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Protests Erupt Across Israel Killing Of Six Hostages; Protesters Direct Anger At Benjamin Netanyahu, Demand Hostage Deal; Russia Strikes Ukraine As New School Year Begins; Joe Biden To Join Kamala Harris On Campaign Trail For Labor Day; United Nations Polio Vaccination Rollout Underway In Gaza; Netanyahu: Whoever Murders Hostages Doesn't Want A Deal; 10,000 United States Hotel Workers Strike During Busy Holiday Weekend. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired September 02, 2024 - 10:00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:08]

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. This is the second hour of the show from Abu Dhabi, where the time is just before six in the evening, and

you're watching pictures from Tel Aviv, where thousands of protesters are demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu negotiate the release of

all remaining hostages held in Gaza.

In the last hour, we've seen an outpouring of grief and tributes in Jerusalem for slain Israeli American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose

parents hoped for his release until the very end.

Also in the news today, Russia launches new attacks on key Ukrainian cities as the two sides trade blows. We'll be live in Kyiv.

And shifting from candidate to surrogate, President Joe Biden will return to the campaign trail for the first time since dropping out in favor of

Kamala Harris.

Well, it's a huge day of protests, and just ended strike in Israel, the grief and the anger palpable as a funeral is held for one of the six

hostages murdered by Hamas and found by Israeli troops over the weekend. We've been showing you pictures of the funeral of Israeli American Hersh

Goldberg-Polin through the first hour of CONNECT THE WORLD.

His death and the killing of five others, sparking the latest protests and a general strike that impacted services across the country. A court ordered

that strike to end a few hours early, and an Israeli labor union said that it would respect the court's order.

Well, the protesters are directing intense anger at Israel's Prime Minister, blaming Benjamin Netanyahu for not agreeing to a U.S. ceasefire

hostage release deal that has been negotiated for months.

Well, back in Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are meeting at the White House, along with the U.S. team

involved in hostage negotiations to try and chart a path forward. Mr. Biden speaking just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, if you think it's time for Prime Minister Netanyahu to do more on this issue? Do you think he's doing enough?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, Nic Robertson is in Tel Aviv for us this hour. Kylie Atwood is at the U.S. State Department. And to both of you, thank you for joining

us.

You're in Tel Aviv, and let's start there, Nic, just describe what you've witnessed today.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, there are protests around the city. They're not as big as they were yesterday. Yesterday

evening was the big call for protests. We were standing right here yesterday. It was an absolute sea of people.

But you can see behind here, the police are ready for more potential large gatherings of people, and they've been busy along the highway that runs

through the North's main north south highway that cuts right through Tel Aviv, where protesters last night were blocking the road, burning fires,

just put up barricades. The police eventually corralling them and getting them off the road already today. Police say that there have been seven

arrests, although these protests have been by and large, very, very peaceful.

Of course, a lot of people today feeling the deep sadness, because today is fuels for some of those six who were killed, Hersh Golderg-Polin, you

mentioned his funeral going on in Jerusalem, and we heard from the president of Israel speaking there, offering his sorrow and asking for

forgiveness for not doing enough to protect the hostages.

But it is to the prime minister that the -- that the demonstrators here, the protesters in Tel Aviv and other parts of the country have been

pointing the finger of blame that is to the prime minister, they say, who is not prioritizing the hostages, that he is responsible for the deaths of

these six.

And people are looking to him to do the same as what the president has done, which is, have some contrition, admit that he's sorry, ask for

forgiveness, that hasn't happened. What he's been doing is defending himself from the accusation that he's responsible. Here's how he framed it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Whoever murders hostages does not want a deal. For our part, we will not relent.

The government of Israel is committed, and I am personally committed to continue striving towards a deal that will return all of our hostages and

ensure our security and our existence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:05:05]

ROBERTSON: Now, he has -- those are his public expressions. We do know that privately, has spoken to at least one of the families, the Russian-Israeli

Alex Lobanov, who was the bartender at the Nova music festival whose wife gave birth to their second child while he was in captivity. That son will

never get to meet his father.

The prime minister did express his sorrow to that family, but he's not making these statements publicly, and while we're not seeing the numbers of

people out on the streets protesting, demanding he changed course, demanding he softened his negotiating stance with Hamas and get all the

hostages released before more of them are killed. The moment, he is not moving in that direction at all it appears. In fact, it is his securities

minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has moved in the courts to bring an end to the -- to the big union strikes here in Israel today.

ANDERSON: Let me bring you in, Kylie. Nic, thank you. What's the perspective in Washington? We've heard now four weeks, Kylie, that the

Biden administration believes that this deal is nearly across the line. There have been promises of completion of success of a deal. And for what,

I have to say nearly three months when we first learned the details of what was this bridging proposal back at the back end of May, what's the

perspective there today?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, that's right. I mean, there has been hope. There has been aspirations that they are in

the final stretch of some deal coming together for quite some time now, it was, you know, about six weeks ago that we heard from the secretary of

state saying that they were on the 10-yard mark in terms of securing a deal to get these hostages released.

And then, of course, this devastating news over the weekend, we just heard from President Biden heading into the White House for a meeting with his

national security team, and he made some pretty interesting and noteworthy remarks that you guys played in the introduction there. Specifically when

asked if Prime Minister Netanyahu is doing enough to secure a deal, he bluntly said, no.

And Becky, we have reported quite extensively on the growing frustrations within the Biden administration when it comes to Netanyahu and his team.

And the Biden administration feel like they weren't necessarily doing enough to get a deal in place, but they have been reluctant to voice any of

those concerns publicly.

So, the fact that President Biden did that today is, of course, noteworthy, and what he's doing is echoing what has been these loud and vocal

frustrations from the family members of those hostages, particularly, of course, those who were killed over the weekend.

I want to play a portion of what one of the cousins of Carmel Gat, an Israeli from Tel Aviv who was murdered over the weekend said, as they lay

blame on Netanyahu, listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIL DICKMANN, COUSIN OF CARMEL GAT, HOSTAGE KILLED IN GAZA: Of course, they blame Hamas, and I also blame my government. And right now we know the

decisions that our Prime Minister Netanyahu has made, made it impossible for Carmel and other hostages to return and put their lives in great

danger, and that's what killed them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ATWOOD: So, we'll have to watch and see if Biden says any more about frustrations with the prime minister. But he was also asked if this week,

the Biden administration plans to present a final proposal for a deal to both sides, and he said, "We are very close to that." That is significant.

What it demonstrates is that the Biden administration feels like there is a final deal to be put on the table here. We have seen multiple iterations,

multiple deals, but one complicating factor, Becky, is that we are told, according to a senior administration official, that one of the final deals

that they were putting together before what occurred over the weekend included some of those hostages that were murdered by Hamas over the

weekend.

So, they're going to go have to go back to the drawing board to figure out what they can put on the table, and we'll watch to see exactly when that

happens. But President Biden says they are very close to putting that before both sides.

ANDERSON: Good to have you both. Thank you.

Peter Lerner is a former IDF spokesperson, and in an interview with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, says, and I quote, Netanyahu promised a complete

victory over Hamas, but in the international arena, he and his government led us to defeat, and he goes on to say, there is no political strategy for

the war, even after nine months in which we are fighting on two fronts.

Peter Lerner is currently the Director General of International Relations for Histadrut, which called for the general strike in Israel, and he joins

us now live from Tel Aviv.

[10:10:04]

And Sir, it is good to have you. This is the first time that we have spoken to each other in in your new capacity. And what impact do you -- do the

unions feel that they have had over these past what, 24 hours?

PETER LERNER, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, HISTADRUT: Well, I think, Becky, thanks for having me. First of all, it's great to be back

with you indeed in this time in civilian uniform.

I would say, first of all, I mean, you saw the images yesterday from Nic from the demonstration from the protests that took place, indeed, after the

heart wrenching images and the devastating news that came out on Sunday of the hostages that were executed by Hamas, the Histadrut yesterday declared

that we will have a general strike in the country.

And I think what it did actually was helped rally so many people that are so distressed about how the government is managing the negotiations to

bring back the hostages. We put on the table the need to put people before politics.

ANDERSON: Peter, I want our viewers to hear what the head of Israel's largest union said yesterday when he called for the strikes we saw today.

Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARNON BAR-DAVID, CHAIRMAN, ISRAEL'S HISTADRUT LABOR UNION (through translator): I call on the people of Israel to take to the streets this

evening tomorrow, leave the workplaces. I call on all economic organizations in the state of Israel, everyone to join the strike. Tomorrow

we must shout the cry of our beloved country. We must raise the cry of our hostages, our displaced, our dead. The State of Israel must be returned to

normal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: The State of Israel must be returned to normal, he said. What do you understand he meant by that? I mean, have the political divisions made

Israel unrecognizable?

LERNER: You know, I spoke to my boss, and that was my boss earlier today. And you know, he is very, very concerned about where the government is

leading the country. We need the government to do like we do in the trade union movement. We put people before politics, and that is what the

government precisely need to do. And that is what we demanded in the action -- in the strike action that we conducted out of a set solidarity for the

families of those that have lost but more importantly, for those that need to still come home.

There are 101 other hostages being held by Hamas. And so, when the Histadrut is saying we need to get Israel back on its tracks, we're saying

precisely that the priorities need to be the people. The people need to have leaders that they look up to, and they can say, I trust him.

The amount of people that were out on the streets last night just goes to show how much frustration there is here, the understanding that perhaps a

deal could have been made two weeks ago to bring back Hersh Polin that we just watched his mother over his grave saying, now that you're free, that

is just heart wrenching.

We need to bring back the hostages. We need to bring them back now.

ANDERSON: Let me go back to the piece that you penned for Haaretz, you said, and I quote, Netanyahu promised a complete victory over Hamas, but in

the international arena, he and his government led us to defeat.

And I was interested that you very specifically said, in the international arena, he and his government led us to defeat, because, as you are rightly

pointing out today, for the hundreds of thousands of Israelis demonstrating on these streets today and over the weekend, they believe that this

government has led them to defeat, defeat being the death of these hostages who might have been returned home as part of a ceasefire deal.

At this point, and you will be as aware as any other, I'm sure, of the sticking points that we understand to be holding up any ceasefire and

hostage deal. Ceasefire deal being for the benefit, of course, of not just the hostages, but the civilians in Gaza, and after all, 40,000 of those

have already lost their lives in a humanitarian catastrophe still ongoing in the country.

So, I put it to you, do you believe that Netanyahu has any real inclination to sign off on a deal at this point, or is this an Israeli prime minister

in a situation of personal survival? Is he putting his own political and personal professional survival ahead of a ceasefire and hostage deal?

[10:15:20]

LERNER: Becky, the diplomatic answer is, quite frankly, I don't know. I hope to death, but not but we need to be concerned, because we see that

there were six people alive last week, that if a deal would have been made two weeks ago, maybe they would have been back home today.

So, I'm concerned, and I would say absolutely there is right to be concerned. My -- when I reflected in the interview in Haaretz about how the

government has been conducting its international diplomatic efforts, was precisely because of things said that do not reflect in the policies of the

idea of how the combat is actually being conducted on the ground, and I saw a huge disparity between the two, between how conduct -- how conduct and

the combat of conduct is being implemented in the field, compared to the outrageous statement some of the politicians were saying uncontrollably for

petty politics.

So, I think your war is a serious business. And the lives of those soldiers that are being put forward, the lives of the hostages that are -- that

cannot be sacrificed, they need to be brought home. And that is precisely you know why the Histadrut, I'm very proud to serve -- to wear a uniform

for the military, and I'm very proud to wear the civilian attire for the community of the workers of Israel, those that care so much about this

country.

And indeed, that is precisely where we have to move forward. We have to put the interests of people before politics, and for too much -- too much time

now, it's unclear exactly what is leading. You know, the Histadrut has been a very responsible player over the last 11 months. It is not a simple feat

to conduct a general strike when you shut down the ports, when you shut down rail down or bring down the level of operations of hospitals or

private and various different companies. This is a very, very serious decision.

And you know, today is Labor Day in the U.S., and this is -- these are things that we do not take for granted, and we do not do just on the whim

of a moment of a minute thought. This is a very serious issue, and that is why we're very glad we've got the attention of the government, but also of

the international arena.

ANDERSON: Very briefly, yes or no, should we expect further general strikes to come if there is no evidence that a ceasefire and hostage deal is signed

anytime soon?

LERNER: So, we are currently learning the response of the ruling of the court that gave us some time, and we are considering our steps forward, so

there may be a possibility that we will resume a strike. We'll have to see. I guess there is a lot up to do with what the government does.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Peter, thank you very much indeed for joining us.

You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Allison. It is just after quarter past six here in the UAE from our broadcasting hub in this region,

out of Abu Dhabi.

Coming up, Kamala Harris will hit the campaign trail today with President Joe Biden by her side, we'll have the very latest on the 2024 race just

ahead.

Plus, Ukraine has been hit by a new barrage of Russian strikes. We look at why the timing is so significant.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:20:53]

ANDERSON: Well, at least four people have been injured after a new barrage of Russian strikes in different parts of Ukraine. Now, these attacks

coincided with the start of the new school year, with Ukraine's president praising children for forging ahead with their education even in such

hazardous times.

Ukraine's Air Force says in the latest bombardment, Russia unleashed a combination of crews and ballistic missiles as well as attack drones.

Well, CNN's Christiane Amanpour is in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, one of the areas that came under attack.

And tell us more about today's attacks and why the timing is significant, Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN ANCHOR: Well, significant because it is the first day of school. So, that's obviously a sort of a terror tactic, if you like.

The air raid started just before or around 5:30 a.m. here in the capital. And then there were the reports of all these explosions. We're told by

authorities that dozens of missiles ballistic and crews were sent against this city and others, and that some of the air defenses intercepted some of

them, but some of them struck.

Struck a combination we understand of the usual infrastructure targets, whether energy or otherwise. And obviously there are some Russian missiles

that are targeting any kind of Ukrainian arms or other such defense industry locations as well.

Now, this is the third time in a week that there's been this stepped up kind of war returning to the cities, and it doesn't -- it's not an accident

that it comes around the time, just a few weeks since that very, very extraordinary and surprise Ukrainian incursion into Kursk in the Russian

region of Kursk. And at the same time, you know, Ukraine's Pokrovsk area, which is in the East in the Donbas region, is under fierce assault from

Russia.

So, what we've got right now is a multi-pronged war, if you like, what we call the war of the cities, which is mostly on the infrastructure, with

Ukraine also targeting Russian energy infrastructure, as it did this weekend, hitting a refinery, hitting other targets, even close to Moscow.

And again, on the battlefield in the East and in the North, you've got the Ukrainians incursion into Kursk and you've got the Russians are really

accelerating and gaining ground against one of Ukraine's key logistical hubs in the occupied area of Donetsk and Donbas.

So, that is what's going on right now. At the same time, Ukraine has sent officials to the United States. They are presenting to the administration

what President Zelenskyy calls his four part victory plan.

We're not sure what those details are, what the -- what, you know, part one to four are, but we do know that one of the things they really do want is

to be allowed to actually use the weapons they're being given without any shackles or restrictions.

The prime minister of the Netherlands has been in this capital today, and we know that the Dutch government has said that Ukraine is free to use any

weapons it gets from them without restrictions, Becky.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. Thank you, Christiane.

Well, meantime, U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are balancing multiple schedules and agendas today, they're expected to

meet about now in the White House Situation Room with the U.S. team involved in the hostage negotiations following the killings of six hostages

in Gaza over the weekend.

Later today, Mr. Biden will join Harris on the campaign trail in Pittsburgh after she makes a stop in Detroit.

Well, CNN's Eva McKend following the campaign from Michigan and a new national poll, Eva from ABC News and Ipsos, showing that the vice president

is holding a narrow lead over Donald Trump in the race to the White House. I guess it begs the question how narrow a lead is that, and whether there

was a bump from the DNC, which, of course, in political terms these days feel like months ago.

[10:25:04]

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, there very may well be her up, you know, slight lead in some polls, but her consistent

message to her supporters is that they should not take their foot off the gas. She very much still sees herself as the underdog. That is why she is

here in Michigan, in Detroit, directly appealing to union workers. They argue President Biden and Vice President Harris that they have been the

most pro-labor administration in American history, and while Republicans have made gains with rank and file union workers, really through a cultural

appeal. They maintain that when it comes down to business, legislation, policies that most support union workers, that they are the team.

We have seen the vice president embrace this theme of a new way forward. I'm standing in front of her campaign bus that says just that. She argues

that she is principally concerned about the future while the former President Donald Trump is caught up in the past.

But Becky, that is somewhat of a hard argument to make, given that she is currently in government, currently in the administration, yet she is

embracing President Biden in strategic ways, especially when it comes to appealing to union workers, in which he is so popular.

So, after here in Detroit, she will be joined by President Biden in making the case to the labor community in Pennsylvania, Becky.

ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you.

Well, coming up, a nationwide strike, large scale protests in the hopes of forcing Benjamin Netanyahu's hand, will this new push by Israelis for a

ceasefire deal succeed?

Well, it's the Second phase of the polio vaccination campaign begins in Gaza, we speak to one of those tasked with organizing what is an enormous

logistical challenge. More on that is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:30:00]

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. It's 6:30 in the evening here in

the UAE and the United Nations-led polio vaccination campaign kicked off on Sunday, giving shots to around 87,000 children.

Now, the U.N.'s agency for Palestinian refugees says the second phase of the campaign will be focused on the south of the strip. All the -- all of

the initial shots are scheduled to be administered by September the 12th.

And remember, the promises to immunize 640,000 kids in the enclave. Will give us an update on what is this, enormously difficult logistical

challenges, Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization representative for the West Bank and Gaza. Not just organizing, but actually involved in

the Administering of these vaccines.

It's good to have you Rik, thank you for joining us. Firstly, this vaccination drive, can only happen if these temporary ceasefires hold.

Correct? So, tell us, how is that going at present?

RIK PEEPERKORN, REPRESENTATIVE FOR WEST BANK AND GAZA, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: Well, definitely, and indeed, a daunting task for all of us.

Greetings from WHO office in Gaza, Deir al-Balah, which is also the polio emergency operations center. So, the task is to indeed reach 90 percent -

90 percent vaccination conference of 640,000 children, every rounds for two rounds.

And we welcome this commitment, as you write says from area specific, humanitarian pauses. And that's why we divided Gaza in three zones. So, in

a -- in a central zones -- central zone, in southern zone, and northern zone.

Each zone, we will vaccinate for three days, most likely another day, three plus one, and then we shift to the other zone. And then, four weeks later,

we do the same. So, we started yesterday with a southern zone. And the southern zone, the target population is 156,583.

Then, we moved to the south, target population 340,000 kids, and north, 150.

So, yesterday, was a good day. It was actually a successful day. I was not completely surprised, because the Gaza population, there is a high

acceptance for vaccination, but I think they came out in their growth. Families, fathers, mothers -- have a children. I visited six, seven of

those centers, and happy children, showing their left little finger that they were literally vaccinated.

And the vaccinated, more than 86,000, almost 87,000 children in in one day.

ANDERSON: You know, this is a -- this is a remarkable challenge and a remarkable feat that you've been able to get these jabs into the arms of,

or did this vaccine into the -- into so many kids at this point.

Tell me, where were these kids coming from? Who were they coming with, and what kind of state were they in?

PEEPERKORN: Were they coming forever, with their fathers, with their mothers, et cetera. So, today, for example, is the second day, and I went

with a few mobile teams and we went, and maybe you know that from the -- from the television road, from whatever -- this is endless coastal roads,

with these endless makeshift camps all over.

We went all over in those camps with one of these mobile teams. And everywhere, you know, where we met mothers, fathers, with groups of

children. I mean, in those camps, almost every child was vaccinated. So, we reach a high target.

And I think maybe we even underestimated the target in the central zone, because with the recent evacuation orders, the Gaza population is

constantly in flux. But I'd say, there is a real appetite for this vaccination, people realize why and how.

And again, we should not forget that Gaza always has a very high coverage in routine immunization before this crisis.

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: Yes.

PEEPERKORN: Coverage over 90-95 percent.

ANDERSON: You are absolutely reliant on these temporary ceasefires holding in order to get as many of these vaccines into kids as you can. What's your

message to Israel and Hamas as we speak, and what are the consequences for Gaza, and Israel, and indeed surrounding countries, if this polio outbreak

is not brought under control?

PEEPERKORN: Well, I think it's the message is, of course, that we have a plan. And all of this, it's incredibly complex. I mean, I cannot even

distract just 513 teams operational, et cetera.

And every day, from 6:00 until 2:00, and all the other teams that manages their work to midnight actually, analyzes monitoring -- independent

monitoring.

[10:35:04]

I can't even describe how complex it is. I've done the things in Afghanistan. This is way more complex. So, the request is very clear. All

these pieces of this puzzle have to fit together. And the most important piece, of course, is area specific humanitarian policies, which the parties

have to stick to.

Because otherwise, if it - if it would not happen, we will not -- never reach this target, the children, their parents, everybody will lose their

confidence with the risk that we do not stop the transmission within Gaza, and indeed, like the risk of polio spread out of Gaza.

And with the World Health Organization all member states, we are working to eradicate polio of world. We have only two countries where you have the

wild polio virus, Afghanistan, Pakistan. You see this vaccine derived outbreaks, always in areas of strife and war. Children are under-

vaccinated. So, we have to tackle this problem right on.

I want to say one more point. There is a bit of a vibe, a positive vibe, about this polio campaign. We only in day two. We have 10 more days to go,

and then four weeks later, and the others, the rest of the health situation is deeply concerning.

Only yesterday, I had another who team going to the north, bringing fuel, medical supplies, and taking patients out together with PRCS from

Indonesian hospital, Kamal Adwan, et cetera.

This was the third mission only approved out of eight missions over the last week. And they came back at 1:00 in the morning. Highly dangerous,

highly risky, and completely unnecessary. This has to improve.

And my other request, of course, is for everyone, this would work much better if there would be a ceasefire and we can make other arrangements. I

mean, this is not an ideal campaign. In ideal situation, you want to go house to house. There is very few houses left.

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: All right. Yes, understood.

PEEPERKORN: So, we make organizes, for we have a --

ANDERSON: Understood. Well, you've delineated very eruditely, just the sort of challenges that your organization and others supporting you are facing.

But the numbers at present, as you say, bode well, which is, you know, a small ray of light in what has been such a dark, dark, dark, 10 months.

Thank you very much indeed for your own work and for joining us today. Thank you.

More news after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson.

Protests erupting across Israel today, from Tel Aviv all the way to Eilat in the south, as pressure mounts on the government to secure a ceasefire

and hostage deal.

The country's largest labor union called for a nationwide strike, the most wide-reaching in the country since March 2023.

[10:40:08]

When a similar mass walkout over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's controversial attempts to overhaul the judiciary brought much of the

economy to a standstill.

Well, this time, the protests erupted after the bodies of six slain hostages were recovered from Gaza. The hostage families' forum expressed,

"deep sorrow". Saying, and I quote, "A deal for the return of the hostages has been on the table for over two months. Were it not for the delays,

sabotage, and excuses, those whose deaths we learned about this morning would likely still be alive. It is time to bring our hostages home -- the

living for rehabilitation and the fallen and murdered for burial in their homelands."

Well, I've been following these talks very closely, speaking to contacts across this region to try and find out what exactly is going on with this

deal. Let's just take a moment to step back and have a look at what has been happening over the last couple of months.

May, the 31st, President Joe Biden, says it's time for this war to end, and lays out a three-point ceasefire plan. At that point, 125 hostages remained

in Gaza, some dead, others alive.

June 11th, the U.N. Security Council overwhelmingly approved the proposal, but Israel vowed to continue offensive in Gaza, saying, when engage in

meaningless negotiations with Hamas, 116 hostages remain at that point.

July the 31st, Hamas's lead negotiator, Ismail Haniyeh is assassinated in Tehran, Iran, blames Israel and the chief mediator, Qatar, says it's hard

to get a deal done if one side is assassinated. 115 hostages remained.

By August 26th, several rounds of negotiations were held in Doha and in Cairo to try to strike a deal. No luck. 105 hostages remain in Gaza. And a

grim milestone was met on this day, the total number of Palestinians killed in Gaza surpassed 40,000.

And then here we are today. That number on the Palestinian side rising and the fate of the hostages growing darker by the day. 101 remain in Gaza,

with over 30 believed to be dead, negotiations for a deal now thrown into question, of course.

But Hamas and the Netanyahu government have been dragging their feet for months. For many people on the streets of Tel Aviv this weekend, the anger

directed at Netanyahu is reaching a boiling point.

Many accuse him of stalling and even sabotaging efforts to reach a deal, and not just average Israelis. Those in government are calling him out to

take this for example. Netanyahu has insisted on retaining control of a strategic section on the Gaza-Egypt border called the Philadelphi Corridor,

during negotiations, something Hamas has repeatedly rejected.

And just last night, CNN learned that in a private meeting with other members of the Cabinet, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant lambasted the

government's decision to prioritize that the Philadelphi Corridor over a deal, calling it a moral disgrace -- his words.

If we continue on this path, he said, we won't manage to achieve the goals that we set for ourselves. If we want the hostages alive, he said, we don't

have time.

Well, today's demonstrations are perhaps the strongest, most unified display of anger against Prime Minister Netanyahu's government since, or

himself, indeed, since last year's judicial overhaul protests. A sentiment, my next guest has been writing about for the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz.

Saying, "His refusal to engage in any deliberation of the governing of postwar Gaza, his defiance of American pleas for a more discriminate use of

force is indifference to the destruction of Gaza above and beyond what a Just war warrants, his reluctance to reach a cease-fire and hostage deal

and his escalating brinkmanship all lead to an image of Israel as a rogue state."

Alon Pinkas is a former Israeli consul general in New York and former adviser to Prime Minister Ehud Barak. He joins me now live from Tel Aviv.

[10:45:02]

You are not mincing your words. In that piece, you are not mincing your words. In the first piece, I remember writing -- reading of yours, I think,

in Haaretz back on October the 9th. You, at that point, were warning of just how bad this could be, how bad things could get. 10 months in, those,

your words pointedly directed at the Israeli prime minister.

Is this on your head bid, as it were? Netanyahu? To your mind?

ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL IN NEW YORK: Yes. Yes, Becky, it is.

I mean, you know, I'm not even going to relitigate the issue of his abysmal refusal, his depraved refusal to take responsibility and be held

responsible -- and be held accountable, I'm sorry for the debacle and calamity of October 7th.

But moving forward, fast forward, if you would, 11 months, he did -- he never wanted a hostage deal, because a hostage deal automatically and you

presented it succinctly but very accurately, in your timeline, a hostage deal entails a ceasefire, a ceasefire, whether it's 42 days or in a second

phase, even more, means the de facto end of the war.

Mr. Netanyahu does not, I repeat, does not want to end the war. And when -- on July 27th --

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: Why? Just -- to your mind, why?

PINKAS: Several reasons. The first is it distances him away from October 7th by presenting this as a comprehensive, broad war of civilizations

against Iran as the epicenter of the sun around which proxy planets revolve. This, for Mr. Netanyahu is a vindication of his name.

The second -- the second reason is, if the war ends, he cannot claim that bogus objective that he said calling it total victory. He refused to engage

in any talk about post-war Gaza. In fact, he's the only leader of any democracy in history who goes into a war without aligning it with political

objectives and go.

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: I want our viewers just get a sense of what the prime minister said in reaction to the news of the murder of the six hostages in Gaza.

"In recent days, as Israel has been holding intensive negotiations with the mediators in a supreme effort to reach a deal, Hamas is continuing to

steadfastly refuse all proposals. Even worse, at the exact time it murdered six of our hostages. Whoever murders hostages does not want a deal. For our

part, we will not relent. The government of Israel is committed, and I am personally committed to continue striving towards a deal that will return

all of our hostages and ensure our security and our existence."

Those are not the words of a man who is not interested in a ceasefire deal. Or certainly, they do not sound like the words of a man who is not

interested in a ceasefire hostage deal at this point. How do you explain that?

PINKAS: Well, he is lying, Becky. He is just lying. I mean, mendacity is his modus operandi. It is his default way of negotiating, and handling

things. He has lied to Biden, he has lied to the families of the hostages, he has lied to the Israeli public.

Now, he is right about one thing, that Hamas, which is a savage and barbaric terror organization, executes hostages, is no way of negotiating.

However, on the other side -- on the other hand, him, claiming that he is genuinely interested in a -- in a deal is not supported by evidence or

fact.

In fact, the exact contrary is true. He has undermined every single possibility of a deal. Those that the Americans proposed, indeed the one

that President Biden introduced or presented in May 31st, which you alluded to earlier, is in fact, an Israeli plan.

Mr. Netanyahu was not expecting Hamas to accept, yet Hamas expected it. Now, the funny thing is -- and it's not funny, it's tragic. But the ironic

thing here is that Netanyahu and Yahya Sinwar to earn interest, and that is to continue the war going on. Perhaps, that's Iran's interest too, to

somehow unite fronts.

But in terms of his genuineness, his integrity, his good will in reaching a deal. He is Blaze genuineness, his integrity, his goodwill in reaching a

deal, he is blatantly lying.

[10:50:15]

ANDERSON: Alon Pinkas, you and I have spoken on various occasions over the past 10 months. I wish there was no reason to do so again any time soon. I

fear that we will. And it's always good to have you when we do talk. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.

And more news here on CNN with me, Becky Anderson on CONNECT THE WORLD, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, more than 10,000 workers at a hotels across the United States have walked off the job, demanding better pay and working

conditions. The Labor Day strike hitting right in the middle of what is, of course, a busy holiday weekend there when millions of Americans are

traveling.

CNN's Gloria Pazmino is following all of this for us from New York. And for the benefit of our viewers, who may be new to this one, just how widespread

are these strikes, and are they expected to get worse?

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NEWSOURCE NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky. The union, UNITE HERE, has said that they are prepared to strike for more days,

if necessary, in order to get a deal.

Now, we're seeing strikes across 25 different cities -- and excuse me, 25 different hotels across different cities. Baltimore has just added itself

to the current strike. Workers in Baltimore walked off the job this morning, and more than 10,000 workers are walking the picket line.

Now, as you said, it is Labor Day here in the United States, and it is a day where we are supposed to celebrate the contributions of workers as well

as the labor movement. But the union is choosing this holiday in order to send a message. They want better wages, they want better working

conditions, and specifically, Becky, they want a restoration of many of the cuts that were made during the pandemic.

As, you know, the hotel industry, the travel industry, was so severely impacted by the pandemic, but these workers say that many of the people who

were not traveling are back to traveling again. Tourism is back, travelers are back. But they are still having to do the same jobs with not as many

workers and with not as much pay. They say that their wages are not reflecting the increase in earnings that their employers are making.

So far, The Marriott hotel chain, the Hyatt, as well as the Hilton are being affected by this.

I want you to take a listen to a one worker talking about why she is been on the picket line.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we have been trying to bargain now for five months. It is very impressive to see everybody come together to fight for

what they need. Anybody who serves you food, to clean your rooms, to clean your dishes, parks your car, opens your door.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAZMINO: So, Becky, 25 different hotels so far, across eight different cities, the potential for these strikes to continue to spread if they

cannot get to an agreement. One issue that the union is very specifically focused on is the question of daily room cleaning.

[10:55:00]

If you have been to a hotel recently, you might have noticed that you are not getting your room cleaned every day anymore. Usually, they come every

other day or so. And workers say that now that travelers are back, it takes much longer to clean these rooms.

They say that there are more guests in the hotel rooms, and that they are just not able to do the work in the same way.

They want better wages, better working conditions.

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: Understood.

PAZMINO: They want the cuts to be restored. So, we'll see what happens over the next several days. As you said, Becky, this is a major travel holiday

here in the United States, and hotels are having to provide fewer services with smaller staffs as a result of these strikes.

ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you.

Well, Scottie Scheffler won the 2024 PGA Tour Championship in Atlanta on Sunday, fresh off a gold medal victory, of course, at the Paris Olympics.

28-year-old finished at 30 under par -- 3-0 under par to take the $25 million FedEx Cup prize -- his first. Sheffler's seventh tour title this

season, making him the first golfer to win that many tournaments in one season since Tiger Woods. He did it back in 2007.

That's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson. Stay with CNN.

"NEWSROOM" is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END