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U.S.-Israel War with Iran; Mojtaba Khamenei Statement; Trump-Putin Phone Call; SCOTUS Delivers Blow to Voting Rights Act; Jewish Community in London Reacts to Stabbing Attack; Rights Groups Demand Release of Palestinian Doctor; U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer Speaks about Antisemitic Violence. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired April 30, 2026 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to our second hour of the show. I'm Becky Anderson here in Abu Dhabi, where the time is just after
6:00 in the evening.
U.S. president Donald Trump is digging in on the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, still refusing to lift that blockade without a deal to end the war.
And today, a message purportedly from Iran's supreme leader, promising, in his words, a new chapter for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz,
which he refers to as a strategic asset.
Well, as the war with Iran enters its third month, the economic weight of this conflict across the globe is getting heavier by the day. Here's where
prices stand right now for the U.S. and global benchmarks.
Today's swings reflecting extreme volatility as the market moves into a new trading month. We have seen significant swings, Brent as high as 120 at one
point. Nic Robertson back with us now from Islamabad. Also joining again is David Goldman in New York.
David, let's just unpack what the oil markets are doing right now.
DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR REPORTER: Yes. The oil market is a little bit lower. There's a lot of volatility today. As you mentioned, it's
the last day of the contract. And so you usually start to see prices fluctuate a little bit more than you normally would.
Certainly a lot more than you normally would today when you know there was a $12 swing in oil. But I would encourage people to ignore the day-to-day
volatility in oil and focus on the fact that Brent crude is now trading at $114 a barrel.
That is up almost 50 percent from where it was, just as the war was starting. And what that has done is it's made everything that goes on a
truck, everything that you know, is using that kind of fuel, that gets more expensive.
Everything that comes out of crude, which is jet fuel, gasoline -- and then there are some plastics as well -- are becoming less available as the
Strait of Hormuz remains closed. And that has created, certainly in the United States, a problem for affordability.
In Asia, it's created a problem for availability. There are supply shortages where -- that are so extreme that factories are needing to shut
down production there. That will have downstream effects eventually that will come to the United States as well.
ANDERSON: All right. Let's bring in Nic.
Nic, there is a blockade on a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and that is having an enormous impact on the price of oil, of gas, of other
petrochemical products. We know this. The global economy is suffering as a result of it.
What more are we learning today about Iran's thinking and the U.S. thinking about what happens next?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, you're right, it's a blockade on a blockade. And both sides thinking that -- thinking they're
putting pain, economic pain on the other side. And both sides are thinking the other side is going to crack under this pain.
First, president Trump, from these -- the economic pain of the escalating impact on the on the global economy and on the price of gas, the pumps and
forecourts in the United States. And the language has been very uncompromising and tough.
The Iranian leadership today is celebrating what it's calling national Persian Gulf Day. It's the day they're celebrating when they liberated the
Persian Gulf and their occupation, as they saw it, from the Portuguese 400 or so years ago, 1622.
And to that point, there have been statements from the supreme leader -- or statements that purport to come from him. And absolutely, the Strait of
Hormuz and what happens to it is at the core of that.
You know, he points to the Portuguese occupation and points at the Americans today and says, that's pretty much the same thing. They're
greedy. They're coming here to take what's ours. And the place for them is at the -- is at the bottom of the Persian Gulf. He goes on to point out,
the Gulf countries, by the way, that you had U.S. bases.
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But they didn't provide you security. But I think the line here that really circles back and doubles down on what we've heard from Iranian leaders
before is the notion that Iran wants to have new economic controls over the Strait of Hormuz.
He calls them administration that, he says, will bring economic benefit for the Iranians. And I think, you know, there's a trolling backwards and
forward as well. You've heard from the speaker of the parliament, the chief negotiator, Ghalibaf.
He has put on X a tweet that is aimed at Scott Bessent, the Treasury Secretary in the U.S., and said, look, three days our wells didn't explode.
Of course, the theory was blockade the Strait of Hormuz; Iran couldn't export its oil, therefore it couldn't store it all.
Therefore, it would have problems in its in its oil fields containing and stopping the flow. He said, you could put a webcam on there for 30 years
and for 30 -- for 30 days rather. And that wouldn't show the blowing up of the wells.
And he said, so that advice from Scott Bessent, he called it junk advice. Look at the price of a barrel of oil now. He said $120. So there's really
trolling this issue of the Strait of Hormuz, the blockade on a blockade, the pain on the pain. That's where it stands right now. Becky.
ANDERSON: Nic, Pakistan has just opened new overland corridors to get aid into Iran. That's certainly what's being reported at this point, aid.
What more can you tell us about that and what pain, economic pain Iranians are feeling right now?
ROBERTSON: Yes. We've heard from -- again from the speaker of the parliament talking to his own constituency inside of Iran. And possibly
because he's seen as a more moderate. And he was speaking to the hardliners because there are big, fundamental differences about how to handle the
current situation.
You know, we talked about what the ayatollah, the supreme leader said. Well, there's concern that the hardliners have control of his messaging. We
don't know that for sure. But what Ghalibaf has spoken about in terms of the economy, that, in the mid-term there will be economic pain on the
country.
You know and what it's able to import in its resources, its finances, the fact that it can't sell its oil on international markets will have a
significant knockon effect. So in the medium term, internally, the discussion is there could be pain on them as well.
But, you -- where they are standing with Pakistan on this transit route, shortly a few weeks after the ceasefire was agreed, the Iranians came to
the Pakistanis and said, look, we've got about 3,000 containers that have been stuck at two of your main ports on the ocean, the Port of Gwadar and
the Port of Karachi.
Three thousand containers there, help us get them into Iran. So what the Pakistani government has done has opened or given them access to six routes
to access two border crossings to get those containers out.
How long this goes on after -- but whatever is in those containers, Pakistani authorities say they don't know. But this is come at the request
of Iran. Clearly, it needs these containers.
And obviously it is feeling economic pressure, whether this transit route becomes a main thoroughfare for Iran to get goods it can't get through the
Strait of Hormuz, isn't clear.
ANDERSON: David, let me bring you back in. It's been very clear and we have reported extensively on the global economic impact of this energy
shock. You have new numbers out of the States for Main Street, the impact on gas prices, the price of gas that we use in a tank to power our
vehicles.
What is it?
And how damaging could that latest price be for this Trump administration?
GOLDMAN: Yes, gas prices just hit $4.30. And though that might sound nice to our friends who are overseas, that is pretty painful here. We haven't
seen prices like that in four years.
And we are rapidly approaching the all-time high, which was just over $5 a gallon. And so the thing that people are feeling in the United States is
that, you know, we have a K-shaped economy.
People at the top of the K are the wealthier folks who are -- maybe they have a home and they have money in the market. They're doing OK right now
with these higher gas prices.
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But the folks who are on the bottom of the K, which is rapidly expanding into the middle class, those are the people that aren't doing so well. And
the concern now is that there might be permanent demand destruction.
What is that?
That means that you make an actual change where you might even sell your car or you need to find a new place to live so that you can live closer to
work, things like that, that change your consumer behavior. That's what economists are fearful of. The longer this lasts, the more we might see
something like that. Becky.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you both. Thank you very much indeed.
Let's get you back to Washington then and to Kevin Liptak, who is at the White House.
I want to get from you Trump's latest thinking and how what we've just heard from David will be playing into that mindset.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And the strategy right now seems to be to try and inflict as much economic pain as he can on Iran.
He's asked his advisers to prepare for an extended blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
When you talk to American officials, they say that their intelligence suggests that Iran's economy could potentially collapse within days or
weeks if that waterway remains blockaded. Of course, there are huge risks here for president Trump himself as gas prices rise in the United States.
And, of course, Iran has shown in the past a willingness to withstand really withering economic conditions for quite some time.
Despite what the president seems to be suggesting here now, today, he will also receive updated military options for potential restarting of the
bombing campaign inside Iran. That's something that he has sounded reluctant to begin again in the past.
He was also asked yesterday about whether or not he would begin the military campaign in Iran if negotiations seem to be stalemated. Listen to
what he said.
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TRUMP: I always like face to face. You know, I consider it better. But when you have to fly 18 hours every time you want to have a meeting and you
know what the meeting is all about and you know they're going to give you a piece of paper that you don't like before you even leave, it's ridiculous.
They've come a long way. The question is whether or not they're going to go far enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIPTAK: So it seems clear here that the costs of this are adding up for president Trump. The political costs, you know, his approval rating has
really plummeted. Republicans are growing anxious about the midterm elections in November. There are also just the literal costs of the war.
A Pentagon official told members of Congress yesterday that the U.S. has now spent $25 billion on the war. But our sources have suggested that that
itself is a lowball estimate. It doesn't take into account the cost it will take to rebuild some of the American bases that have been destroyed as part
of this conflict.
And that I think is also factoring into the president's thinking here. You know, if the U.S. were to restart the war, the chances of Iran beginning
its retaliation, I think, are high, including on some of the Gulf states and some of the American military installations in the region.
So that, I think, will be factoring into the president's decision making as well. Becky.
Yes. Kevin, Donald Trump also spoke to Vladimir Putin on the phone, we are told, for 1.5 hours yesterday. In this incredibly busy news environment, it
is easy to overlook that. But that is a long call.
What came out of it?
LIPTAK: Long and I think significant, just given what we understand about Russia's involvement in the Iran war, its very close military and political
ties to Tehran.
The way president Trump described it is Vladimir Putin came to him with an idea, a proposal to potentially help with the negotiations to end the war
and a suggestion that Russia could potentially take shipment of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
You'll remember this is a role that Russia played in the 2015 Obama-era Iran agreement that president Trump withdrew from.
You know, when the president was describing this yesterday in the Oval Office, he shrugged off the suggestion that Russia could resume that role.
He said that he would prefer that Putin focus more on ending the war in Ukraine. And he was asked which of these two conflicts he thought would end
sooner. Here's what he said on that front.
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QUESTION: What does he want to have in the Iran situation?
TRUMP: He told me he'd like to be involved with the enrichment -- if we -- if he can help us get it. I said, I'd much rather have you be involved with
ending the war with Ukraine. To me, that would be more important.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIPTAK: So he went on to say that he thought that they would end on similar timetables.
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Which I think is going to raise some alarm bells, given that the Ukraine war is now in its fourth war (sic) and talks to end it seem like they're at
a standstill.
ANDERSON: Good to have you, sir. Thank you.
That is the view from Washington. Ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, excitement building at Miami International Airport and American
Airlines. Find out why after this.
And how a Jewish community in London is reacting to the stabbing of two men in what police are calling a terrorist incident.
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ANDERSON: Well, there is an ongoing battle in the United States over the congressional maps that will shape the midterm elections in November. And
Republicans have just notched a win.
Florida lawmakers approved a new map on Wednesday that could give Republicans a four-seat advantage in the U.S. House. That was passed just
hours after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakens key parts of the Voting Rights Act, potentially opening the door for more redistricting that
could impact majority Black and Latino districts.
And with just over six months until those midterms, every district is being closely watched. CNN's chief U.S. national affairs correspondent Jeff
Zeleny, covering the story for us from Washington.
Jeff, just get our international viewers up to speed on this. Let's call it a fight at this point, because it really is, and just how consequential
this could all be for these midterms.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, it's been quite extraordinary. This, about a year-long gerrymandering war, we've
called it, which president Trump started by last summer, he suddenly said, look, I'm entitled to five more Republican seats in Texas.
He said, I won Texas handily. I'm entitled to five more Republican seats. So the Texas legislature changed their map, something that we have never
seen in the middle of a decade.
Usually these congressional lines, the maps, if you will, are drawn after the census, which is conducted at the beginning of every decade. California
Democrats followed suit and said, if Texas is going to do that, we're going to fight fire with fire.
So they had a referendum and redrew the lines to get five more Democratic seats. A number of other states have followed suit as well. Virginia just
did about a week or so ago. Florida now, as you said, has approved new maps to potentially get four Republican seats.
So it's been this tit-for-tat all along that we have not seen before. In the middle of it all, of course, the Supreme Court issues a major ruling
that is not going to have as big of an effect this fall. But in the years to come, it certainly will. It's a historic ruling and here is why it
effectively eviscerates most of the Voting Rights Act from 1965.
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These laws that were passed, signed by president Lyndon B. Johnson at the time, to effectively guarantee representation for minority voters across
the South and in other states as well. So we are going to see this gerrymandering war continue.
Of course, it has a big impact for this fall. The House majority for Republicans is so narrow, every seat matters in an exponential way. But
even beyond that, it is effectively pouring gasoline onto the fire here that has caused many divisions in U.S. politics.
And that's these intense gerrymandering of lines. What that means is that, effectively, these lines are drawn to represent or benefit one side or the
other, not giving many voters a chance to choose a representative if they don't necessarily agree with that party.
So these lines are quite odd. It leads to the division in politics. And we're seeing that tremendously here in the Trump era.
ANDERSON: I know our international viewers always get a kick out of having you on.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: it's important that we understand these, what is going on, with six months ago to these midterms. So it's a pleasure, mate. Thank you very
much indeed.
(CROSSTALK)
ZELENY: Always great to see you.
ANDERSON: -- commercial flight from the U.S. to Venezuela -- thank you, mate -- in nearly seven years is scheduled to take off at any moment. It is
taxiing right now. The two countries working to restore economic ties following the removal by U.S. forces of Venezuela's strongman leader in
January.
Today's American Airlines flight from Miami to Caracas is due to take just under 3.5 hours. Americans suspended the service in 2019 when the first
Trump administration banned flights between the U.S. and Venezuela. Busy airspace there, look.
Well, next up, a regional war that could have a devastating global impact miles away from Iran. Some of the world's most vulnerable people could be
paying the ultimate price for the conflict.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, these are your headlines, folks.
President Trump is said to be considering new military options for the war with Iran. A source says commanders will brief him today. Axios reporting
one possibility is a wave of short and powerful strikes on Iran.
Well, a new message was released today that's purported to be from Iran's supreme leader.
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Mojtaba Khamenei promising, in his words, a new chapter for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. And he says foreign aggressors in the Gulf
belong, quote, "in the depths of its waters."
Well, at least nine people, including two children, have been killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon. That is according to Lebanese authorities and
(INAUDIBLE) state media. Despite a declared ceasefire, Israel's military chief told troops to continue operations on the front line as Israel trades
blows with Hezbollah.
Well, next hour, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, expected to face a grilling at the
Senate. That is because of the fallout from Wednesday's clash between Hegseth and lawmakers, during which he estimated American operations in the
war in Iran could have cost $25 billion.
Sources telling CNN that could still be a conservative figure. Brian Todd has been across this story from Washington. And he joins us now.
So what is our understanding of the cost of this war?
And what do we expect to hear next hour in the Senate, Brian?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, in the next hour, Becky, the Senate will probably have some very pointed questions for secretary Hegseth about
the cost of the war and about the end game strategy involved.
Now let's get to the reporting that you're talking about, that the overall estimate for the cost of the war. That was given by Jay Hurst, who's the
Pentagon's chief financial officer, to House lawmakers yesterday, him telling them that it was about $25 billion, roughly, a total cost of the
war.
But according to CNN's sources -- this is reporting from our Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen and Haley Britzky -- that $25 billion estimate from
Jay Hurst was a lowball figure. That's according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke to CNN.
It does not include the cost of repairing extensive damage to U.S. bases in the region and some equipment that was damaged. According to one source who
spoke to CNN, the real cost estimate is closer to $40 billion to $50 billion when accounting for costs of rebuilding those military
installations and repairing destroyed assets.
Now let's talk about some of the overall debate and the pointed exchanges regarding the overall strategy of the war. Congressman Seth Moulton, who
himself is an Iraq war veteran, a Democrat, did ask Pete Hegseth about whether the U.S. is actually winning this war. Take a listen.
REP. SETH MOULTON (D-MA): At the end of the day, this also has a cost to us.
If let's say this war costs $100 billion, I mean, you've already said, "Give us more time. It's only been two months. It could go on for 20 years
like Iraq and Afghanistan."
Let's just say it costs $100 billion.
What is that to the average American taxpayer?
Do you have any idea?
PETE HEGSETH, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Well, unlike foolish previous administrations, it won't go on --
MOULTON: I'm just asking.
HEGSETH: -- for years and decades.
MOULTON: But let's just say it's $100 billion.
HEGSETH: It's hard to imagine how it's allow those things to happen. You were part of that war --
MOULTON: Do you know the answer to that?
HEGSETH: So was I and I never --
MOULTON: I'm just asking if you know what your war costs the average American taxpayer?
HEGSETH: What is the cost of Iran having a nuclear weapon that they wield over?
MOULTON: I'm just asking if you know the cost of the average American company.
HEGSETH: I'm asking you what the cost is --
MOULTON: It's about $600. So for the American taxpayers out there, my constituents, some of the constituents you wanted to represent in
Minnesota, I'm just wondering if they have an extra 600 bucks lying around to pay for your war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TODD: So some sharp exchanges there over the cost of the war. You can expect that as well in the Senate, starting in about a half-hour.
Also, Congressman Moulton asked him if he believed that the U.S. was winning the war and Pete Hegseth said absolutely. He believes that that the
success on the battlefield has been just really tremendous there.
And then Congressman Moulton said, well, do you call the closing of the Strait of Hormuz winning?
So that's -- those are going to be pressure points, Becky, I think, starting in the next half hour.
How are they going to try to open up the Strait of Hormuz?
What is the end game strategy of this war?
I think he'll be pressed very hard on that.
ANDERSON: Yes, particularly on a day when U.S. gas prices are at a significant point. Thank you for that.
The Jewish community in Britain is reeling from Wednesday's stabbing attack in north London that injured two Jewish men.
Police say the Golders Green neighborhood, home to many of the Jewish faith in London, has been targeted by a wave of violent incidents in recent
weeks, including an arson fire on four ambulances and an attack on a synagogue.
The country's chief rabbi says, quote, "If you are visibly Jewish, you are not safe in Britain."
The government announced it will spend nearly $34 million in additional funding for security in the area after the attacks. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz
is in Golders Green, where an angry crowd has gathered as the British prime minister Keir Starmer visits the neighborhood.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Prime minister Keir Starmer is just a few feet away from us right now, visiting Jewish volunteer
ambulance services. And as you can see, he's been met by an angry crowd.
They've been chanting "traitor." They've been calling him a "Jew harmer." There's a great deal of frustration and anger in this community here in
Golders Green.
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After an attack took place yesterday, two people were stabbed, it was declared a terrorist incident by police. But it's not the first. It is one
of a series of attacks against the Jewish community here in England. And prime minister Keir Starmer has said that it is something he is going to
address.
But clearly he has not addressed it well enough for the crowd that is here. He was earlier today meeting with the justice departments of this country.
He wants the response, the criminal justice response, to be swift and agile, as he told those government officials earlier today.
Also, 25 million pounds has been allocated for additional security services for Jewish communities to keep them safe. But more needs to be done.
Anytime you speak to members of this community here in Golders Green in north London, they will tell you they simply do not feel safe -- Salma
Abdelaziz, CNN, London, in Golders Green.
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ANDERSON: All right. I want to get you back to the Iran war and the severe disruption that it is having on global energy supplies. And there are fears
that some of the world's most vulnerable people could be facing a life-or- death situation.
Let's focus on Somalia, where food prices have soared by around 20 percent. Given that Somalia imports most of its provisions, that's according to
think Global Health Hunger, already a critical issue in the country, where one in three people face food insecurity, according to Doctors without
Borders.
Well, joining me now from the Somali capital, Mogadishu, is the U.N. under- secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, Tom Fletcher. He's there to highlight the wider impact of the Iran war on some of the world's most
vulnerable communities.
It's good to have you. We just heard reporting that the $25 billion cost of the war, according to U.S. officials, is a lowball estimate. You've made
reference to a previous number, $2 billion a day. You said earlier this month that that money could have saved 87 million lives.
Do you have an updated estimate of how many people your organization can save with what is being spent on this war?
TOM FLETCHER, U.N. UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS: So I don't have an exact cost of the war but I see the knockon effects of it
here in Somalia and across so many places that we work.
And look, Becky, you know, I've been on and we've discussed before, we have a plan this year to save 87 million lives. And the cost of that plan is $23
billion. So you can make the comparison there.
If we'd had that $23 billion, we'd have far more chance this year of getting out there and saving those 87 million lives. We're out here anyway.
We'll do what we can. But we're also dealing with the knockon effects of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
As you say, the food prices are up 20 percent. Fuel costs here in Somalia have doubled. And so the costs of the response are also skyrocketing.
ANDERSON: Take us inside your conversations with people on the ground there in Somalia.
What are you hearing?
FLETCHER: It's just awful. I mean, there are choices that people make all along this chain. You know, a politician chooses to boast about aid cuts;
finance minister chooses with a kind of cruel swipe of a pen to cut budgets for the poorest people on Earth. Various tech bros, the richest people in
the world, laugh about it and celebrate it.
And then further down the track, me and my colleagues, we then have to hyper prioritize. We're doing that already, just around that 87 million
number. And then what it means here in the field that my colleagues, my teams, our partner organizations are then choosing which projects to close,
which to keep open.
And then that means that the people I met over the last four or five days are choosing which kids to save and which kids not to save. The medical
facilities they normally go to are already closed. So many are dying en route to the hospitals that we're just about keeping open.
And so, you know, the winners of the fact that the global economy is being put on a war footing are the arms dealers. They're the people gambling on
the stock markets, like kind of casino traders. And the losers are the people meeting this week in Somalia.
ANDERSON: Just to remind our viewers of the geography here, Somalia imports nearly a third of its fertilizers-- those come from here in the
Gulf -- and imports 90 percent of its food. There are structural issues that are, of course, causing this economic pain to compound.
So short of the strait reopening, which comes down to the U.S. and Iran, Tom, what can be done where you are?
FLETCHER: Well, it's incredibly hard. I mean, we think that there'll be half a million kids suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
[10:35:03]
We'll try and get support to as many of them as possible. But we're only 13 percent funded. We fear that doubling of hunger over the next six months.
So what we'll do is we'll prioritize even harder. We'll work even more efficiently to cut out any duplication and make sure that every dollar we
get is saving lives.
We'll work to get access, as I've been doing this week, to every corner of Somalia, so we can reach people wherever that need is greatest. And then
we've got to get the Strait of Hormuz open. We've got to get the fuel, the fertilizer, the food flowing, the seeds for the planting season. We've got
to get those goods flowing.
ANDERSON: Well -- and your previous message to the warring parties was this, quote, "Humanitarian cargo must be allowed to pass safely through the
Strait of Hormuz."
You said that back on March the 13th. Pretty much nothing has changed in 1.5 months. We know that the U.N. has discussed plans on fertilizers, which
is, you know, got precedent to a degree; the grain deal, during the height of the Ukraine-Russia war.
What do you want to see the world do about the Strait of Hormuz?
Again, we see talk of a coalition to ensure freedom of navigation but that coalition will only be in place after the guns go silent. And that hasn't
happened at this point.
FLETCHER: Yes. So we need the guns to go silent. It's, you know, it's not rocket science. We've got to get that strait open. We've got to get goods
flowing completely freely.
In the meantime, the U.N. secretary general and his senior team have an initiative to get a mechanism in place for inspections and so on to get as
much of that food and fertilizer moving as possible. And his personal envoy has been very busy in the region trying to get that agreed.
But ultimately, we need those big powers on side. We need everyone. We need that consensus globally that the impacts of this have got out of control
and we need serious people for serious times to come up with some serious solutions.
ANDERSON: Let's circle back to the funding question that we started with at the top of this. You and I spoke what mid-December; you talked about
your hyper focus of, you know, needing funding to get to 87 million people who need the support that you can provide this year.
And here we are at the back end of April with these significant numbers being spent on this war.
Do you have any strategy to change the priorities of governments like the U.S. that could make a difference at this point?
FLETCHER: So it's really hard and I'm grateful to you for having me on, so that at least we have a chance to talk about these challenges and the
impact on people in Somalia and elsewhere.
Look, you know, I've spent three months since we last spoke on the road, you know, knocking down doors in capitals, trying to raise that money.
We're about a third of the way there, which is -- which is not too bad, you know, about a third of the way through the year.
But I fear that's because a lot of governments have frontloaded their support. You know, we've got a good chunk of that from the U.S. and the
Europeans. Basically, they've really stepped forward. It's not as much as we'd like. It's not as much as certainly the Americans used to give. But
it's a start. And we'll use that as effectively as we can.
We've had other funding pledges announced but sadly not delivered.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you. Thank you for making the time for us today. I know that you are on the road pretty much all the time. Viewers
can follow you on your social media channels when you are not speaking to us here on CNN because these are busy times. And you deserve the support,
Tom, thank you.
When we come back, why this Palestinian doctor is still being held without charge or trial in Israel. My conversation with the human rights group
advocating for his release.
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ANDERSON: Well, Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist living in the United States, was detained by ICE in March of 2025 and held for more than
100 days without charge. A year on, he reflects on his life in a heartfelt essay in the "New York" magazine.
He writes in part, "I did not advocate for Palestine because I wanted to be active; I advocate because I have no choice. From the moment I was born
Palestinian, my existence was political.
"What choice does a Palestinian refugee, deprived of basic rights, have but to resist the forces that seek to erase him?"
Well, Khalil is now reunited with his family and appealing against an immigration judge's order to remove him from the United States.
Well, a vote Wednesday by House Republicans brought a deal on billions of dollars funding for ICE a step closer.
Meantime, calls growing for the release of Palestinian doctor Hassan Abu Safiya, whose detention in an Israeli prison was extended on Tuesday this
week, he has been held without charges now for over a year. The U.N. and several rights groups are demanding his immediate release.
Reports say Abu Safiya has been subjected to torture. He was arrested by Israeli forces in December of 2024 after refusing to leave the Kamal Adwan
Hospital, which he led in Gaza.
Well, I spoke to Naji Abbas with Physicians for Human Rights about Abu Safiya's case -- and a warning to those of you watching, you quite possibly
may find this report disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NAJI ABBAS, PHYSICIANS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (voice-over): Dr. Abu Safiya officially is not being accused with anything and he not being charged.
After 1.5 years, he's not being charged with any offense that he committed. It's another form of administrative detention.
When the detainee, Dr. Abu Safiya, and hundreds of Palestinians now are being held in detention without any charges and without being informed what
the evidence against them.
ANDERSON: So there is no accusation against him at this point?
ABBAS: No.
ANDERSON: Have they provided any evidence of wrongdoing?
ABBAS: No, no. Administrative detention means that another detainee, not his lawyer, even, can't see the evidence that the Israeli state is claiming
to have against him. Unfortunately, by the Israeli law, yes, they can keep him in prison, detained without a proper legal procedure, without any
charges, without any cause.
And here we are speaking about a doctor, about physicians who are protected under the international humanitarian law.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
ABBAS: And the Israeli authorities are allowing themselves to keep these people in detention illegally.
ANDERSON: How do you plan to fight this?
I mean, is there is there a mechanism in the Israeli law that will or could work in your favor?
Because at this point, it does seem that the odds are stacked against him and these other physicians.
[10:45:00]
ABBAS: To be honest, unfortunately, you are right in our tools are limited. After two years of targeting and arresting and detaining health
care workers, including these 14 doctors and Abu Safiya.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
ABBAS: We are planning to submit a petition in two days to the high court in Israel, demanding the release of the 14 doctors. If it will succeed, if
these doctors will be released, we hope so. We don't have much trust, to be honest, on the Israeli legal system.
The last tool that we will have to submit a petition in the name of all the doctors to the Supreme Court.
ANDERSON: How is Dr. Abu Safiya?
How's his health?
ABBAS: Dr. Abu Safiya is in a very bad condition. Dr. Safiya is being held disconnected in -- total disconnecting from the outside world. He can't
speak with his family. His lawyer is having difficulties to meet with him. The last time that he, the lawyer, met him was three months ago.
And since twice the visit was canceled. He, as thousands of Palestinian detainees, Dr. Safiya is being held in very poor hygiene conditions. The
ICRC are not allowed. The Red Cross are not allowed to meet with him or any Palestinian detainee. We are documenting testimonies about violence, denial
of medical care.
ANDERSON: His case, as you point out, is not unique to Palestinian detainees. Thousands of Palestinians are detained in Israeli prisons, many
held without charge or right to a trial.
How would you describe what's happening right now in Israel and the state that the country is currently in?
ABBAS: They transformed their detention system to a system that aims to punish detainees through the conditions. For the Israeli authorities and
the Israeli government, it's not enough to limit the freedom of Palestinians but they are using the food and nutrition, the medical care,
the very basic human rights to punish Palestinian detainees.
And unfortunately, one of the main and one of the major changes in the last two years that the Israeli legal system is allowing these violations. The
Israeli courts are closing investigations about regard violations in the Israeli legal system.
The high court are allowing keeping thousands of detainees, including doctors and health workers, without any charges. The supreme court is
allowing the band of the ICRC, the Red Cross, from having any access to detention facilities.
So we are speaking about a total change in the Israeli legal system when we are speaking about Palestinian detainees, Palestinian held in detention and
when we speak, especially when we speak about health care workers and doctors, we are speaking about a group which is protected by international
humanitarian law.
And the legal system in Israel knows that. They are aware of the international humanitarian law but the legal system in Israel is deciding
to ignore that and to act illegally.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, the Israeli prison service has categorically rejected the allegations of this report. In a statement to CNN, an official says all
detainees are held lawfully and their basic rights, including access to food and medical care, are upheld.
They say they were unaware of the claims and that any complaints submitted through official channels are examined by authorities.
Well, just in, prime minister Keir Starmer started speaking a few moments ago about the stabbing of two men in a Jewish neighborhood of London
yesterday. Let's listen in.
KEIR STARMER, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: Yesterday, Britain's Jewish community suffered yet another vile terrorist attack. Two men stabbed in broad
daylight on the streets of Golders Green because they were Jews.
I've just come back from Golders Green where I expressed my sadness and solidarity with that community but also my determination to act because the
truth is this attack is not a one-off.
There have been a series of attacks including an arson attack in Hendon, an attack on the Jewish Ambulance Service Hatzola, the fireball at Kenton
United Synagogue which I visited last week.
[10:50:05]
And on top of all this Heaton Park in Manchester last October where two Jewish men were killed in a vile Islamist attack on their synagogue.
And so people are scared, scared to show who they are in their community, scared to go to synagogue and practice their religion, scared to go to
university as a Jew, to send their children to school as a Jew, to tell their colleagues that they are Jewish, even to use our NHS. Nobody should
live like that in Britain but Jews do.
And so yesterday this anxiety that is always there went to another place, to terror frankly. That is the right word. I want to thank the Jewish
Security Services who wrestle with this every day and who alongside the police prevented a much greater tragedy yesterday.
I met some of the first responders today and on behalf of the country I thanked them for their bravery. We will strengthen the visible police
presence in our Jewish communities.
We will increase our investment in those Jewish Security Services. We will introduce much stronger powers to shut down charities that promote
antisemitic extremism.
We will prevent hate preachers from entering our country, bar them from our campuses, our streets, our communities. Work with our justice system to
speed up sentences on antisemitic attacks so there is a stronger deterrence factor as we do with riots.
And we need stronger powers to tackle the malign threat posed by states like Iran because we know for a fact that they want to harm British Jews
which is why we will fast-track the necessary legislation.
And yet the truth is while we can and we will bring the full power of the state to bear on this, this is about society every bit as much as it is
about security. At moments like this we often say this is not Britain, that these attacks are an affront to British values, to British tolerance,
British decency but they keep happening.
And so today instead I will simply say that our values are not a gift handed down generation to generation. They are something we earn each day
through action. They come from us.
Antisemitism is an old, old hatred. History shows that the roots are deep and if you turn away it grows back. Yet far too many people in this country
diminish it.
They either don't see it or they don't want to see it. Take the marches that happen regularly across Britain. Of course we protect freedom of
speech and peaceful protests in this country but if you are marching with people wearing pictures of paragliders without calling it out you are
venerating the murder of Jews.
If you stand alongside people who say globalize the intifada, you are calling for terrorism against Jews and people who use that phrase should be
prosecuted. It is racism, extremely racism and it has left a minority community in this country scared, intimidated.
[10:55:07]
Wondering if they belong. So I say again this government will do everything in our power to stamp this hatred out.
We will strengthen our security and protect our Jewish community but I also call on everyone decent in this country to open their eyes to Jewish pain,
Jewish suffering and Jewish fear. I call on everyone to come together and fight anti-Semitism.
And I call on everyone to fight for the decent, respectful, tolerant Britain that I and millions of people love so that our freedom and our
values can still speak loud and true to a community that can no longer take it on faith. Thank you.
I will now take a couple of questions. I think first from Paul.
QUESTION: Prime minister, you've just been heckled on a visit to Golders Green. One of the victims of this attack says he feels let down and the
government isn't doing its job to make Jewish people feel safe.
Can you say, hand on heart, that you have done everything you can?
And do you owe the Jewish community in the U.K. an apology?
STARMER: Well, can I start by saying I absolutely understand the high levels of anxiety and concern that there are reflected in the various
reactions over the last day or two. I completely understand that anxiety has been there for a very long time and the appalling terrorist attack
yesterday made it worse in terms of what we've done.
We have called an emergency COBR yesterday to make sure that we're coordinating the response and putting the necessary security in place. I
pulled together the various criminal justice agencies this morning to make sure that together we can show that justice will be swift, effective and
visible, to give confidence to people.
We had already put in enhanced funding for security and we put more funding in. Now we're looking at what further measures we can take on protests,
particularly in relation to chants, to banners and the repeated nature of protests. We're, of course, looking at what more needs to be done in health
and education --
ANDERSON: Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, says he understands the concerns of protesters who heckled his visit to an area of London known
as Golders Green.
Earlier, he said the intel and security services that the U.K. were doing a huge amount to protect the Jewish community in Britain after two men were
stabbed on Wednesday in the mostly Jewish community.
He says he understands the anxiety amongst the community. It's been there for a long time. He was asked whether he would apologize to the Jewish
community that feels let down -- we've pulled out of him before I actually hear whether or not he apologized. Didn't sound as if he was going to
apologize, per se.
This is as much about society, he said, as it is about security and this government will do everything in its power to stamp out this Jewish hatred
but calls on everyone to come together to fight what he describes as antisemitism and to fight for the tolerant Britain that he and so many
people love.
That's it for tonight. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up.
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