbollah, is clearly stating that his leader is the leader of the Iran, Iranian Republic, Islamic Republic.

So he is not hiding it. And he is very clear about it, that they are a part of the Iranian system, the Iranian armed network in the region.

So you have the same thing in Iraq, you have the same thing in Syria, you have all these proxies of Iran that are doing Iran's job, and

unfortunately, Hezbollah is using Lebanese citizen to fight wars that have nothing to do with the Lebanese interests.

ANDERSON: I want to read you just some comments that we have just got from the new Prime Minister Mikati, and he speaking to one of the local

newspapers out in the --. He said, and I quote here, Samy, the government is an executive power and we cannot interfere in the judiciary. He says he

will remain in power and will calmly handle the investigation into the Beirut Port blast.

He says the army will informed him that security in Beirut has improved. And he said he apologizes to the Lebanese people for today's violence in

Beirut. This is the new or relatively new, just weeks old, now new Prime Minister of Lebanon. What do you make of his comments?

GEMAYEL: We need more from anyone who is in charge of Lebanon. We need someone to take responsibility to prevent these actions before they happen.

I actually talked to the Minister of Defense before these events yesterday, and I warned him.

And I told him that things are not looking good social media, violence, violent tweets and social media action since yesterday was very clear that

something was going to happen today. And I want them and I asked them to send the army and to be present to avoid any violence of that sort.

Unfortunately, nothing was done. So we don't need words, we need actions. We need a clear statement from the government supporting the judiciary and

supporting the independence of judiciary. We really want the judges to be free to do their work without any kind of threats or any kind of

interference. So unfortunately, we don't want words we want actions.

ANDERSON: Well, I spoke exclusively to the new prime minister, just a few weeks back, just have a listen to what he told me about Hezbollah's

influence in Lebanon when we spoke.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAJIB MIKATI, LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER: I tell you, frankly, I am a very pragmatic and I see what I care is I care for Lebanon. How I can save lives

in Lebanon. I have two ministers. Yes, they're friend of Hezbollah, and Hezbollah as a political party exists in Lebanon.

So I cannot bypass this community, I can - I cannot bypass this party and say there is a let's say, I have two specialized people that I can deal

with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: You will have heard those sorts of comments from a Prime Minister of Lebanon and time and time again. Just explain why it is that the Prime

Minister isn't prepared to call out Hezbollah for the benefit of our international viewers.

GEMAYEL: I think that I don't think I know, and everyone knows in Lebanon, that the majority in the parliament is controlled by Hezbollah. So the

government that is in place today was voted by Hezbollah. And Hezbollah was the main anchor of this government.

So it is normal that they are trying to put it in front of the international community as it's a normal situation. And in fact, it is not.

Because what Mr. Mikati is not saying is that we don't have a problem with representing everyone in the government. We have a problem in letting those

who are out of - the outflows of Lebanon continue to act as they wish and being above the law.

[11:15:00]

GEMAYEL: This is our problem is having Lebanese citizens having the right to bear arms and to fight wars everywhere in the world and other Lebanese

are under the law and they are trying to live a normal life in a normal country.

So this is what's not normal. So we cannot lead - we cannot deal with Hezbollah as if it was a normal political party in Lebanon.

ANDERSON: The U.S. Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland is in Beirut today, there are a number of senior international

leaders on the ground in Beirut today. Nuland made this statement in the wake of today's violence, have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICTORIA NULAND, U.S. UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS: We also as we always do confirmed our steadfast support for the Lebanese army

and internal security forces. We acknowledge the vital role that they play in security and stability here, and the very, and a very difficult task

that they have.

Today, I'm pleased to announce an additional $67 million in new U.S. support for the Lebanese army, bringing our total of support this year to

$187 million.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Yes. And let's be quite clear that aid or support had been temporarily suspended during the Trump Administration. This is support that

is provided by the U.S. government and has been now for years to support the Lebanese army. And do you genuinely feel that the U.S. and indeed the

wider international community have Lebanon's back at this point?

GEMAYEL: What I know is that supporting the Lebanese army is a vital thing for the future of Lebanon. And I wish that all those who really want to

help Lebanon, support Lebanon through its institutions, through the army and through the Lebanese government and not by supporting militias on the

ground that are led by them.

So the important thing that the U.S. is doing is helping Lebanon through its official institutions and the Lebanese army today represents all the

Lebanese people you have -- you have from all sects it's a very independent institution and we cannot count on anything else then the Lebanese army to

preserve the unity of Lebanon and the pillar of the new Lebanon that we wish to build. I want to add something --

ANDERSON: So, sorry. I just need to - I need to just press you here because I am running out of time. Let's talk about that new Lebanon, that you would

like to see built. What is the future looking like for Lebanon at this point, sir?

GEMAYEL: I hope --

ANDERSON: --electricity?

GEMAYEL: And --

ANDERSON: We can hear you. You're live now, which is you know, you have to put up with that in Lebanon don't you?

GEMAYEL: Exactly. Actually, this is an example on the situation we're living in without electricity without the basic needs that Lebanon used to

have. And I hope that we can very quickly get out of this. In order to do that we need the competent and free governors of Lebanon to take charge and

we have an election in six months.

And I hope that the Lebanese people will be able to raise their voice freely, democratically and peacefully in the ballots, and to be able to

create a new future for them. I would add something, Becky, if you allow me.

One week ago, an Iranian officer officially stated that they have four armies in the region. And he stated that Hezbollah was one of them. So we

are somehow in a state of occupation. And the only way to deal with that is to raise our voice to the international community. And this is what we are

doing right now with you, thanks to you.

ANDERSON: OK.

GEMAYEL: And in terms of the - in the elections to get a big group of parliamentarians that are ready to fight for the independence, sovereignty

and a modern and democratic Lebanon.

ANDERSON: And the problem is to the people of Lebanon, any longer want to vote for any of those parliamentarians. I'm going to just leave you up

there. OK, we've come off the shot but I think it's important not to come up with that shot going forward because that is the story of Lebanon. Samy

thank you! I'm sorry the lights went out twice.

GEMAYEL: Thank you. I'm sorry.

ANDERSON: With very little electricity every day, it's something you put up with. It's important that our viewers see.

[11:20:00]

ANDERSON: That's what the people of Lebanon have to put up with on a daily basis at this point. And we wish you and the people of Lebanon the best

thank you very much indeed for joining us. We're going to take very short break back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Watching and waiting and planning. The United States and its European allies are pushing Iran to get back to the negotiating table in

Vienna and restart nuclear talks. Iran's Hardline President Ebrahim Raisi said that that will happen soon. But there's no sign of movement from

Tehran right now.

And that has the U.S. and its European partners at least in these stall talks mulling over a possible Plan B if negotiations fail. The prospect of

using options other than diplomacy to respond to Iran floated by Israel's Foreign Minister at a meeting on Wednesday with his American and Emirati

counterparts that start supported by the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: And so we were watching Iran's comments, posture very, very carefully. And as the minister said, we are

prepared to turn to other options if Iran doesn't change course. And these consultations with our allies and partners are part of that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, even as U.S. and Israeli diplomats all have a Plan B, there has been a significant shift in Israel's stance on this nuclear deal. Hadas

Gold explains why after years of wanting the deal scrapped, Israel's new leadership does now appear open to diplomacy have a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, FORMER ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Before the Iran completes the second stage of nuclear --

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu credits himself with convincing Former President Donald

Trump to pull out of the Iranian nuclear deal.

DONALD TRUMP, 45TH U.S. PRESIDENT: Frankly, perhaps most importantly, getting out of the terrible Iran nuclear deal.

GOLD (voice over): But now the new Israeli leadership is changing the tone, as the Biden Administration hopes to return to a deal, even if the

Americans believe it may be a long slog. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warning that in the three years since the U.S. pulled out of Iran is closer

than ever to a nuclear bomb.

NAFTALI BENNETT, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Unfortunately, in the past three years, the Iranians have made a huge jump forward in the uranium enrichment

abilities. The Iranian nuclear program is at its most advanced stage ever.

GOLD (voice over): Iran now enriching uranium up to 60 percent its stockpile of enriched uranium going up month by month. What's being seen as

a tacit public criticism of what sources in the Prime Minister's Office say out loud, it was a mistake for Netanyahu to press Trump to get out of the

deal without a well thought out plan for how Israel follows up?

[11:25:00]

GOLD (voice over): Bennett's tone, a significant departure from what he sounded like in 2015.

BENNETT: The deal as we said is worse than the worst case scenario that we had anticipated.

GOLD (voice over): Compared to this week.

BENNETT: World is sitting and waiting for a decision from Tehran whether to return or not to return to the discussion table in Vienna?

GOLD (voice over): Israel's Defense Minister Benny Gantz even more explicit, telling Foreign Policy Magazine, Israel would be willing to

accept a return to a U.S. negotiated deal. Although they would want to see a U.S. Plan B in case talks fail, and will always reserve the right for

military action. A message repeated by foreign minister Yair Lapid in Washington this week.

YAIR LAPID, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: Other options are going to be on the table if diplomacy fails.

GOLD (voice over): Get past the saber rattling though, and the shift in tone from Israel's government on the Iranian nuclear deal seems clear. They

feel Trump and Netanyahu got it wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Hadas is joining me now from Jerusalem along with U.S. Security Correspondent Kylie Atwood, who is at the State Department. Let me start

with you Kylie, Hadas by the way that was a fascinating piece. Antony Blinken says the U.S. will resort to other options should they need to?

Look, this is a negotiation at present. And in any negotiation each party has a position or a stance, right? So we do need to read between the lines

somewhat here and consider who's been swinging through Washington, the latest visitors, the Israelis, and indeed the Emiratis who share or having

the power shared a similar position when it comes to the JCPOA? So what do we understand to be the U.S. position with regard Tehran at this point?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well listen, the Biden Administration is very clear that they want to return to the table, even if

it means indirect talks with the Iranians, they want to go back to Vienna, they want to salvage the JCPOA the Iran deal.

But at the same time, they are very clear in saying that time is running out. Secretary said that the runway is being shortened for how long they

have before that option, Option A essentially returning to the deal is no longer a possibility.

And so now what they're doing is essentially negotiating in public, you know, as you said, making it clear that we're not just considering other

options, but we're actually discussing what those alternate options to the Iran deal look like with our partners with our allies in the region with

the Israelis, who have clearly had certain positions on the Iran deal perhaps may be changing.

But in the past with the Emiratis, who are very involved, very influential in the region, we are working on what we made together have to do if Iran

no longer has constraints on its nuclear program. And the Secretary was very clear in saying that they have been developing that program in a

variety of ways over the last few months out of the confines of the deal as it stands right now.

So we're sort of in waiting mode right now. The frustrating part is that the Biden Administration hasn't put a deadline on this, they haven't given

a timeframe for when they are going to say we are no longer able to get back to the Iran deal.

And we are going to actually have to pursue these other options that we're developing with our partners and allies in the region.

ANDERSON: And Hadas a couple of questions really, firstly, do we have any more detail on from the Israeli side as to when these talks might actually

be back on? And secondly, the Abraham Accords last August or the August before last, normalizing relations between the Israelis and the Emiratis

and now we see the two visiting Washington together.

We see as I live here in the UAE, a lot of presidents of the Israelis, of course here really sort of twinned at the hip, as it were these days on a

number of different files, not least out of business, and it seems security going forward. Is it clear just how close the Israelis and the Emiratis

might be at this stage when it comes to providing a bit more opportunity for diplomacy with regard Iran?

GOLD: Well, we don't have any indication on the Israeli side about when the talks may be resuming as we're hearing from leadership, both in Israel and

the United States, they do believe time is running out as Naftali Bennett has said just this week, the Prime Minister of Israel, saying that just in

the past three years, despite what was supposed to be the American maximum pressure campaign.

After pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal, they feel that Iran has really sped up and is as close as ever to pursuing a bomb.

[11:30:00]

GOLD: And that's potentially part of why they believe -- that's potentially part of why that we're hearing this sort of change in tone that's not

really coming out in these big speeches.

But when you really look at the messages we're seeing from the Israeli leadership, when you look at what they're saying publicly and what Benny

Gantz is just saying flat out that they are willing to work with the Americans and willing to work with all of their regional partners.

In fact, when I was traveling with the Prime Minister, his delegation in August to Washington DC, he made very clear that he wants to see

essentially a regional NATO that can work together to work against Iran. And of course the Emirates would be a very key player in something like

that, Becky.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. To both of you, thank you very much indeed for joining us. We're taking a very short break back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Police in Norway now think Wednesday's deadly Bow-and-Arrow attack, there appears to be an act of terror. Officers arrested a Danish

man for the killing of five people in Kongsberg near Oslo.

Police say they had previous contact with the 37 year old man and that he had converted to Islam. Investigators - was being radicalized. Well, Salma

Abdelaziz joins now with a closer look at the attack.

And the details of this suspect and why it is sound that that police now believe this was potentially a terror attack. Do we know any more at this

point?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Absolutely. Becky, we just heard this hour from the police services. They held a press conference in which of course

they expressed their condolences to the victim's families and said that an investigation should be able to reveal what the motives of this attacker

was. But they say it's clear that it's a terrorist incident.

They say he acted alone and police have named this 37 year old Danish man as Espen Andersen in Norway. He had been living there for some time and had

been already flagged to authorities in the past, Becky.

They say that they had been in contact with this individual because of concerns around radicalization, although the police say that that flagging

had occurred in previous years and it did not occur this year. He was a recent convert to Islam.

So there's going to be a lot of questions about exactly what did the authorities know why was he known to authorities? Why did they not follow

up on him? And then of course, there is this very deadly terror attack that unfolded yesterday at about 6 p.m. local time in a very public place

outside of a supermarket.

A bow and arrow was used. You can imagine how that sent people fleeing arrows being fired in the middle of a public space. Witnesses of course,

calling police quickly unfortunately, five people killed in this attack, four women and one man, all between the ages of 50 to 73 others wounded.

And it's left this community this very small community southwest of Oslo -- wheeling. Take a listen to what some residents had to say.

[11:35:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw a friend of mine coming behind a car and then suddenly hear a distinct funk sound. And being well, I've been active

within archery. I recognize the sound from a compound bow.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm shocked. I can't believe it's happened in a small town like this, is a small town. 20,000.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: You're hearing there from the residents of Kongsberg where this took place. Police have now issued a temporary and very rare order for all

officers to carry firearms. This should they hope, bring a sense of security back to this area. Becky?

ANDERSON: Salma, thank you. Well, we want to dig deeper now into what is our top story. Protests in Beirut who have turned deadly, Hezbollah say

snipers the top buildings open fire on protesters, they were demonstrating against the judge investigating last year's massive port explosion.

The Lebanese Red Cross tells CNN at least six people have been killed today and dozens of others were wounded. Hezbollah blames the Right Wing

Christian Lebanese Forces party.

Well, this entire taking place quite near the birthplace of the country's civil war that began in 1975 went on for 15 years and many today suggesting

it just feels reminiscent of those times.

Meanwhile, a short time ago, the U.S. announced it will say Lebanon's military and additional $67 million. That brings the total to $187 million.

The aim is to help shore up security and stability in the country.

Well my next guest tweeted earlier Hezbollah is determined to kill the judicial investigation into the Beirut port blast. Today they unleashed

supporters on the streets. Heavy clashes killed six so far after they tried marching through a Christian neighborhood chanting sectarian's slogans like

Shia.

Well, Firas Maksad joining us now. He's a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and Professor at George Washington University, a good friend of

this show. And Firas, I've just read out the tweet that you published just earlier. Just further explain what you make of what we've seen today?

FIRAS MAKSAD, SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Thank you. It's good to be with you again. It's a very sad and terrifying day for Lebanon, as you

said, reminiscent of the 15 year civil war that started in 1975.

What led has air today is a determined effort by Hezbollah to unseat the judge and to obstruct the ongoing investigation into the massive Beirut

port blast that killed over 200 people, mostly Christian.

And they did so by calling on their people to take to the streets today. It was a protest that tried to go through a Christian neighborhood. And that

arose some sensitivity, particularly given the chance and some destruction of property.

Of course, none of this justifies the violence but there was a reaction from that neighborhood. There are a sniper fire that that killed some of

the protesters, and it quickly devolved into sectarian clashes.

ANDERSON: Firas, we are reporting a tense calm this evening, which is a good thing, of course. But we know where Lebanon is at, at present and

there has been much anticipation that things could really descend into a bloody civil war. How concerned are you that this is just the beginning of

that?

MAKSAD: I am very concerned however; I take a measure of relief in knowing that all the major parties in Lebanon and do not want this to devolve to an

all-out war. Hezbollah is the dominant stakeholder in Lebanon; it is the dominant military force stronger than the Lebanese army.

And the other parties do not have the wherewithal, the organization, the mobilization, the weapons to successfully take on Hezbollah. But what we

are seeing is this pattern of armed clashes as Hezbollah tries to move from dominating Lebanon to all outright controlling Lebanon and its state

institution.

It is bumping up against the construct the sectarian construct of the Lebanese political system. It is meeting resistance from not only

Christian, but also earlier in the year Druze and Sunni areas that do not want to be under the control of an Iranian Shia sponsored militia.

So I am concerned about the pattern of violence but I think some relief in that none of the major parties want to go in that direction.

ANDERSON: Yes, and Samy Gemayel, I spoke to at the top of the hour about a half hour ago and I just want to play you and our viewers some sound from

him earlier.

[11:40:00]

ANDERSON: He was talking here, and he's the leader of the Christian - party, of course in Lebanon, Kataeb, Kataeb party in Lebanon. He had this

to say about Hezbollah, have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEMAYEL: Because some, some of his allies were indicted. They decided to remove the judge. So the solution for them is to get rid of the judge. So

this for us its - they are trying to destroy the judiciary in Lebanon and put the Lebanese army in a very difficult position.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Of course, this is of course, Firas, the second judge on this investigation into the port blast the first removed on what is the tract is

called a conflict of interest.

Is there a chance that this judge will lose his job at this point? Is there a chance that Hezbollah and their allied Amal Movement will win in this

case?

MAKSAD: Well, what we are seeing is that Hezbollah is determined to unseat this second judge because Hezbollah had appears together with its allies in

the Lebanese political establishment are acting as the guilty party.

And many suspect them to be guilty of either knowing or purposely storing this explosive Glade, a great ammonium nitrate that that blew up half the

city. And so it's not a good look for Hezbollah, which used to present itself as a resistance movement against Israel.

And many of the Lebanese believed it to be so to now be acting guilty and pitting itself against Lebanese state institutions and the Lebanese

judiciary. It is very quickly losing the battle for Lebanese public opinion.

While still strong in its own Shia community because of the patronage it provides. And the support it provides its community it is now a pariah in

other communities in Lebanon, whether Christians Sunni or Druze.

ANDERSON: Firas, the U.S. undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland is in Beirut today. She is there alongside as we understand

it, the EU ambassador to Lebanon and a number of other sort of senior international leaders as I would describe them.

She made a statement in the wake of the violence today; she said that the U.S. will be giving more than 60 million more dollars in aid for the

Lebanese army. And we were talking about this a little bit earlier.

This is money that has been coming from the States for some time for the Lebanese army. It was temporarily suspended during the Trump

Administration. The point here being is Lebanon getting enough support from the U.S. and indeed the international community at this at this point, and

if not, why not briefly?

MAKSAD: Becky, this is the traditional position of the U.S. government, which is to support Lebanese state institutions. It is also the position of

much of Lebanon's international donors, whether in Europe or historically in the Arab Gulf, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and others.

However, politically, all these parties have sort of de conflicted or have moved away from supporting Lebanon's anti Iranian pro sovereignty movement.

Lebanon is very much in this Iranian sphere of influence today.

And the real irony of what's happening is that now that Hezbollah and Iran have come to dominate Lebanon, they're starting to meet resistance, but not

from the International power as the West that opposes Iran, which has disengaged.

But from the Lebanese people from the Lebanese people outside of the Shia community, who are of course, we should remind our viewers are facing a

total financial collapse, total depreciation of the Lebanese found.

And so they are barely able to make ends meet - and they certainly do not, we want to be dominated by an Iranian sponsored militia.

ANDERSON: With that, as ever, it is always important to have your insight and your analysis Firas, thank you. And as you and I have been talking,

Michel Aoun, the President of Lebanon has been speaking.

He said, today's events are unacceptable. We will never allow anyone to take or hijack our country, more on those comments as they come in on what

has been a day of deadly protests and chaos in Beirut, taking a break back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:45:00]

ANDERSON: Well, if you're a regular viewer of this show, you will know that we have this series called "Call to Earth" and today how a drought

resistant fast growing crop that helps fight foods insecurity can also help the environment.

Tonight's Rolex Awards Laureate invested a new way to processes tiny West African grain with big potential as this sustainable food source. Have a

look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (VOICE OVER): Amid the arid farmland of Senegal, a crop with an ancient history and the potential to offer a more sustainable

future. Fonio has been a nutritious West African staple for thousands of years. But recent decades have seen this tiny grain slipping away from the

mainstream.

SANOUSSI DIAKITE, ENGINEER AND INVENTOR: Fonio is rooted in the culture of West Africa, so everyone knows about it. But recently, it suffered a

decline in production due to the difficulty of processing it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (VOICE OVER): Harvesting Fonio by hand takes many steps from threshing to loosen the seeds to arduous pounding to remove the husks

a job traditionally done by women. So for previous generations Fonio came at a backbreaking price. One that Sanoussi Diakite witnessed firsthand.

DIAKITE: I was born into a family that grows Fonio. I wanted to find a solution to manual processing after seeing my mother removing husks from

the grain. It is hard work.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (VOICE OVER): It was almost 30 years ago that Diakite an engineer and an inventor dreamt up a machine that could replace this

painstaking process, which he continues to build in his workshop today.

It can sell five kilograms of Fonio in less than 10 minutes, a process which would take hours by hand. By making Fonio more viable as a food

source, yucky taste technology helps the environment as well as the people.

DIAKITE: It can grow on rocky soils. So Fonio is not demanding. Fonio is brought to maturity with very little rain. So from an agronomic point of

view, it has a lot of potential it does not need fertilizer. By developing Fonio we are encouraging the preservation of biodiversity. All of this

makes Fonio important to the environment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (VOICE OVER): The fast growing crop can be harvested multiple times a year at low cost, helping fight food insecurity. And with

the UN saying temperatures in this hill are projected to increase 1.5 times higher than the global average. It's a region in need of climate change

resistant crops.

[11:50:00]

MAME CODOU GUEYE, RESEARCHER, THE CENTER FOR IMPROVEMENT OF ADAPTATION TO DROUGHT, CERAAS: The biggest problem here is the problem of drought. And so

we really need to find plants that have adapted to drought. And Fonio really is a model plant for that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (VOICE OVER): Not only is it good for the environment, Fonio is gluten free and full of fiber, giving it multiple health benefits.

GUEYE: It contains amino acids that are very important for the food of women and children. Fonio is very digestible and very good for the elderly.

Also Fonio has a low glycemic index, which makes it a food recommended for people with diabetes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (VOICE OVER): Diakite says there are now 250 of his machines in 10 African countries helping to reinvigorate the market for

this ancient grain.

DIAKITE: For generations to come, we hope there's life on earth that will conserve the planet which will protect against climate change. So it is

important that from now on we start sustainable production of food to develop a machine that becomes a catalyst for the entire Fonio industry, we

can't not be proud of that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: And I will say this after those reports, but do let us know what you are doing to answer the call. There is a hash tag, it is simply "Call

to Earth", please use that. We'll be fascinated to hear from you. And we will be right back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, separated by a strip of grass, that's all that divides the Palestinian pavilion from the Israeli showcase at the Dubai Expo. It's a

sanitized version of reality Palestine only recently decided to attend after threatening a boycott.

Now though head inside the Israeli pavilion and you'll find a celebration of the growing ties with the UAE a tangible sign of the shift in the glow

geopolitics of the Middle East. Scott McLean reports from Expo.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Of all the strange sights that Expo 2020 this is one of the strangest. In the middle of the Arabian

Desert, the Israeli pavilion is meant to look like an open tent, welcoming visitors in a place that was once politically hostile territory.

As recently as 2010, relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates were so bad that the Dubai police chief called for the arrest of the

Israeli Prime Minister after the assassination of a Hamas leader, responsibility for which Israel has denied.

For decades Israelis were barred from even entering the UAE. But last year, Israel normalized relations with the Emiratis and a handful of other Arab

nations.

NOAM KATZ, DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTRY: We see the future and we see a bright future for both our societies and for the

region. The volume of trade in one year is exceeding the volume of trade that we have with all our countries I think combined.

MCLEAN (voice over): But that reset in relations prompted the Palestinians to boycott Expo 2020.

SAMIR HULILEH, SECRETARY OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, PALTRADE: It was for pure political reasons. They felt betrayed by the Emirates and they felt

that they need to act.

[11:55:00]

MCLEAN (voice over): The Palestinians were finally persuaded to participate just last month. In the real world, the two are separated in places by high

concrete walls at Expo just a strip of grass.

MCLEAN (on camera): Do you think that having these positive relationships with all of these Middle Eastern countries helps your relationship with the

Palestinians?

KATZ: I think so eventually as --

MCLEAN (on camera): Not quite yet though.

KATZ: It's a process you don't expect the things will happen at one.

MCLEAN (voice over): But not even the extreme heat can thaw the icy relations, Palestinian pavilion reads yesterday, it was called Palestine.

Today it's called Palestine. Inside it's a shrine to the Old City of Jerusalem, now controlled by Israel.

HULILEH: Always whatever we do is basically sending a political message, but basically in a beautiful way, in a nice way.

MCLEAN (on camera): It's meant to send a message to Israel, though as well.

HULILEH: For sure, because from our perspective, Israel do not see us they don't listen.

ABDULKHALEQ ABDULLA, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNIVERSITY: Our countries tried to defeat Israel five times militarily

didn't work. They tried to boycott Israel for the past seven years. It didn't work. So there is something called maybe political necessity,

political imperatives. Israel is here to stay. And we need to deal with Israel.

MCLEAN (on camera): If you can't beat them, join them.

ABDULLA: Something like that, maybe yes.

MCLEAN (on camera): But there are also serious headwinds in the Israeli relationship with the Arab world a block that is largely united in its

support for a Palestinian state.

BENNETT: Experienced tells as a Palestinian state would highly likely mean a terrorist state seven minutes from my own home and from just about any

place in Israel.

MCLEAN (voice over): That was the Israeli Prime Minister just last week. Even the German Chancellor said the two state solution seems almost

hopeless, despite remaining the best way to end the conflict. But Professor Abdullah says it's unlikely to damage Emiratis relations.

MCLEAN (on camera): What is the incentive for Israel to make peace with Palestine though, if so many Arab countries are normalizing relations?

ABDULLA: This issue is here to stay is not going to go away. OK. The Palestinians are on the just side of things, OK. And they deserve a state

of their own. Everybody knows that. So until that is settled, the Middle East will never have - will never be at a stable place.

MCLEAN (voice over): Scott McLean, CNN, Dubai.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: And that is goodbye from us here in Abu Dhabi. "One World" though is next live all this week from our broadcasts inside at Expo in Dubai.

From us, it's a very good evening.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END