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Isa Soares Tonight
Biden Meets With Netanyahu At White House; Harris To Meet Netanyahu After Missing Out On Joint Session Of Congress; Paris 2024 Olympics Countdown With Less Than 24 Hours Left; Biden Meets With Netanyahu At The White House; Harris To Meet With Netanyahu Soon; Aid Group Reports On Situation In Gaza; Making The Fashion Industry More Sustainable; Historic Olympic Opening Ceremony Less Than 24 Hours Away; Tennis Star Andy Murray Not Playing In Olympics Singles. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired July 25, 2024 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:36]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: And a very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I am Paula Newton in for Isa Soares. Tonight and right now,
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House. It's a crucial conversation on the situation in
Gaza and the status of a ceasefire and hostage deal. We will have all the details.
Then, all eyes on Vice President Kamala Harris and her stance on Israel as she's also set to meet with Mr. Netanyahu in the coming hours. Plus, we are
now less than 24 hours away from the opening ceremony at this year's Olympics in Paris. We'll have more on how the city is gearing up for this
big event.
Now, Israel's Prime Minister has been waiting for this moment for months, perhaps even years. Benjamin Netanyahu finally sitting down with U.S.
President Joe Biden in the Oval Office. Now, the leaders are meeting right now after this handshake during a very brief appearance before the cameras.
Sources tell CNN, President Biden will forcefully urge Mr. Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire deal for Gaza. We want you to listen now to what the
Israeli Prime Minister said just moments ago. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER, ISRAEL: Mr. President, we've known each other for 40 years, and you've known every Israeli Prime Minister for 50
years, from Golda Meir. So, from a proud Jew Zionist to a proud Irish- American Zionist, I want to thank you for 50 years of public service and 50 years of support for the state of Israel.
And I look forward to discussing with you today and working with you in the months ahead on the great issues before us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, what's notable here as Mr. Netanyahu didn't mention the status of ceasefire talks when he gave a very defiant speech to Congress
yesterday. He drew repeated applause, especially from Republicans as he defended Israel's actions in the war on Hamas.
But dozens of lawmakers boycotted the speech, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it the worst presentation of any foreign dignitary ever to
address Congress. We're joined now by Alex Marquardt in Washington and Jeremy Diamond who is standing by for us in Jerusalem.
Alex, I'll start with you, I mean, look, they're behind closed doors right now, and all important is the status of those ceasefire talks. I know you
follow it closely and yet, I'm wondering what more the White House can add to this, given that so far, Mr. Netanyahu, it seems is a stumbling block to
this deal.
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: What they can add, they think is more pressure. So, we had Netanyahu coming this week.
We've known this for quite some time, but he was coming at the invitation of the Republican leader of the House, Mike Johnson. But at the same time,
he is having these White House meetings, that was actually a question when this trip was announced.
So, the U.S. -- the White House is using this moment to take advantage, to try to pressure Netanyahu into finally agreeing to a deal. He is seen as
the one who is holding out right now. The ball is in Israel's court. That's according to a U.S. official speaking to our colleague MJ Lee earlier.
So, the negotiations are a little bit on hold right now, Jeremy and I are both told that meetings are expected in the coming days. There's a meeting
in the works with the main mediators, including the CIA Director Bill Burns. But the media are certainly waiting to see what happens in this
meeting between Netanyahu and Biden.
And then interestingly, when that meeting is over in just around 25 minutes time, the two leaders are going to be meeting with hostage families. That
could add more pressure to the Netanyahu position as they go into what the U.S. hopes are these final meetings. Now, we do know according to U.S.
officials that both Hamas and Israel have agreed to the framework that said it was set out by Biden two months ago back in May, but that there are
still specifics that need to be worked out.
But U.S. officials now saying firmly that the ball is in Israel's court to finally agree to this deal, to get to a pause in the fighting, and then
they hope to a permanent ceasefire. Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, Jeremy, now to you, given the speech yesterday, I'm just wondering now with some sober second thought, what Israelis are making of
all of this, and if there is any truth to the fact that some of the obstacles are there in the tension in Israeli politics. And now with the
Knesset perhaps going on a recess that things will become easier for Netanyahu in the coming weeks.
[14:05:00]
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that is certainly one school of thought, and it is true that as the Israeli parliament, the
Knesset goes into Summer recess for the next three months beginning next week. It will be slightly harder for the right-wing coalition partners and
Netanyahu's government to collapse the government for example.
If a ceasefire deal goes through that they disagree with, but it is still possible for them to find a way to do just that. The key question now, and
I don't think that this question was answered by the end of the Israeli Prime Minister's speech last night. It's whether or not he actually wants
to get to a deal.
And if you listen to the speech last night, you know, there's a few ways of interpreting his words, but the bottom line is that he didn't talk in-depth
about the status of those ceasefire negotiations. He didn't say during that speech which many Israelis hoped he would, that he intended to go ahead and
broker this ceasefire agreement that he believed it was possible, and that he wants to bring this ceasefire about as quickly as possible to get those
hostages home.
And I think ultimately, when you look at the Israeli -- if you're trying to gauge the Israeli reaction, think about the fact that yesterday as the
Israeli Prime Minister was vowing to bring the hostages home in his speech, he got a round -- resounding round of applause from the mostly Republican
lawmakers in that room.
But interestingly, the families of the hostages who were in the gallery watching that very same speech, they did not stand and applaud. And that
tells you everything you need to know because there's so much more skepticism in Israeli society, in particular among the families of hostages
about Netanyahu's commitment to achieving a deal.
And that is in large part because the Israeli Prime Minister for months and months and months now has focused as he did in that speech last night, far
more on the notion of fighting until victory, of destroying Hamas more so than actually getting this hostages home, achieving a ceasefire deal.
And you can make no mistake that President Biden, one of his top tasks will be to gauge, first of all, the Israeli Prime Minister's sincerity about
those ceasefire negotiations. But then of course, also as Alex said, to push him in that direction.
NEWTON: Yes, all good points, especially when it comes to the families of the hostages. Alex, before I let you go, you know, the parameters of the
ceasefire deal, a lot of it we already know is kind of on the table. But can you just explain exactly how narrow this is, right?
Because as Jeremy points out, given this speech, there wasn't a heck of a lot said as well about what happens to Gaza if this ceasefire deal goes
through. What is the vision for Gaza going forward?
MARQUARDT: Well, I think generally speaking, Paula, a lot of what the U.S. officials hope happens is getting this phase one off the ground, and then
figuring out a lot of it later on. So, this is a multi-phase deal. Stages 1, 2 and 3 in the first phase would see some 30 Israeli hostages, around 33
of them released by Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
This would be at least a six-week long ceasefire, and during which time, not only with those hostages and prisoners be released, but also aid would
be going into Gaza. But those are some of the mechanics, the choreography, that's the kind of thing that still needs to be --
NEWTON: We're just going to listen in to the White House press briefing here, let's just listen in for a moment.
JOHN KIRBY, COORDINATOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL, WHITE HOUSE: And an effort to get there. President will be
reaffirming for Prime Minister Netanyahu that he believes we need to get there, and that we need to get there soon.
Today is the 293rd day that these hostages have been held captive by Hamas. And you just have to assume that it is the most horrific of circumstances.
Sadly, we know that not all of them are alive. Still hostages, still need to get home to their families, 293 days, there ought not to be at 294th.
And we're going to keep working on that. I do anticipate that the two leaders will also have a chance to talk about other substantive issues in
terms of the blue line up at the north, and making sure we don't see an escalation of the conflict between Israel and Lebanon, and make sure that
we're providing opportunities for both Israeli and Lebanese citizens to return to their homes, as well as, of course, the need, the critical need
for stability in the West Bank.
We're still seeing violence in the West Bank that the President has been absolutely steadfast, calling out as unacceptable. They'll also discuss the
United States ironclad commitment, of course, to Israel's security, including countering the very serious threats that Iran and its proxy
groups continue to demonstrate throughout the region.
The President and the Prime Minister, of course, after meeting today in the Oval, will have a chance to meet with families of the Americans that are
being held hostage by Hamas. This will be this President's second in-person meeting with these families. But as you all know, we have kept up a regular
drumbeat of interaction with them since the 7th of October.
Jake Sullivan met with them 10, 12 times, something like that, and other members of the team have also kept in touch with them to make sure that
they know everything that we're doing to get their loved ones home.
[14:10:00]
Just quickly before we go to questions, a quick word on Venezuela, we support a peaceful election that we expect and hope will come on Sunday.
Elections that will reflect the will and the aspirations of the Venezuelan people for a more democratic, stable, and prosperous future. Any political
repression and violence is unacceptable.
And of course, regardless of who wins, we encourage both candidates to commit to a peaceful outcome and to work together for the good of all
Venezuelans. With that, I'll take some questions.
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks, John. First in -- what about firstly(ph) Prime Minister Netanyahu, and does the President believe that Prime Minister
Netanyahu wants to get a hostage deal that, given his political consideration at home in Israel, that he's actually capable and willing to
breach those gaps that you see remain?
KIRBY: Yes and yes. He has said so publicly himself, he wants to get the hostages home. And the Israelis, the government, Prime Minister Netanyahu
has been working with us to try to get that deal over the finish line. That said, as I mentioned at the top, there are still some gaps that remain and
we're going to be talking to the Prime Minister today about closing those gaps.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pardon -- want to know that the President mentioned last night that he plans in the next six months, his time in office, focus on
some foreign policy issues. How does the President's announcement change what the White House, what the NSC has planned for the balance of the year
until January 20th in terms of an issue about the President, travel by the President, will he get to Africa? You know --
KIRBY: Yes --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rule of things that maybe hadn't planned for the second term that he now has to -- less than six months to get done.
KIRBY: Well, look now that he's not running for re-election, certainly, you can expect that there will be opportunities on the calendar that may not
have been before. And so, we're all exploring what those opportunities can look like in terms of advancing his foreign policy agenda and national
security opportunities here and around the world.
But I don't have anything on the schedule to speak to now. But I mean, you know, stay tuned. I think there will be some opportunities that the
President is going to want to explore. Look, I mean, still got a war in Ukraine, still got a war in Gaza, you still got climate change to deal
with, still got a very restless Indo-Pacific. I mean, I could go on and on. There's plenty of things for the national security team to try to get --
continue to get done.
JEAN-PIERRE: Up here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John, we heard the Vice President earlier with comments strict -- sorry, strong comments related to the vandalism of the protests
that we saw yesterday. We haven't heard yet from the president or from the White House at large. Do you condemn what you saw yesterday? How do you
characterize the protests including what we saw at Union Station?
KIRBY: Well, we did put out a statement last night from the White House, but absolutely condemn any violence in protest activity. I mean, it's a
First Amendment right to peacefully protest. We fully support that. We know that there are strong views about what's going on in Gaza. And some of
those views are in opposition to some of the policies that we're pursuing, we get it. That's democracy.
But when it turns violent and when you burn an American flag and pull it down off a U.S. government site, that's just absolutely unacceptable, and
obviously we condemn all that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, these protests pro-Palestinian, pro-Hamas, anti- Israel? How do you characterize what we're seeing?
KIRBY: I think it's a little bit of all those things. I mean, I can't speak for the protesters, obviously, I don't share their views. But obviously,
they took great exception to the Prime Minister speaking on Capitol Hill. And as I said, many of them have taken exception with our -- with our
policies with respect to Gaza.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, we heard from other family members who is going to be meeting with both the Prime Minister and the President a short time
from now. Aviva Siegel, she was a former hostage of Hamas. She says, I want to ask President Biden if Bibi is not able or willing to agree to the
ceasefire and hostage deal to bring the Americans home. Is there anything more that President Biden is prepared to do unilaterally to try to bring
those hostages home?
KIRBY: I won't get into hypothesis, thus, in speculating about options one way or the other. We want to get all the hostages home clearly, the
Americans in particular, and that's why this deal was so important, Peter, and we are close. We are closer now we believe than we've been before.
The gaps are closable, no question about that. And we believe, the President believes that getting that hostage deal in place, getting that
six-week ceasefire, that's the best way to get all these loved ones back with their families.
JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Karine. Thanks John. Did the U.S. find any of Netanyahu's remarks yesterday to be false or misleading?
KIRBY: Look, I'm not going to parse everything he said or you know, do a fact-check here from this podium, he should speak for himself about what
his views are.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He should, but he had a powerful stage, a joint address before Congress. Do you agree with assertions that Iran financially
backed some of the protesters, that if there are Palestinians in Gaza who aren't getting enough food, it's not because Israel is blocking it, as two
examples?
[14:15:00]
KIRBY: So, on the first example, we said ourselves, director of National Intelligence came out publicly and said that we do know that Iran has been
funding and encouraging some of the protest activity here in the United States. Some of it. We do not believe that all the protests activity out
there on a daily basis is being fully, you know, funded by Iran.
You know, there's a lot of organic concern out there in the American people about what's going on in the Middle East, and most of these protests are
formed and fashioned in that regard. On the second question, is it -- there has been a steady increase of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza.
The problem isn't getting it to Gaza right now.
The problem is getting it around Gaza, and one of the reasons why it's so damn difficult to move things around inside Gaza is because there's a war
going on, and bombs are dropping. And regrettably, in the conduct of some of their recent operations, the Israeli military has in fact not on
purpose, we have no reason to believe they did this deliberately, but there has been accidental strikes on some of the trucks and the convoys that have
been moving around.
So, there's -- it's not one or the other. There's a lot of reasons why it's not moving around. And some of that is, of course, the military activity of
the Israelis inside Gaza.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And now that the Vice President is the likely Democratic nominee, has she communicated with the President whether a
Harris administration's Israel policy would be the same or different as his?
KIRBY: You would have to talk to the Vice President's office and the campaign for that. I would just -- before I relieve that though, just want
to remind, she's been a full partner in our policies in the Middle East, particularly with our policies towards Israel and the war in Gaza, full
partner.
Been involved in nearly every conversation that the President has had with the Prime Minister, and very much engaged throughout.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, before, I just want to say -- a quick follow-up on that.
KIRBY: Sure --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you -- can you explain to the American people who might think it just looks odd that she is having her own private meeting
with the Prime Minister separate from President, to suggest that they aren't speaking with one voice?
KIRBY: I reckon if she was here, she'd be in the room right now, but she's not physically here. There's nothing unusual about that. And Vice President
has an -- has an eye fully expect over the next six months will continue to have meetings of her own with foreign leaders. She's met privately with
President Zelenskyy as well and others.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was 20 days ago that the administration first said that they were really optimistic about finding -- really closing the deal.
Has nothing changed in 20 days? Is that still where we are?
KIRBY: I wouldn't say nothing has changed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are the remaining gaps? Where are the sticking points?
KIRBY: Am I going to negotiate in public? I wouldn't say nothing has changed. I mean, those last 20 days you talk about, and we've been working
really hard to try to get those gaps closed. There are -- there's still more work to be done, but we believe as I said earlier, we're closer now
than we've been before, and we think it's absolutely achievable to get this over the finish line.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just sort of calling a phone, we just point there, one other thing that the Prime Minister said yesterday that's gained a lot of
attention is that, the conflict has had one of the lowest ratio of combatants to not combatant casualty as the history of urban warfare.
Obviously, as our State Department has found it reasonable to assess that the Israelis actions at times have been inconsistent with international
law.
So, who is correct here? And is the United States comfortable with the ratio of death between Hamas and --
KIRBY: Again, I'm not going to go line-by-line through the Prime Minister's speech and debate it here from the White House podium. He should speak for
his comments. He should speak for his views. What I can do is speak for ours. And the right number of civilian casualties is zero. And there has
been too many civilian casualties in this fighting in Gaza.
And as I just indicated in my previous answer, there continued to be civilian casualties in this war in Gaza. There continues to be desperate
need for food, water, medicine, because it's a combat zone in many places. And we need to bring the war to an end. And one of the principal things
that the President is going to talk to the Prime Minister about today is how we get there. How do we end this war?
And the best way in his view is to get this deal in place. Get a six-week ceasefire. Get phase one going, so you negotiate to phase two, get a
cessation of hostilities and more critically, get those hostages home.
JEAN-PIERRE: Go Dan (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks Karine, thanks. I'll -- you mentioned in your top, the word compromises. Does the President believe that specifically,
Prime Minister Netanyahu needs to make compromises to achieve a ceasefire deal, that is not just Hamas, and also what are those compromises that
Netanyahu would then have to make?
[14:20:00]
KIRBY: Both sides have to make compromises. And because we still have gaps that haven't been closed, I think you can surmise from that, that there are
still compromises that need to be made. The Israelis already have made many compromises to get us to this point.
Hamas through their interlocutors have made compromises to get us to this point. And yet, we're still not there. So, there are still -- there's still
a need for compromise.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And will President be saying to Prime Minister Netanyahu, you need to make compromises?
KIRBY: Well, we're going to do a readout and we'll tell you how the meeting went after it's over. But as I said in the opening statement, this will be
a prime topic of discussion, that it's time now to get these compromises in place. It's time now to get the negotiation in place and get the hostages
home. It's time to end the war.
JEAN-PIERRE: Gerd Osborne(ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. How does the administration reconcile the comments that the President has made about the fact that Hamas has been
decimated, its military objectives achieved as he said some weeks ago. And the fact that we heard the Prime Minister again reiterate that he wants
total victory. How do you all reconcile those two visions?
KIRBY: I don't think they need to be reconciled. I think both things can be true. We do believe that from a military perspective, Hamas has been very
badly beaten and denigrated. No question about that. Doesn't mean they've been eliminated. They still have leadership in place. They still can direct
operations.
They still have fighters at their beck and call, and we're seeing that every day. And we also still believe that they need to be defeated. That
the threat to Israel needs to be eliminated from Hamas. And that whatever the post-war situation looks like, you can't end with Hamas being in
control over Gaza. So, I don't think that the two things are necessarily irreconcilable or at odds with one another.
JEAN-PIERRE: Khan Luk(ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. I have two questions. To what extent the war in Gaza has been factored that festers ambitious for the IMEC corridor, and
is I2U2 been talked, discussed too in the bilateral meeting?
KIRBY: For the IMEC corridor, I think it's too soon to know whether there's going to be a big impact on that. The President is absolutely still
committed to it, and we still got the teams pulling together and working on that. It's got great promise for infrastructure and investment
opportunities across that whole corridor, not only just for the movement of commerce, but the jobs that it will create just in its establishment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And secondly, business, another key initiative has been installed(ph), but is President still committed to attending the QUAD
Summit being hosted by India this year?
KIRBY: We're still committed to there being a QUAD Leader Summit this year. But there's nothing on the calendar right now for it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. John, the meeting with the hostage families this afternoon, for the records, can you just give us a sense of what
message the President and Mr. Netanyahu bring to those families, and what are they going to say?
KIRBY: I won't speak for the Prime Minister, but the President intends to tell them how seriously he's still committed to getting this deal in place
and getting their loved ones home. He's going to tell them that we're going to maintain the contact with them that we have had, that there's not going
to be a gap in communication as we get -- as we get closer here, hopefully to the end. And then he's not going to rest until all their loved ones are
back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The pool was in the Oval Office briefly for the beginning of their meeting, and the two men were friendly and cordial --
oh, and President Biden was joking about how old he was, they first had a meeting with a previous Prime Minister.
But we know that there have been tensions between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Biden. What's your -- can you talk a little bit about the
state of their relationship right now?
KIRBY: It's a healthy relationship. And by healthy, I mean, they're not going to agree on everything. They haven't -- they haven't through the long
political lives of both of them have enjoyed, always agreed on everything. They come from two different political traditions. But they know one
another I believe -- I can -- I won't speak for President Biden that he's very comfortable in the relationship that he has with the Prime Minister.
And the ability that he has, he would do it anyway, but certainly would with Prime Minister Netanyahu, the ability that he has to be candid and
honest, and lay it all out there and he'll do that today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did the President watch the Prime Minister's speech yesterday or see anything that he --
KIRBY: I don't know if he -- I don't know if he watched it. I don't know that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you didn't -- do you have a sense of his reaction?
KIRBY: I don't.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, and -- OK, thanks --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I'll call Daisy(ph) --
JEAN-PIERRE: Go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Venezuela, do you think that Maduro has the ability to kind of fully rig the election or do you think that he will -- it's more
likely that he would just contest the results?
KIRBY: It's difficult to know exactly how this is going to play out. So, I can't really answer that specifically. But the reason I mentioned it in my
opening statement is to make it clear to Mr. Maduro that we're watching. We're watching closely.
[14:25:00]
They need to be free and fair elections, free of repression, free of voter intimidation. And again, no matter who wins, our expectation is that the
winner is going to continue to look after democratic institutions in Venezuela.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, if the opposition does win, are you concerned about violence that might break out?
KIRBY: If we weren't concerned about the possibility, I wouldn't have mentioned it in the opening statement.
JEAN-PIERRE: Grisham(ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you --
NEWTON: You have been listening to a briefing at the White House from John Kirby is the national security spokesperson, and he's been filling us in
certainly on the meeting that President Biden is having at this hour with Benjamin Netanyahu as we await in fact, the families of hostages to also
join that meeting.
What's significant here is that John Kirby on the ceasefire deal said, "we are close, we are closer now than we've been before. And that is definitely
significant, giving all the ups and downs of this ceasefire agreement. He also made it clear that the President would say to Benjamin Netanyahu in
this meeting that we need to get this deal, and we need it and we need it now.
Alex Marquardt has gratefully been standing by for us and listening to all of that. I'm wondering what stood out to you. I mean, significant
obviously, as he's saying, look, this is as close as we've ever been.
MARQUARDT: Yes, and I think he got a very direct question about what we had just been talking about, was to what extent Netanyahu actually wants this
deal. There has been plenty of criticism among the Israeli population, among Israeli opposition leaders.
I'm thinking of Benny Gantz in particular who said this just yesterday, that Netanyahu has been delaying this deal, that he's in it essentially for
his own political survival. We did not hear him in his speech yesterday say that he absolutely wants a ceasefire. Of course, we heard him say he wants
to get the hostages home.
So, listening to John Kirby there saying forcefully, yes, Netanyahu wants a deal. I think that was notable. He then immediately followed that up by
saying Netanyahu wants to get the hostages home. But that has really been the crux of all this. How does he want to get the hostages home?
Does he want to get the hostages home once the war is over? Does he want to get them home now, which could eventually precipitate the end of the war.
And then I think there was also another bit of daylight there when Kirby said that the war needs to end now. That is not something that we heard
Netanyahu say yesterday.
He said that there needs to be demilitarization, de-radicalization of the Gaza Strip. That is something that could take quite some time. And then
just one more thing, Paula, you heard Kirby talking about getting phase one off the ground. That's what everybody is talking about right now.
They're not talking about, you know, the phase three where it's, you know, the reconstruction and really getting life back to normal in Gaza. They
want to get phase one off the ground, get some of the hostages home, get to a pause in the fighting, get more aid in, because U.S. officials believe
that, that could then precipitate the permanent end to the ceasefire, an end to the war.
But it's very important to note that if the ceasefire, it goes into effect, whether it's today or tomorrow or in the coming days, there will likely be
no guarantee that this will lead to a permanent ceasefire. We could see this first pause get off the ground, we could see some hostages released,
but then there could be a continuation of the fighting, that is something certainly that the mediators, Egypt, Qatar and the United States would work
to prevent.
But there are a lot of details, they've got to cross a lot of 'T-s' and dot a lot of 'I-s' before we get to this -- before we get to the ceasefire
getting into effect, and that's what they're going to be working on and pressuring Netanyahu with today, Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, and I'm so glad that you brought in the nuance to that conversation because that's key, it doesn't mean that they signed the
ceasefire deal. They go into phase one, and it doesn't even mean that all the hostages come home --
MARQUARDT: Right --
NEWTON: Within a matter of days after. That is significant. Before I let you go, John Kirby seemed to indicate that in fact, compromises still had
to be made on both sides. From what you know of these negotiations though, given what U.S. officials are saying, can Netanyahu basically make this
happen outside of this meeting?
Meeting -- you know, you've already reported CIA director is on his way next week, they could have those initial talks. Do you think it's within
his grasp now, the Prime Minister to say, OK, I'm good with this, let's go for phase one of the ceasefire?
MARQUARDT: Yes, but at what cost? If he were to agree to a ceasefire today, that does risk his coalition. His government could fall apart. He has
partnered with far right-wing members of his government, Smotrich and Ben- Gvir who have said that they are opposed to a ceasefire deal.
That's why we're watching very closely the end of the parliament, the end of the Knesset session, which is on Sunday. After that, they go into
recess. So, after Sunday, if Netanyahu were to agree to a ceasefire, he would be at lower political risk. So, there's a higher chance of that
happening once the Knesset goes into recess.
But in terms of the compromises, John Kirby noted just there, that Hamas has compromised on certain things. But certainly, there are things that
they still want to see Netanyahu compromise on that, it's probably withdrawing from populated areas, withdrawing from the Egypt-Gaza border,
being less specific about vetoing some of the Palestinian prisoners who could be released.
[14:30:04]
But notable that Kirby was not putting it entirely on Hamas, as we've heard him do in the past, but saying that both sides need to compromise to reach
a ceasefire deal. Paula.
NEWTON: Yes. And, Alex, such good perspective. I'm so grateful that you were able to stand by as we continue to parse this meeting and the fact
that -- in fact, the people of Gaza at this hour are also waiting to see if this compromise, this first phase of the ceasefire is possible. Alex
Marquardt for us in Washington, really appreciate it.
Now, as we have been talking about it, Vice President Kamala Harris, of course, is also scheduled to meet with Netanyahu. That's just in a couple
of hours from now. Her new presidential campaign will certainly have to grapple with the deep divide in the U.S. over this war in Gaza.
Earlier, Harris was back on the campaign trail speaking at a teacher's union event in Texas. Her message, there are stark differences in the
choices facing voters this November, and the stakes couldn't be higher. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: Ours is a fight for the future, and ours is a fight for freedom.
In this moment across our nation, we witnessed a full-on attack on hard won, hard fought freedoms. While you teach students about democracy and
representative government, extremists attack the sacred freedom to vote. While you try to create safe and welcoming places where our children can
learn, extremists attack our freedom to live safe from gun violence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, the presumptive Democratic nominee continues to gain key support within her party. A source tells CNN Former U.S. President Barack
Obama plans to endorse Harris very soon.
OK. Still to come for us, as we were just saying, the IDF's ongoing military operation in Southern Gaza is intensifying. We will hear from the
Norwegian Refugee Council about the situation on the ground. Please stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:35:41]
NEWTON: So, far away from the private meetings happening at this hour in Washington, the situation in Gaza remains bleak. The IDF say their
operation in Khan Younis is stretching into its fourth day now. Since Wednesday, the Israeli Air Force has carried out more than 60 airstrikes.
And according to the Palestinian Civilian Defense, this has resulted in at least eight deaths in Central and Northern Gaza.
Now, the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis tells CNN the hospital has received 16 bodies now following an earlier airstrikes just today.
Joining us now. Shaina Low, she's communications advisor for the Norwegian Refugee Council, and she joins us now live from Jerusalem. And good to have
you on as we, again, do not want to lose sight of what is going on on the ground in Gaza.
You know, we're tracking Netanyahu's U.S. trip and yet, what are you guys seeing on the ground in terms of challenges over the last few days? We have
been reporting on this intense -- this intensity of the IDF in terms of airstrikes, and yet, there were so many challenges even before this latest
offensive.
SHAINA LOW, COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL: I mean, the challenges have just been continuing and growing over the last nine months.
Earlier this week, we saw yet another batch of relocation orders. These are not lawful evacuation orders. This amounts to forcible transfer, a great
violation of international humanitarian law, forcing Palestinians to flee even from places that Israel had declared as safe human -- so-called
humanitarian zones. People are continuing to be packed into smaller and smaller spaces.
And we as aid agencies are struggling to meet even people's basic needs. It's been nearly three months since the Norwegian Refugee Council, where I
work, has received any new aid to our warehouse due to the ongoing hostilities and due to the Rafah operation that began back in May, and the
inability to access the aid that has made it across through the crossings onto the Gaza side of the perimeter fence. But we're simply unable to
access it due to ongoing hostilities, increased instability inside of Gaza as desperation continues to mount.
NEWTON: Yes, in fact, we have seen aid workers themselves in arms way and certainly, injuries reported there as well, which only adds to the
challenge. I want to ask you, though, Benjamin Netanyahu spoke for nearly an hour. In speaking, he claimed that in Rafah, civilian casualties had
been -- in his words, he said there had been practically none, which CNN has done a fact check, and I encourage people to go there on exactly he
said.
He also said that Israel had definitely aided deliveries of humanitarian aid to Gaza. From what you're seeing on the ground, I mean, you just
described the difficulties themselves, but what do you think of his comments in that speech?
LOW: Netanyahu and Israel have been avoiding and skirting the responsibility that they have as the occupying power of Gaza, which was
reaffirmed just last week in the ICJ's advisory opinion that Gaza is indeed occupied by Israel. And as the occupying power, they have an obligation to
ensure that the basic needs for survival of the protected population, the civilians in Gaza, are met.
But what we've seen and continue to see and what our teams are reporting on the ground is that the humanitarian needs are not decreasing. In fact,
they're increasing day by day as hospitals run out of medicines and supplies, as food remains very difficult to come by, as humanitarian
agencies struggle to access areas of Gaza where people are in desperate need.
NEWTON: You know, Shaina, as you're speaking, we're looking at a Norwegian Refugee Council video. All we see is destruction. We continue to talk about
a ceasefire deal, which is apparently close, but we're not there yet. If they do not get a ceasefire deal in the coming weeks, what do you expect
will happen in Gaza?
LOW: The humanitarian catastrophe that's been unfolding for the last nine, nearly 10 months is going to continue to get worse and worse. It's not just
about the civilian casualties due to the ongoing hostilities, but the people who will be forever impacted, people who are dying because of
malnutrition or preventable diseases, communicable diseases that are spreading because of unsanitary conditions. We have children who have been
out of school for a year and lost so much of their education.
[14:40:00]
And we know that the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza will not take weeks or months, but rather years or even decades at this point. The
destruction that our colleagues in Gaza are facing is just so immense. I heard from a colleague this week who's been -- remained north of Wadi Gaza
in Gaza City, she has had her home destroyed and has been displaced 11 times over the last nine and a half months.
And this is just one individual. Imagine 90 percent of the population in Gaza, of 2.1 million Palestinians has been displaced, many of them multiple
times. And so long as hostilities continue, we anticipate that this situation will just continue to get worse and worse. We desperately need a
ceasefire, and we desperately need President Biden and world leaders to be using all that they can to push Israel and the parties and the conflict to
come to a ceasefire, to stop the civilian death, to bring the Israeli hostages home, and ensure that people can start rebuilding their lives and
work towards a peaceful, long-term, permanent solution to the conflict and crisis in Israel and Palestine.
NEWTON: Yes. And as they continue to meet behind closed doors, we certainly hope they hear your pleas and the pleas of all stakeholders here. Shaina
Low for us. Really appreciate it.
And we will be right back with more news in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: So, this week we're looking at efforts to make the fashion industry more sustainable. Footwear is notoriously hard to recycle because a shoe
can contain dozens of different materials that need to be processed separately. But in the Netherlands, one couple's kitchen experiment has
turned into a recycling revolution. Lynda Kinkade has our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST (voice-over): Throughout its life cycle, footwear generates a significant carbon footprint from materials, to
manufacturing, to waste. With a staggering 90 percent of shoes ending up in a landfill.
DANNY PORMES, CEO, FASTFEETGRINDED: Yes. And I always say, we are standing on a problem and nobody sees it.
KINKADE (voice-over): To tackle this problem, Dutch couple Danny and Anna Pormes developed a footwear recycling method that converts entire shoes
into raw materials for reuse.
PORMES: So, we are sorting now shoes from retail. So, they're collecting in the stores and then we can process all kinds of footwear. So, from flip
flop to safety footwear.
[14:45:00]
KINKADE (voice-over): Donated shoes are taken to FastFeetGrinded's factory where the different components like rubber, foam, and plastics are sorted.
The footwear is then shredded into small pieces before they are separated and refined into new materials. These recycled granulates are sold to
manufacturers to be made back into shoe parts or flooring for playgrounds or sports centers.
PORMES: The ideal situation is that brands producing new shoes, new footwear from their materials.
KINKADE (voice-over): A shoe made of 100 percent recycled FastFeetGrinded material has yet to hit the market, but brands are making strides like
ASICS.
ROMY MILTENBURG, SUSTAINABILITY MANAGER, EMEA, ASICS: More than 60 percent of the environmental impact of footwear is coming from manufacturing and
the materials that go into the product. So, addressing those is something that, as an industry, we really need to tackle.
Right now, we are exploring what we can do with the outcome of those materials, seeing can we actually make shoes from shoes again? Using
textile to textile recycled fibers, it's still a challenge. We have more than 90 percent of all new running shoes of ASICS containing recycled
materials in their uppers, but finding solutions for the mid soles, it's much more complicated.
When it comes to circularity, we're not there yet as a brand and as an industry, but I really believe that with the speed of innovation we've seen
the last few years, we're going to get there.
KINKADE (voice-over): FastFeetGrinded's next steps is to take their operations international.
PORMES: It's very important to have recycling factories all over the world. It's all about making impact. I see it as my mission. It has to be done.
Somebody has to do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: For more stories from the series, you can visit cnn.com/goinggreen. Still to come for us tonight, the countdown to the Olympic Games opening
ceremony. We are live in Paris, where some events are off to a dramatic start. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: So, final preparations for the Olympics, opening ceremony are happening right now in Paris, a historic event. Can you believe it? Now,
less than 24 hours away and it will be along the River Seine. So, security checks, as you can imagine, already in place all around the city. Large
barricades have stopped or diverted both vehicle and pedestrian traffic in so many areas in and around Paris.
[14:50:00]
Now, Olympic play has started early for a few sports, and we're already seeing a little bit of chaos. A football match between Argentina and
Morocco was suspended for about two hours after some Morocco fans rushed the field in protest.
Joining us now from Paris is CNN's Melissa Bell. Melissa, it is great to see you along the Seine there, and we are looking forward to weeks of
coverage that are ahead. And listen, we are all looking forward to playing football. Paris, a city that so many of us love that will be hosting this
event. And yet, it is going to be a challenge.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is a challenge, a security challenge, Paula, for a start. And that's something prison
authorities have been taking extremely seriously. 45,000 policemen and women deployed around the French capital, 18,000 soldiers, and that is just
for the opening ceremony that begins, as you said, in less than 24 hours on the Seine here yesterday.
Perhaps you can see behind me some of those bleachers that have been set up so that people can watch. 320,000 people are going to watch this ceremony.
For the first time ever such a big crowd seeing it in person in a city, of course, that understands about the terror threat. We spoke earlier, Paula,
to the mayor of Paris about exactly that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNE HIDALGO, PARIS MAYOR (through translator): In a very strange way, it was because there had been attacks in Paris in 2015 that I really decided
to engage Paris in the Olympic and Paralympic games. We had just been attacked in January. We were attacked again in November 2015 because
terrorists hate our freedom, our ways of living, women's freedom, freedom in general. They hate democracy. They attacked us.
From there, we had a reaction from the Parisian and French population, which was exceptional and an incredible capacity to say, you will not
prevent us from living as we want to live. That was the reaction of the population of Paris, of the people of Paris. And I said to myself, we have
to put a moment, an event, something that gives us air that allows us to be together, and to show this creativity, this resilience, this taste for
freedom and democracy.
BELL: On the question of the swimability of the Seine, this was one of the big gambles of the game. You achieved it. How are you feeling, first of
all?
HIDALGO: I'm feeling good, very good, and very happy, because I love the water, I love the sea, I love the rivers. But it's more than that. It's
cleaning the Seine. Cleaning the Seine is cleaning our life. Cleaning the Seine is for the -- our generation and next generation live with the
nature.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BELL: So, there was, Paula, something ambitious about the way these games were organized, the opening ceremony, not in a stadium, but on the River
Seine. The swimability of the river since so many of these swimming events are going to take place in the river itself, lots of people have said it
simply couldn't be done. Prison authorities say that they're ready and that it will be, Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, audacious, isn't it? And we're all keeping our fingers crossed. Melissa, I want to ask you, how are Parisians feeling about this?
I know when the London Olympics took place, you know, Brits were a little bit skeptical at first, but they really came on board when the games were
on. Are you get that feeling in Paris right now as well?
BELL: That's exactly what the mayor of Paris told me earlier. There was a poll out today that was quite interesting. 47 percent of the French were
pretty indifferent about these games this morning. Only 25 percent actually enthusiastic.
I put that to her. There have been so many inconveniences. So, many parts of Paris are blocked off. There's been a lot of grumbling about what these
games would achieve and what they would mean for Parisians specifically. And she made exactly that point, that she's spoken to the mayor of London.
And what she heard is that People will grumble. There are difficulties to do with getting around a city.
There are difficulties to do with fears of terror threats and what they might mean. And what she said was that she believed that when the French
first start to see this opening ceremony, they too will be convinced that this was the right bid when it came about. And the scale of the games at
the height of what Paris has to offer, being, as so many people here believe, the most beautiful city in the world. Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, we certainly hope it is a point of national pride, especially given everything France has been through in the last few weeks. Melissa, as
I say, we look forward to your reporting in the coming weeks. Really appreciate it.
And in the meantime, British tennis star and three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray will not participate in the Olympic singles competition in
Paris, but he will still compete in the men's doubles with his partner Dan Evans. Murray is the only man in tennis history to have won two Olympic
singles gold medals. He recently had surgery to have a cyst removed from his spine and says he will retire after the Olympic Games.
Our Christiane Amanpour spoke with him about his incredible career in the sport.
[14:55:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDY MURRAY, THREE-TIME TENNIS GRAND SLAM WINNER: I'm really proud of what I've achieved. I've worked extremely hard throughout my career. I've given,
you know, I feel like as much as I could to my profession. I -- you know, I feel like I've worked hard. And I'm proud of what I've achieved.
Obviously, you know, when you look back and reflect on things or the way I am, there's always things I wish I'd done a bit differently, probably, and
there's a few regrets in there. But on the whole, yes, I did as best as I could.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Bittersweet, I'm sure. And as we all look forward to Olympians being officially welcomed to Paris, make sure to tune in to our special
one-hour program, "Aiming for Gold," this Friday at 7:00 p.m. Paris time, that's 1:00 p.m. Eastern time. Our correspondents will share the excitement
of the opening ceremony and introduce you to the inspirational athletes competing in these games.
And I want to thank everyone for watching. And please stay with "CNN Newsroom with Jim Sciutto," is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
