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Trump Picks Rep. Matt Gaetz for Attorney General; U.S. President Biden Heads to Peru; HRW Accuses Israel of War Crimes in Gaza. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired November 14, 2024 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:00]
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for joining me for the second hour of Connect the World. I'm Erica Hill in New York.
Donald Trump's shocking Capitol Hill with his pick for attorney general, a MAGA loyalist with very little legal experience.
Joe Biden preparing to meet with his Chinese counterpart for the last time as president amidst growing competition between the two superpowers.
And Israel's use of evacuation orders meant to pursue the deliberate and massive forced displacement of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. That's
according to an extensive report released by Human Rights Watch. Why the group says Israel is committing crimes against humanity.
Donald Trump at this hour back at Mar-a-Lago, whittling down his list for more cabinet picks. It comes after quite a day on Wednesday, a few
bombshells announced there, including the selection of Matt Gaetz as attorney general. If confirmed, of course, Gaetz would lead the Justice
Department, which also investigated him for allegations of sex trafficking, an investigation that was closed without bringing any charges.
Even many Republicans stunned by this decision, just the latest that we're seeing from Donald Trump as he looks to surround himself with loyalists.
So, Gaetz is loyal to Trump, but he's bashed the very department he's been chosen to lead, and that may be exactly what Donald Trump wants in an
attorney general.
Joining me now with more CNN Senior Political Analyst Mark Preston joining me from Washington. Look, he checks the boxes, maybe not for the experience
traditionally that one would want for the top prosecutor, top law enforcement official in this country. But if you are Donald Trump, what you
want is a loyalist who is basically going to blow that up. That is Matt Gaetz.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, with capital L, right? I mean, that's the number one, the only one trait that you really need right
now to be in Donald Trump's cabinet. Not to say that he's not picking some folks who are highly qualified for their positions, but Matt Gaetz is
certainly not one of them.
What's interesting about Matt Gaetz -- well, there's a lot of interesting things about Matt Gaetz. First of all, there's a lot of Republicans who
will go on the record and say terrible things about Matt Gaetz because they think that he's not a very good person. Democrats over in the Senate, of
course, will have nothing to do with Matt Gaetz as he goes through the confirmation process. But the real pressure now is going to be on John
Thune.
Now, if you want to talk about the dog who caught the garbage truck, well, that might be Donald -- or rather John Thune, because now he has to
shepherd through all of Donald Trump's vabinet nominees, even the ones that he himself may not like.
Now, I've covered John Thune for a long, long time. I can tell you, deep, deep down, he would not be a Matt Gaetz person. Now, he may have to be
because he is the leader. But, again, Matt Gaetz, those confirmation hearings will be amazing.
HILL: There's also -- they will be amazing. There's something. I mean, look, some of the pushback here is that Matt Gaetz is simply not a serious
pick either. He has never been serious about his role as a legislator in Washington, and so certainly not expected to be serious in this role.
When it comes to, though, that Senate confirmation hearing, which looms, there are questions, Mark, about whether or not it would actually happen.
What are the chances that there is no confirmation hearing for someone like Matt Gaetz? This is a massive job.
PRESTON: So, let's play the game that's going on in Washington right now. What is happening right now? One, let's throw a Matt Gaetz's name in there.
If Matt Gaetz gets up to the confirmation hearings -- and I'm going to tell you, if I'm Matt Gaetz, given what people have said about the investigation
and his own personal life and what have you, I don't think I would go through a confirmation hearing with the United States Senate. I mean, you
have to hand over everything.
But let's assume now that he is not going to get through the Senate, whether he's told that by Senate Republicans or what have you, it still
creates a lot of chaos and anger from the MAGA base who want to see Donald Trump's picks chosen no matter who they are. We've even heard it from
senators, Tommy Tuberville, the Alabama Republican, is somebody who said that Republicans who don't support Donald Trump's picks, well, basically,
we're going to primary you and get you out of office. So, talk about a Republican civil war that could be going on at the same time, Donald
Trump's trying to implement his agenda.
HILL: It is going to keep you very busy, my friend. I appreciate it.
PRESTON: Both of us.
HILL: Yes. Well, yes, that's true, fair point. Thanks, Mark.
PRESTON: Thanks.
HILL: Well, as we've been talking about Matt Gaetz, perhaps you're not as familiar with him. There was, even according to our reporting, some unknown
audible gasps from House Republicans when they heard that the now former Florida congressman was in fact Donald Trump's pick for A.G. Why? My
colleague Brian Todd has a look at why the selection of Gaetz is so controversial.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: Matt Gaetz is a great man.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In tapping Congressman Matt Gaetz to be his attorney general, President-elect Donald Trump could be
swatting at the biggest hornet's nest of his transition.
MARGARET TALEV, SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR, AXIOS: It would be like the understatement of the year to say that this is an unconventional pick. This
is a provocative pick of a provocateur, who has himself faced a lot of legal trouble, and is highly polarizing not just among whatever the
American people or Congress, but inside the Republican Party himself.
TODD: If confirmed, the 42-year-old from Florida would lead a Justice Department that he has criticized and been a target of.
REP. MATT GAETZ (R-FL): I'm a marked man in Congress. I'm a canceled man in some corners of the internet. I might be a wanted man by the deep state.
TODD: Gaetz, a 2020 election denier, has accused the Justice Department of being weaponized under President Biden against people like Trump. He's
called for abolishing the department he's now been selected to lead and called for abolishing the FBI, often jousting with its director.
GAETZ: People trusted the FBI more when J. Edgar Hoover was running the place than when you are.
TODD: Could Gaetz now weaponize the Justice Department and help Trump go after his enemies?
REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ (D-FL): I'm pretty sure with this pick they're not just going to go around and shut down puppy mills, right? This is a very
serious pick and Donald Trump is obviously telegraphing that he means business. Matt Gaetz is one of his best weapons in Congress. He's taking
him out of Congress and he's giving him the attorney general's office.
TODD: It was Gaetz who led the charge among some far right Republicans in Congress to oust Kevin McCarthy as House speaker last year.
GAETZ: This House has been poorly led.
TODD: But before that, the man who could become America's top law enforcement official had been accused of serious crimes. The Justice
Department investigated Gaetz over allegations that he violated federal law by paying for sex, including sex with women who are under 18 years old.
Gaetz repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. And last year, the Justice Department announced it would not bring charges against him. One analyst
says, getting Gaetz confirmed could be a challenge, even in a Republican- led Congress.
TALEV: This seems destined not only to be a selection that is going to test the loyalty to President-elect Trump of Republicans in the Senate, but
that is meant to provoke.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: And our thanks again there to Brian Todd.
It's not just the controversy surrounding Matt Gaetz that are raising concerns. There are also serious doubts being raised about whether he has
the necessary experience to lead the Justice Department.
CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst Andrew McCabe, former deputy director of the FBI, calls him, quote, wholly unqualified for the job.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREW MCCABE, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: the job of the attorney general, and I can tell you this from having observed it firsthand time and
time again in meeting after meeting in the White House, in the Situation Room, about critical national security issues, right? These are incredibly
complicated, legally challenging, morally challenging, ethically challenging issues about operational matters involving the United States
government, its enemies overseas, and how we're going to protect the United States.
And in those conversations, the attorney general is the key player that informs and educates the entire room. We're talking about cabinet
secretaries here, people who advise the president on a day-to-day basis. They all look to the attorney general to be able to tell them what the law
says, what it means, how it fits in any particular scenario and what the challenges are to some of the things that our military, our law
enforcement, and our intelligence agencies need to do to protect the United States.
And, Matt -- the idea of Matt Gaetz, a guy who maybe practiced law in a small firm in Florida for a year or two before he went into politics, it's
just unthinkable that he would be able to rise to the demands, the significant demands of that role, and to perform it in a way that actually
added value to the nation's national security process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Senior Justice Correspondent Evan Perez joining me now from Washington with more.
So, as we look at, Evan, the legal implications here, the implications within DOJ, they could be exactly what Donald Trump wants, which is to blow
it up. But what does that mean from a practical standpoint for this country?
EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Look, I mean, I think that's exactly what the remit of Matt Gaetz would be. And look, there's
some quirks of U.S. law that I think a lot of people are about to learn, right?
[10:10:05]
For instance, I think Andy McCabe is pointing out his very limited experience in the law. He practiced law. He hasn't really been a prosecutor
before. But here's the thing. Under U.S. law, to be attorney general, you don't even have to be a lawyer. And I think people don't know that.
And, you know, the problem here is that Matt Gaetz was investigated by the Justice Department for these very serious sex trafficking allegations. It
was including sexual misconduct, illegal drug use, accepting improper gifts, obstruction of the investigation.
There's also a House ethics investigation that is about to wrap up. The report allegedly is finished and was set to be released perhaps as soon as
tomorrow. Matt Gaetz resigned yesterday, which means that that investigation is dead.
And so there's a couple of things that are now in the works. One of the questions is, this nomination, what happens to it in the Senate? Does he
have a background check done by the FBI? I talked to someone who said that a Matt Gaetz background check would be hellscape.
And the question is, does the Senate require it? They can say, you know, we don't want the FBI to do a background check on Matt Gaetz because the
embarrassment of that would be too much. They also could decide that, you know, the Senate could go into recess and allow Donald Trump to install
him. That's one of the other possibilities.
And then there's the other question of could he even get -- because of these allegations and because of his own personal life and history, could
he even get a security clearance? Well, here's the thing. The president of the United States has the power to order the security agencies to provide
him a security clearance. He's done it before. He did it for Jared Kushner in the first term.
So, all of these things are going to come into play in the coming weeks and months. It's going to be interesting, let's just say. Erica?
HILL: It is going to be interesting. It is, frankly. For anybody who's been paying attention, though, it is not wholly unexpected that this is
someone who would be put forth and that perhaps the incoming president would not care about background checks, would not care about traditional
Senate confirmation hearings. But avoiding those things obviously could also put national security at risk. We'll see how it plays out.
Evan, I appreciate it.
PEREZ: Thanks.
HILL: Thank you.
Well, Republicans at this point, they will have a unified government come January after winning enough seats to maintain control, a slim majority
there, of the U.S. House of Representatives. A CNN projection showing there the 218 seats needed to cross that threshold. They did flip several
Democratic Senate seats last week as well, so they have narrow control of that chamber as well.
And in the Senate, of course, we learned on Wednesday, South Dakota's John Thune will become the next Senate majority leader.
CNN's Annie Grayer joining me now live from Capitol Hill.
So, when it comes to the House, this slim majority is there, although the way Donald Trump is picking people could put a little bit of that perhaps
on the line.
ANNIE GRAYER, CNN REPORTER: That's right, Erica. There are now three House Republicans who Donald Trump has tapped to be part of his administration,
and House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed this last night in his press conference with us and said that he has pleaded with Trump saying, please
don't take this any more of my members. He needs as many of the Republicans as he can to actually be here to help him finish out this year and start
the next Congress.
I mean, as you mentioned, Republicans will hold the majority in the next Congress, but the question is how much. There are nine races that are still
too close to call and how those races turn out is really going to determine how much of a cushion Johnson really has in his next Congress.
So, Gaetz resigned officially yesterday. Florida law gives eight weeks for a special election, so Republicans are hoping that they can sprint to get
seat somebody by the time of the next Congress, January 3rd. But there are a lot of balls to juggle here, Erica.
HILL: Yes, there certainly are. Annie, I appreciate it. Thank you.
When we look at Republican control of Congress, this also means that it will make it a lot easier for Donald Trump to get his agenda through. That
agenda is expected to include, as you know, a hard line when it comes to immigration and specifically illegal migrants.
CNN's Rosa Flores has more on what it could mean for a number of families here in the U.S., including some of those who did support the president-
elect last week.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How many of you are U.S. citizens? How many of you support Donald Trump?
You're undocumented and you support Donald Trump.
GELACIO VELAZQUEZ, UNDOCUMENTED TRUMP SUPPORTER: I support Donald Trump for the economy.
FLORES (voice over): Two Hispanic families with mixed legal status in Houston with two different takes on President-elect Donald Trump's return
to the White House.
This is the Espinosa's first gathering since Trump's win.
[10:15:02]
How many of you fear that deportation could impact your family?
Cesar Espinosa, husband and father, was a DACA recipient until this summer when he got a green card. His sister and brother-in-law are DACA
recipients. His sister-in-law is a green card holder. And the rest of his family here are U.S. citizens. Some who are not present are undocumented.
You're a green card holder. Your wife is a U.S. citizen. Why are you afraid of deportation?
CESAR ESPINOSA, FEARS DEPORTATION UNDER TRUMP: I just became a green card holder after 33 years of being in this country. I don't think people
understand the fear. It's a constant shadow hanging over our heads.
FLORES: What was your reaction to Donald Trump winning?
KARYNNA ESPINOSA, FEARS FAMILY MEMBERS COULD BE DEPORTED: I cried a lot. It was emotional. Have my family, like if they're going to be here or
they're not going to be here, and how do you tell all of our kids? Like my nephews, they're also our kids.
C. ESPINOSA: To tell people that this doesn't live in kids and children's minds, in teenagers in young adults' lives, is a lie.
FLORES: Gelacio Velazquez is an undocumented mechanic who has worked in Houston for 25 years. He plays in this park with his two U.S. citizen
children, ages five and nine, and stands by Donald Trump.
So, you support Donald Trump because of the economy?
VELAZQUEZ: For the economy, yes.
FLORES: But you don't support the anti-immigrant rhetoric?
VELAZQUEZ: I'm not support the anti immigrant action.
FLORES: Do you support his mass deportations?
VELAZQUEZ: No. It's not human.
FLORES: Are you afraid that you could be deported in this mass deportation?
VELAZQUEZ: I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid.
FLORES: Espinosa runs a migrant advocacy group and says many people are afraid and have called him in tears.
ESPINOSA: I think there's a heightened sense of fear.
FLORES: Explain why Latino men are going to Trump.
VELAZQUEZ: Democrats forget the promise when these guys are in the office in Washington. The Latinos want a better nation.
FLORES: Espinosa believes some of the Latino support for Trump was a vote against the prospect of the first black female president.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's still a lot of machismo, there's still a lot of misogyny, and something that we need to say aloud is there's a lot of anti-
blackness.
FLORES: Velazquez says he hopes Trump finds compassion for immigrant fathers like him who are not criminals.
If you get deported, would you regret your support to Donald Trump?
VELAZQUEZ: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
FLORES: He's saying that he wouldn't regret supporting Donald Trump. So, you're really not thinking about yourself, you're thinking about your
children and the future of your children?
VELAZQUEZ: Yes, I want a better for my children.
FLORES: Cesar says he feels guilty for bringing so much uncertainty to his family.
What's it like for you to see your wife go through this and the emotions that she's going through?
C. ESPINOSA: I apologize to her a lot when we fell in love right away and we got married almost right away because when you know, you know.
FLORES: We asked Velazquez and Espinoza the same final question.
Do you have a plan in case you get deported?
VELAZQUEZ: I respect that decision. I leave the country. I'm not coming back.
C. ESPINOSA: There is a plan. We've talked about it openly with our family.
FLORES: It turns out, these two Hispanic families with two different takes on Trump's win have the same plan if they get deported. They would go to
Mexico as a family.
Rosa Flores, CNN, Houston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Still ahead here on CNN, why the uncertainty of Donald Trump's impending return to the White House looms large at this year's APEC summit,
as world leaders are meeting in Peru.
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[10:20:00]
HILL: Many of the world leaders gathering right now at the APEC Economic Summit in Peru are bracing for a second Donald Trump presidency. They want
to see what it's going to bring. The annual event being held, as I noted this year, in Peru comes against a backdrop of a possible global trade war
when Trump re-enters the White House.
Also, of course, happening at this year's event, well, Joe Biden is there and this will be his final meeting as president with his Chinese
counterpart, Xi Jinping, as tensions with both countries remain high. As Stefano Pozzebon reports, the competition between the U.S. and China is
once again on full display, and it is frankly dominating this year's APEC summit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST (voice over): Business speaks a new language in South America. Gone are the days of Washington's backyard. China is now
the top trading partner for the region. A few places represent this shift, like this brand new mega port in Peru, with a Chinese state owned shipping
giant, Costco, as its controlling shareholder. It's expected to be inaugurated on Thursday, in a joint ceremony at the Presidential Palace
with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The port is part of a multi-billion dollar Chinese investment in Peru, and CNN got a sneak peek ahead of the opening. These massive cranes will run
24/7 once the port is operational in 2025 and allow Costco's megaships to travel to China directly rather than stopping in Mexico and California,
reducing shipping times to Shanghai by 15 days.
It's going to be a game changer, says Carlos Tejada, a spokesperson for the Chinese conglomerate. Of course there is a geopolitical impact, because we
used to have to send our goods to North America, and that's no longer the case.
Competition between China and the U.S. is in full show this week, as Peru hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit. Both heads of state are
in town, but one is clearly ahead in the game.
PARSIFAL D'SOLA, FOUNDER, ANDRES BELLO FOUNDATION: We're going to have throughout the APEC summit a triumphant Xi Jinping opening the port and the
participation by President Biden with, to be honest, I don't know much of an agenda, especially given the results of the election, it's a huge win
for them. And this is not only happening in Peru.
POZZEBON: 22 countries in Latin America are now part of the Belt and Road Initiative, Xi's signature policy on global infrastructure investments,
according to the Andres Bello Foundation, an entire continent who could find itself in the crosshairs of the looming trade war between Washington
and Beijing.
Donald Trump is not in Lima this week, but his plans for Chinese-owned companies in the region are well known.
TRUMP: They think they're going to make their cars there and they're going to sell them across our line and we're going to take them and we're not
going to charge them tax. We're going to charge them. I'm telling you right now, I'm putting a 200 percent tariff on, which means they're unsellable.
POZZEBON: What a second Trump presidency will mean for South America remains to be seen. Trump wasted no time in demanding Mexico to do more to
stop migration at the border in a phone call last week. What is clear is that any retaliatory action from Washington could tilt this region even
further towards Beijing.
Stefano Pozzabon, CNN, Bogota.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: And as for that perspective from the U.S., CNN's Arlette Saenz following all of that for us from the White House. It is certainly an
interesting time, Arlette.
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it really is, Erica. And President Biden had hoped to be heading to this APEC summit in Peru and
then the G20 summit in Brazil, within different circumstances than what has played out with this election. He had hoped he was about to hand off to a
Democrat, Vice President Kamala Harris, and instead, both Biden and these world leaders are grappling with this new reality that President-elect
Donald Trump will be in the White House in the coming four years.
[10:25:05]
Now, the marquee moment for President Biden during this week-long trip will be a sit-down with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Peru on Saturday. This
is their final meeting and the first time the two leaders are meeting in one year.
Now, it comes as Biden has really sought to try to manage this relationship with China, which is really the United States' most consequential
competitor. You have seen this engagement between Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on several occasions, as well as the administration has tried to
keep open these lines of communication to try to avoid any misunderstanding.
Now, officials have acknowledged there likely won't be any long list of deliverables from this meeting. Instead, they've described this meeting as
an opportunity for the two men to reflect on the state of U.S.-China relations. They're expected to talk about Taiwan, also China's continued
support for Russia as it wages this war against Ukraine, concerns about cyber issues, among other topics as well.
But looming large over this meeting will be the lingering Trump presidency. Trump has promised to take a very hardline approach to China. He has
outlined tougher tariffs he wants to impose. And with some of his initial announcements for staff and leadership in his cabinet, he's really
signaling with some of these who have these more hawkish views towards China, there could be a much more adversarial approach to the country going
forward.
Now, one thing in Biden has done in the past four years to try to really counter China's growing influence in the region is cultivate alliances. He
really has worked quite closely with the leaders of South Korea and Japan. He is set to meet with the leaders of those two countries while he is in
Peru. And that is one area where Biden's team believes they can set up Trump to potentially continue this alliance-building in the region. They've
worked not just to cultivate these alliances with South Korea and Japan, but also countries like the Philippines and Vietnam, all as they're trying
to serve as some type of counter to China's growing influence in that region.
And for President Biden, this trip will really bookend a long career in foreign policy, which has really been a passion project for the president,
not just here in the White House, but also as he served as senator. And one thing that will be interesting to hear is what these conversations are like
with world leaders as they're trying to game out what a Trump presidency will look like.
I remember being on the trip back in 2016 when President Barack Obama had traveled in the days after Trump's first victory and was really trying to
assure world leaders about the United States' role in the world, but also had fielded some incoming questions about what his views on Trump and his
presidency would look like.
So, these are all things that could hang over President Biden's trip as he's set to make his first trip to South America as president, but also his
final one before he leaves the White House.
HILL: Yes, a lot there, that is for sure. Arlette, I appreciate it. Thank you.
Just ahead on Connect to the World, a scathing new report from Human Rights Watch says Israeli actions in Gaza amount to war crimes. I'm going to speak
with a researcher from Human Rights Watch about those findings and also what the group says needs to be done now to address the ongoing crisis.
Plus, growing fears in the West Bank after an Israeli minister orders preparations for annexation, those details as well after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:30:00]
HILL: Thanks for joining us here on Connect the World. I'm Erica Hill. Half past the hour now.
At least 15 people are dead following Israeli airstrikes in Damascus. That's according to Syrian state media. The strikes targeted several
residential buildings. Women and children are reportedly among the dead. The Israeli military said it was striking targets belonging to Islamic
Jihad in Syria. This is one of the deadliest attacks on the Syrian capital in months.
In Lebanon, a state media reporting there heavy Israeli airstrikes in Southern Beirut for a third straight day. Israel's military had earlier
warned people in the area to evacuate. The IDF has been attacking what it says is Hezbollah infrastructure in the south of the city. Israel's defense
minister says the IDF ground operation in Southern Lebanon has expanded.
And a damning new report from Human Rights Watch finds the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza amounts to both a war crime and a
crime against humanity. One researcher saying in the report, Israel has blatantly violated its obligation to ensure Palestinians can return home,
raising virtually everything in large areas. In response, Israel has said that it remains committed to international law and that it operates
accordingly.
Milena Ansari is a researcher and lawyer with Human Rights Watch and is joining me this hour from Jerusalem. It's good to have you here.
So, when we look at this report, 154 pages, we just saw the response, it was a lengthier response, but the gist of it there is, really, the IDF
saying that they are committed to international law and they operate accordingly. The report itself, walk me through some of the findings.
MILENA ANSARI, ISRAEL AND PALESTINE ASSISTANT RESEARCHER, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Thank you, Erica, for having me and much appreciated. Maybe just a
quick response saying you're committed to international law is very different than actually being committed to international law on the ground.
So, our report, Human Rights Watch's report, is based on interviews with 39 displaced Palestinians in Gaza. We have analyzed the Israeli military's
evacuation orders and the system as a whole, looking into 184 evacuation orders and satellite imagery confirming the widespread destruction and
verified videos and photos of attacks on designated safe zones and evacuation routes, and also public reports and information about the
humanitarian situation inside Gaza.
So, basically, the acts of forced displacement are widespread and systematic statements by senior Israeli officials. And the practice of the
Israeli authorities show that forced displacement is intentional and forms part of the Israeli policy amounting to crimes against humanity.
So, when we say we analyzed the evacuation system or the evacuation orders, we understood or concluded that they have failed to ensure civilians could
travel safely or reach safety and would be secured after arriving the designated safe zones.
The evacuation orders or the system as a whole put people, Palestinians, in Gaza clearly in harm's way. They gave instructions that were unclear,
inconsistent, inaccurate and in many times contradictory, making it extremely difficult for civilians to know where or when to move and how to
go. We found dozens of evacuation orders that were incorrect and the Israeli military itself corrected them only hours after they were
published.
So, all of this has created so much confusion, anxiety, and fear amongst the Palestinians, which indicates clearly that the evacuation orders did
not secure the safety of civilians. And we also --
HILL: Go ahead.
ANSARI: Not only the evacuation orders. In order for the displacement to be lawful, there needs to be a safe place for the evacuees or the displaced
to be in. What we've seen is that the evacuation routes, like Salah al-Din Road, the main highway between Northern Gaza and Southern Gaza, had
multiple attacks when people were ordered to use it as a safe route.
[10:35:11]
And as well, when they reached the humanitarian areas, like al-Mawasi as well, they were blocked by the Israeli authorities the humanitarian aid,
meaning the availability proper water, shelter, food, medical facilities.
So, the overall situation, whether the evacuation itself or the route of evacuation or the area they were ordered to go to, all of them indicated
that the Palestinians were not safe during these times.
HILL: As you know, because I know you've seen the statement, the IDF pushing back on that a little bit, the Israeli government pushing back on
some of that, saying that they've given plenty of adequate alerts ahead of time, some of our own reporting at CNN, as my colleague Jeremy Diamond,
just pointed out, does contradict some of that.
The IDF also pointing to Hamas and saying that, look, Hamas, and I'm just reading for the statement here, that they have a documented practice of
operating from nearby, underneath and within densely populated areas, saying that their strikes are targeting Hamas, essentially not civilians.
In terms of what you found on the ground there, does that bear out?
ANSARI: You know, our analysis in the report, and as you mentioned, it's a big, thorough report, does take into consideration. Israel's claims that it
is trying to protect civilians while fighting Palestinian armed groups. And quite simply, in every case we examined, those claims were untrue and are
untrue.
But let's examine the arguments for a minute. You know what the laws of war, international humanitarian law says, is that if you absolutely have to
force civilians out of their homes, you have to provide somewhere for them to go where they won't die of thirst or die of starvation or diseases or
lack of medical care.
Now, Israel has not only failed to provide those humanitarian needs for Palestinians as an occupying power as well. It has also deliberately
blocked humanitarians from providing this. We have seen reports from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner, from Israeli human rights
groups, like Gisha, where they filed a petition against the Israeli authorities with regards to blocking aid. And it seems clear that these
claims of providing aid or displacing Palestinians for their safety are not very apparent on the ground. In other words, there's absolutely no military
reason to deny people food and aid and safety, allegedly or supposedly for their safety.
HILL: So, when we're looking specifically about these issues of aid, to your point, there have been multiple reports over the last year-plus about
the difficulties of aid getting in and, of course, the intense need and the growing need for that aid.
To that point, what is your hope for this report? What do you think it will change? What do you think it could change?
ANSARI: Our hope is that countries, the international community, could stop or end its denial about the clear and blunted violations of the
Israeli authorities to international law and international humanitarian law. If we take the United States, for example, on its own, on November
12th, the U.S. gave Israel in a letter, a deadline to increase the number of truckloads of aid entering Gaza to 350 per day. And this was the U.S.'
way to put pressure on Israel in order to -- if Israel does not meet this threshold or this number, that it would limit military support. The
deadline has passed. And we have seen statements from U.S. officials saying that now they're disregarding this limit off 350 or saying that even 30
trucks would be enough.
So, this clear denialism needs to end. Countries need to --
HILL: So, really quickly, Milena, because we are out of time, but I'm just curious if you can give me like a quick yes or no. What is the level of
engagement? Is Human Rights Watch getting answers, getting communication? Is there a line of communication with the Israeli government for you?
ANSARI: Unfortunately, with every single report, every single statement we issue, we send the Israeli authorities, the Israeli military, the Ministry
of Defense, letters with our findings, with questions to our answers, but we have never received a response. Or if we've received a response, it
would be, reach out to a different authority and a different authority would not respond.
Unfortunately, this is not only this year. For years, Human Rights Watch has not been able to get proper responses from Israeli authorities,
although we reach out with every report to share our finding and ask for any information that they would like to share.
[10:40:10]
And this is extremely unfortunate.
HILL: Milena Ansari, I appreciate you joining us. Thank you.
ANSARI: Thank you.
HILL: Well, there is also growing condemnation after Israel's far right finance minister ordered preparations for the annexation of settlements in
the Israeli occupied West Bank, a move which will likely heighten tensions amid a surge in Israeli settler violence against Palestinians there.
Here's CNN's Nic Robertson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice over): This is the face of Israeli settler intimidation in the occupied West Bank.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Next time, we won't be nice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't touch my cow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't (BLEEP) care if this is your house. This is my house now.
ROBERTSON: It was early August. Hamdan Bilal (ph) is the Palestinian farmer they'd come to intimidate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was asleep under this (INAUDIBLE) tree. I was asleep there.
ROBERTSON: This is your farm here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. And when I wake up, I saw the cows grazing --
ROBERTSON: The settler's cows?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, the settler's cows.
ROBERTSON: Not for the first time, the settler threatening him, putting his livestock on Bilal's land.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They bring their sheep to grazing in our field. The plan is like to steal our land when they destroyed everything.
ROBERTSON: A plan to take his land and farm that he says accelerated when the Gaza war began.
All those outposts have been built since October 7th?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
ROBERTSON: On this occasion, the settler's getting closer and more aggressive, the day with the cows, worse than previous.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Touch my cows, touch my cows. I dare you. I dare you. I dare you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What? You will kill me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You will see what I do. Lower your phone, lower your phones.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're threatening me in my house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my house. This is my house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You cover your face, but we know you.
ROBERTSON: The settler, whom Bilal says he recognizes, claiming, God gave him the land.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was given it by God, and Abraham, Isaac, Jacob.
ROBERTSON: When the settlers are here and threatening you, what's going through your mind?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't explain it. How I'm feeling. It's like blocking me.
ROBERTSON: Did you call the police?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I called the police. I talked with them, it's like seven minutes.
ROBERTSON: Bilal says the Israeli police didn't come. They declined to comment to CNN.
Things really got ugly after that call.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you want?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I want to dance with you, man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dance with me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to danced with you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not your bitch.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You look sweet. You are my bitch, and you look sweet.
ROBERTSON: Then in Hebrew, he threatens to rape Bilal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
ROBERTSON: According to Israeli media, the sort of settler violence that Hamdan Bilal experienced has so worried the domestic intelligence chief,
the head of Shin Bet, that he wrote to the prime minister warning of Jewish terrorism coming from these hilltop youths and that it was damaging
Israel's international standing.
The rebuke was enough to bring stinging criticism from Netanyahu's right wing pro-settler security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who controls the
police. Ben-Gvir called for the intelligence chief to be fired.
Late August, 37-year-old Khalil Salim Zaida (ph) was laid to rest in Wadi Rahel. He was the second Palestinian to be killed by settlers in the
occupied West Bank that month. The U.N. says settlers have killed 12 Palestinians since October 7th last year.
On the street where Zaida died from settler gunshots, rocks litter the road. The Israeli settlement the attackers came from, a few hundred yards
away. Footage in the Palestinian village captured the moment of the Israeli settler attack.
The question everyone here is asking, how can the settlers get away with the intimidation and the killings?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I question Netanyahu and the government of Israel, why killing?
ROBERTSON: And the conclusion they are coming to is that Netanyahu's government feels it can act with impunity.
MUNTHER AMIRA, POPULAR STRUGGLE COORDINATION COMMITTEE: The government is trying to show the international community that they are taking some
actions against some settlers, but it was clear yesterday a Palestinian have been killed here. We know that the settler who has been, you know,
shooting toward our houses.
ROBERTSON: Back at Hamdan Bilal's farm, I asked Israeli peace activist, Shai Parnes, whose group, B'Tselem, released the video of the settler
attack, why is settler violence up?
[10:45:02]
SHAIR PARNES, B'TSELEM SPOKESPERSON: They don't hide anything anymore. That's what's really changed.
ROBERTSON: And why don't they hide it anymore?
PARNES: Because this is part of their ideology and they don't care because they see nothing happens to them. They bombard Gaza with tens of thousands
Palestinian casualties, and still Israel has total impunity.
ROBERTSON: He says he believes authorities know who threatened Bilal, a nearby settler, Shem Tov Lusky (ph).
So why isn't he arrested?
PARNES: Because that's always Israel policy. State violence, as well as settler violence, is to expel Palestinians, make their life miserable and
to steal their land.
ROBERTSON: Hi, this is Nick Robertson with CNN. Is this Shem Tov?
I call Lusky.
I want to talk to you about the video of you threatening farmer Hamdan Bilal in Susya (ph). Was that you?
At first, he denies it was him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
ROBERTSON: It wasn't you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It wasn't me.
ROBERTSON: I play him the video. Do you recognize this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Next time we won't be nice. Do you understand this? Don't touch me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is --
ROBERTSON: Do you recognize that? That's your voice. That's your voice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay, it's my voice.
ROBERTSON: I want to ask to meet for an interview, but he hangs up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go (BLEEP) yourself.
ROBERTSON: I call again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All day long, they're telling the cops I was here, I was there.
ROBERTSON: When I asked him to tell me more about his conversations with the police, he changes the subject.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't do anything because I am free and because I didn't do anything wrong to anybody.
ROBERTSON: Shem Tov, listen, we both know this is you. We both know this is you. So, let's sit down and do an interview politely together.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nic?
ROBERTSON: Yes, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First of all, I don't care what you think. Second of all, I don't care what anybody in your country think of me,
ROBERTSON: I ask again to meet him. He wants money.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five-minute interview, $10,000, okay? Okay? Bye-bye.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will die here.
ROBERTSON: Bilal knows Lusky's apparent impunity isn't just putting his land on the line but his life too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he will kill you, he will take it. If you accept that, he will take it. In any way that you feel in his voice, he has like
powerful, big powerful behind him.
ROBERTSON: Nic Robertson, CNN, Susya, the occupied West Bank.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Across the globe, schools are helping their students engage with the natural world around them, inspiring a new generation of conservationists.
Today on Call to Earth, we join one such school in the Seychelles, where the effects of climate change and ocean pollution are visible right from
their doorstep.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Sitting in the middle of the Indian Ocean, about 2,000 kilometers from the coast of East Africa, lies
the Seychelles Archipelago.
[10:50:05]
The African nation is famous for their ring-shaped reefs and islands known as atolls.
As breathtaking as they are, these islands are under threat.
SEDNA CHETTI, DIRECTOR, MONTESSORI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL-SEYCHELLES: In the last 20 years, a lot has changed. Recently, we have a lot of people working
towards conservation.
There's a lot of young people coming forward, which is why we're interested in working together with the kids.
My name is Sedna Chetti. I am the director of Montessori International School located here in the Seychelles.
Montessori International School is a preschool for children between zero to six years old. The first years of life, I think, is the most important to
everyone. That's when we're really absorbing the most, and that's when we're learning the most from our environment.
So, for the last few days, we've been going around with the kids to teach them a bit about our atolls, and also why we need to protect it.
STEWART: As with many island nations, climate change poses major risks to the Seychelles. But they're also faced with an even more tangible threat. A
recent study estimated that more than 500 tons of marine plastic debris have accumulated on Aldabra, the largest of the Seychelles atolls, about
1,000 kilometers southwest of Mahe Island.
CORIANNA JULIE, COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, SEYCHELLES ISLANDS FOUNDATION: So, we have a lot of plastic litter collected along the beaches, and this is
marine debris. And they have terrible, terrible effects on the ecosystem.
CHETTI: Bringing the kids out in nature, it builds a certain love and acceptance to nature. More than it is about conservation, it is also about
their growth and development and how in touch they will be as they grow older to animals, to plants.
CAREN OTIENO, TEACHER, MONTESSORI SCHOOL-SEYCHELLES: So, today we're planting more of the afila species in our Aldabra corner (ph), and we're
going to be planting afila and wazak (ph).
STEWART: By translocating species from Aldabra to replant here on Mahe Island, the school aims to expose its students to a wider array of native
species.
OTIENO: We bring our little Aldabra corner here.
STEWART: And provide them with hands on experience in conservation.
OTIENO: We tear the plastic, then we put it in the hole. Yes.
JULIE: I think it's very important to protect the Seychelles because it's a biodiversity hotspot. And species found here, we have a few that come
can't be found anywhere else in the world. And it's very important to protect these last populations because, if we don't, there will be
irreversible damage where we won't find them. They can go extinct.
STEWART: Such endemic species include a host of flowering plants, five types of bats, 12 globally threatened birds and the world's second largest
species of tortoise.
CHETTI: I think we need to conserve the whole world, not just Seychelles, but because we're in Seychelles. So, obviously, this is the part of the
world we get to take care of. So, maybe if everyone does the same wherever they are in the world, then we do get to basically live a better life, live
a better world for the future, have better quality air, better quality food, better quality of everything, really.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: For more from Call to Earth and just log on to cnn.com/calltoearth.
And we'll be right back
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:55:00]
HILL: Just when maybe it felt like all the cool stuff on Earth had already been found, guess what? There's more. National Geographic scientists just
found the world's largest coral. In fact, it's so big they say you can actually see it from space. This coral, more than a hundred feet long, it's
estimated to be at least 300 years old. It was discovered in the Southwest Pacific Ocean near the Solomon Islands.
Unlike a coral reef, which consists of many colonies, this is one single specimen that has grown continuously for centuries. Scientists, though, are
warning, just like any other coral, this one is vulnerable to global warming and other human threats.
That's going to do it for this edition of Connect the World. I'm Erica Hill. Thanks so much for joining me today.
Be sure to stay with CNN. Newsroom is up next.
END
