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One World with Zain Asher

Gaza Bombarded With Air And Ground Attacks Overnight; Gaza Hospitals In Extremely Dire Situation; Donald Trump Takes The Witness Stand. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired November 06, 2023 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:27]

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Hello everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ZAIN ASHER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: And I'm Zain Asher. You are watching "One World". We are watching extraordinary scenes unfold right now in a New

York courtroom as former President Donald Trump fights to keep his business empire. Trump is answering questions under oath and at his civil fraud

trial. He has repeatedly sparred with the judge, so much so, the judge has actually told Trump's lawyer to control his client.

GOLODRYGA: And they had to call a 20-minute break, just one hour into the testimony, as well. Prosecutors, meantime, are accusing Donald Trump of

exaggerating his wealth and manipulating the value of is real estate properties in order to get better terms on loans. Before heading into the

courtroom, here is what New York's Attorney General said matters most in this trial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LETITIA JAMES, NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL: At the end of the day, the only thing that matters are the facts, and the numbers. And numbers, my friends,

don't lie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: We are watching this developing story closely, and of course we will have much more for you later on this hour.

ASHER: Yes. All right, I want to turn now to Israel's war against Hamas because what we saw over the weekend may indeed have been one of Israel's

heaviest bombardments of Gaza yet. The war-torn territory really getting pummeled overnight, both in the air, and on the ground as well.

The IDF is saying that it has cut off the northern part of the enclave from the south, effectively splitting Gaza into two parts and warning that its

forces will continue to attack the enclave with strength.

GOLODRYGA: Israel is urging civilians to escape to the south in order to avoid the airstrikes. But many say there is just nowhere safe to run. The

death toll throughout Gaza is skyrocketing. The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health says there are more than 10,000 Palestinians who have been killed

since the war began last month, most of them, women and children.

ASHER: Yeah, the U.S. Secretary of State, in the meantime, wrapping up whirlwind diplomatic tour in the region. Earlier, he's been on this trip so

many times in the past few weeks. Before leaving Turkey, Antony Blinken underscored the importance of protecting all

civilian lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: We know the deep concern here for the terrible toll that Gaza is taking on Palestinians, on men, women and

children in Gaza, innocent civilians, a concern that we share and that we're working on every single day. We've engaged the Israelis on steps that

they can take to minimize civilian casualties.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: All right, CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us live now from Sderot in southern Israel. Jeremy, it is highly likely that the IDF is going to be

officially entering Gaza City in the coming days. Just walk us through how the IDF expects that Hamas is actually preparing for that moment.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's no question that the Israeli military has prepared for the fact that Hamas has been reinforcing

its positions inside of Gaza City, which is Hamas' stronghold in northern Gaza.

And, you know, over the weekend, when I was inside Gaza with Israeli forces, it was very clear that even though they say they have cut off

northern from southern Gaza, the commanders on the ground were very clear to me that they understand that Hamas still maintains extensive tunnel

capabilities below ground that allows their fighters to flow from north to south.

And that also presents a danger to those forces in the -- for potential ambushes by Hamas fighters. And there is nowhere that Hamas has more

tunneling capabilities it appears than inside the densely populated urban areas of Gaza City.

As of yet, Israeli forces say that they have encircled that city, that they have cut off northern from southern Gaza. But what they have yet to do is

go deep into Gaza City to engage in what will be the prospect of very bloody deadly combat in a very urban and dense environment.

But what Israel has been doing to prepare for the possibility of a significant ground incursion into Gaza City is, it has been pummeling

northern Gaza with airstrikes. Overnight, 450 targets were struck by Israel's military.

We watched last night as many of those strikes were taking place, very bright flashes of light, very loud booms. And we are watching once again as

night has fallen here, as those strikes have resumed with quite a significant intensity.

[12:05:00]

Last night, what we also saw was communications in Gaza being affected out with quite a significant intensity. Last night, what we also saw was

communications in Gaza being effectively shut down.

Some of those have resumed today, but it was notable to see that because communications have typically been shut down at very significant moments in

Israel's campaign against the Gaza.

So, we will see whether Israel decides to actually go deep into Gaza City. Clearly, they have encircled the area. They say that they are establishing

a corridor for civilians to flee from north to south. We know that in the past, that has not always been a hundred percent guarantee or close to it

of safety for those civilians. And so, a lot remains to be seen as Israel's military campaign develops in the coming days.

ASHER: Yeah, a lot of the civilians in the north simply have nowhere to go, even though they have been told to head south. Jeremy Diamond, live for us

there, thank you so much.

GOLODRYGA: The U.S. is using a submarine to send a message to Iran to stay out of Israel's war against Hamas. U.S. Central Command posted this photo

of a guided missile submarine apparently heading through the Suez Canal. That sub contains up to 154 extremely powerful Tomahawk cruise missiles on

board. It is very rare for the Pentagon to reveal anything about the locations of its missile subs. Telling the world that this sub is now in

the region is a clear message to Iran and its proxies to leave Israel alone.

So, let's bring in CNN Pentagon correspondent Oren Lieberman with more on this. So, despite being forthcoming about these additional reinforcements,

Oren, we continue to see an increase in the number of attacks against U.S. forces in the region. Most believe that they are at the hands of Iranian

proxies. So, what does that say about the type of deterrence the U.S. is using right now?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Correct. So, let's deal with both of those separately. First, there is the issue of the submarine -- a

guided missile submarine, an Ohio class heading to the Suez Canal there, and that joins a list of U.S. forces, certainly naval forces, already in

the region.

Two carrier strike groups, an amphibious ready group, that's more than 10,000 sailors right there alone, as well as that submarine. The Navy and

the Pentagon are normally very secretive about submarine operations, So, when you see them surface, it is very much a statement, as it is the case

here.

The Ohio class sub transiting through what appears to be the Suez Canal there, a message very much to Iran and its proxies but they have not been

silent either. The U.S. has attributed many of the attacks, and we've seen 38 since October 17th against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria. Many of those

attributed to or blamed on Iran and its proxies in the region.

Most of those have been carried out by suicide drones, one-way attack drones, or rocket attacks. There have been about 20 minor injuries to U.S.

forces. The vast majority of those attacks were intercepted by essentially defensive measures at the U.S. facilities and U.S. positions in Iraq and

Syria, but the barrage has kept up at a fairly steady pace.

These are not large barrages. These are almost sort of ones and twos when it comes to rockets and drones, but they are still significant because that

message of deterrence, clearly not getting through to the extent that it's supposed to, or at least to the extent that the Pentagon wants it to.

So, this is something the U.S. is keeping a very close eye on. Do these militias in Iraq and Syria try to get more involved? Do they up the

pressure and up the attacks on U.S. forces? That is something the Pentagon is watching very closely, Bianna.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, this is -- we're getting word now that President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this morning to

discuss the latest developments in Israel and its war on Hamas. CNN Pentagon Correspondent, Oren Liebermann, thank you.

ASHER: All right, more than 36 hours after that deadly explosion at the Almagazi refugee camp in Gaza -- we still do not have a clear explanation

as to what exactly happened. Israel still cannot say definitively if an IDF strike was indeed responsible.

GOLODRYGA: The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health says dozens of people were killed. Nada Bashir has the story. And a warning, her report does

include graphic images.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At this hospital in central Gaza, another day of seemingly unending horror. Bodies, some tiny, arriving

in their dozens. No one is spared the devastation of this war. Journalist Mohamed Alaloul, seen here at Gaza's Al Aqsa hospital not to report on this

latest attack but to identify his children amongst the dead.

MOHAMED ALALOUL, JOURNALIST (through translator): I saw my son, Kanan, my daughter, Rahaf, and my sons, Ahmed and Qais. I saw my three siblings

killed. I saw friends who were at my house, all killed.

BASHIR: Hospital officials tell CNN this latest disaster was caused by yet another Israeli airstrike among the numerous bodies of countless women and

children.

UNKNOWN (through translator): Fifty-two killed and more than 70 injured. Most of those killed and injured are children, women and elderly and still

a large number buried under the rubble.

[12:10:00]

BASHIR: In the now shattered Al-Maghazi refugee camp, once home to tens of thousands of Palestinians, residents searched desperately for any sign of

survivors, many digging frantically with their bare hands. This residential community is located in one of the zones deemed safe to evacuate to by the

Israeli military. But Israel's airstrikes have proven unrelenting.

UNKNOWN (through translator): All of a sudden, I saw the entire house upside down. I can't see. I don't even know where I am.

BASHIR: Homes which are crowded on Saturday with entire families have now been reduced to blackened rubble. This crater, a reminder of the force with

which Israel continues to bombard the besieged Gaza Strip.

UNKNOWN (through translator): I saw all my sisters screaming. Then I saw my father. When I found myself alive, I looked to see who was still alive. We

turned on the torch and my siblings were alive, but I did not find my father. I finally found him next to me. I moved him. I moved his hands. I

moved his face. He did not respond.

BASHIR: Gaza's hospitals are overwhelmed. The shortages mean it is virtually impossible to adequately treat those wounded. But hospitals like

Al-Aqsa are also struggling to keep up with the mounting death toll. The bodies of those killed lay outside, awaiting identification. A gut-

wrenching image, now an all too familiar reality here in Gaza. Nada Bashir, CNN, in Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: The situation for hospitals of course in Gaza right now, extremely dire. We're talking about, as we said before, lack of food, water, basic

supplies, all of that making surgery extremely difficult.

GOLODRYGA: And adding to the issues, temporary blackouts, internet and phone connections are gradually returning after communications were

disrupted over the weekend for the third time since the war began.

ASHER: Here to talk about what kind of climate medical workers are in right now is British Palestinian surgeon Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah. He's working

inside the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. He joins us live now.

Doctor, thank you so much for being with us. I mean, doctors right now in Gaza, as I imagine it, are having to make some really, really tough

decisions. They're having to decide who gets ventilators, for example, who gets resuscitated, who doesn't, who gets medical treatment, and who

doesn't. Just give us your take. I mean, if I was going to walk into the Al-Shifa Hospital right now, what would I see?

GHASSAN ABU SITTAH, BRITISH-PALESTINIAN SURGEON: If you look in, there's -- before you get into the hospital, you'll recognize the fact that there is a

huge marquee where the ambulance bay used to be. That's now been turned into another ward because there's just absolutely no space to put patients

in corridors or on the floors anywhere.

Then you walk in and you see scenes of absolute carnage. There are patients on the floors and there are screaming wounded families being brought in on

hold and for us there are members of our colleagues, members of staff with every air raid who are frantically searching for in the faces of the

wounded and the dead for relatives sometimes sons or siblings because the area that was bombed is their labor.

And then as of today, they've shut down six operating rooms because of a lack of fuel. This is compounded by the attack on the solar panels on the

roof of Al-Ahli. And so, we have a much reduced capacity to operate on patients, which means that really, only the most dire cases make it.

And that explains why so many cases have been so delayed in going to the operating room that we now regularly, when we open wounds see fly lava in

the wounds, we find pus pouring out because these patients who have been to the operating room in 10 days, two weeks should have been going every two

days as more surgery protocols dictate. But there's just not enough operating room capacity.

The other thing that you will recognize when you walk in is the fact that we've run out of morphine and pathody. Only analgesic we give even after

surgery is paracetamol, which is Panadol, and an on-steroidal like Advil, intravenous at this time.

And so, the screaming is unbelievable because the patients, the wounded and the post-op patients are in absolute agony.

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And there are kids everywhere. Forty-five percent of the wounded are children.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah.

ABU SITTAH: And the post-op patients are in absolute agony. And there are kids everywhere, 45% of the wounded are children. And some of these kids

are on their own. They are the sole survivors of their families. Some of them have -- are unknown. So, we write "Unknown Trauma Child". And we're

now over 2000 "Unknown Trauma Child".

GOLODRYGA: Doctor, can you describe to us the sense of authority or lack of authority on the ground there? Because we're always attributing the

information that we get to the Hamas-controlled ministry of health. Who is it that you are going to for the supplies that you need, for any additional

tools or supplies?

Because we're also hearing from the IDF that Hamas itself has planted their operations underneath the hospital. So, can you just explain for us how

things work there and who, if any, authority you actually deal with?

ABU SITTAH: There's a complete disintegration of the power structure. A hospital that had 600 beds before the war now has over 2000 wounded and

around 50,000 displaced refugees.

So, when you want something, you go begging, you go and find the guy who runs the storage unit or you find the guy who knows the guy who operates

one of the operating rooms so that you can scavenge some of the dressings or some of the blades or some of the sutures that you need. You go around.

So, that's the hierarchy.

With regard to the whole narrative of the Shifa hospital being some kind of Soviet Union underground command and control center, it really overstates

the fact -- the obvious fact that this is a militia. This is not some command and control which controls silos and armies across the globe.

So, the idea, but what it does do is it shows that Palestinians have been so dehumanized by the Israelis, that their only value to the Palestinians'

lives comes if they have no security needs pertaining to the Israelis.

Palestinians who deserve to live are those who are deemed security neutral by the Israelis. And the 2000 wounded, 50,000 internally displaced, and the

thousands of staff have -- their lives have zero value because in the necropolitics of Israel's relationship with the Palestinian natives of this

land, Palestinians have zero value when it -- that goes beyond their security needs.

ASHER: Doctor, one quick question before we go because we are basically almost out of time. As you know, things are about to get really messy

inside Gaza City. The IDF has obviously surrounded Gaza City. Things are going to get very intense inside the city in the coming days. What happens

next?

I mean, obviously the call to evacuate civilians from the hospital is going to be a difficult one because a lot of the civilians and a lot of the

patients inside the hospital simply have nowhere to go. What happens next?

ABU SITTAH: What happens next is that the hospital becomes a mass grave. Even before that happens, if within the next 48 hours, the second generator

goes off and we can no longer operate on the wounded and we just become a first aid station for the people with severe multi-through. Then the

hospital basically ceases to be a functional hospital and becomes a war zone, becomes, sorry, a mass grave.

The idea that that the Israeli army wants to declare a victory over a hospital again emphasizes the necropolitics of the dehumanization of

Palestinian lives. That this hospital, which is under any basic knowledge of international law, it is a war crime to attack, then becomes an

acceptable and negotiable target for any army, not just the Israeli army.

GOLODRYGA: Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah, thank you for your time. And please, stay safe in the days and weeks ahead. We appreciate you joining us.

ASHER: Thank you, doctor. Thank you. All right, still to come, a surprising new poll who shows who would win the next presidential election if

Americans were to vote today. We'll explain the results coming up, straight ahead.

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ASHER: All right, with his business empire and reputation completely on the line right now, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump took to

the witness stand a short time ago in his civil fraud trial inside the New York courtroom. There was a lot of drama, to say the least, amid the high

stakes proceedings.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, tensed exchanges played out between the judge and Trump, with the judge telling Trump's lawyers to control their client. Trump has

rejected all of the allegations against him, insisting that the case is a political witch hunt.

I want to bring in former federal prosecutor and host of "It's Complicated" podcast, Renato Mariotti. Thank you for joining us. I -- you know, in other

circumstances, I would say, wow, what a surprise to see a former president really go back and forth in this heated exchange with a judge.

But in this case, it seems this played out just as many as anticipated that it would. What would you say, the legal angle aside, I mean, it does seem

that politics is at the forefront for Donald Trump and you may not have a winning argument. Go ahead.

RENATO MARIOTTI, FORMER U.S. FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Yes, you're absolutely right. You've hit the nail on the head. This is not a legal strategy. This

is a sort of political or PR or spin strategy. I actually think that Donald Trump's legal team essentially conceded defeat in this case many, many

months ago when he took the fifth -- the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution many times in a civil deposition in this case.

So, this was always, I thought, essentially damage control from the perspective Trump's legal team. And I think what he's doing by trying to

provoke the judge and attacking the judge is really trying to send a media message or a political message that he's under attack and trying to portray

himself as a victim in order to encourage his supporters.

ASHER: All right. So, the strategy here is to sort of talk about the fact that it's unfair, you know, and this is all about politics, as you point

out, all about sort of promoting himself and getting people to think that, you know, he -- this is a witch hunt, to say the least. But just give us

your take again, Renato, why that would be smart. Why is that a smart strategy for Donald Trump to pursue?

MARIOTTI: Well, Donald Trump realistically had a conceit defeat in this case in order to not get himself into further trouble. I mean, this is a

person who is facing criminal indictments in several jurisdictions in the United States.

[12:25:00]

So, he's got bigger problems. I think his legal team initially just conceded defeat here and had him and his sons take the fifth, realizing

that they would almost certainly lose this trial, but basically trying to contain the damage. I think he has overruled his legal team here, decided

to take the stand. And I don't view this as helpful from a legal perspective.

I think Donald Trump is going all in on the strategy of becoming president of the United States and tying to use or abuse, I suppose, depending on

one's perspective, the power of the presidency in order to try to shut down as many of the cases against himself as possible. And I think he believes

that taking this aggressive, in-your-face approach, attacking the judge, is going to help him achieve that.

GOLODRYGA: In this case, Senators are on the valuation of his company businesses and properties. And at times it appeared when he did talk

substance for the few minutes today, he contradicted himself.

I mean he said that he was involved but he wasn't, and that he was president at the time so he was focused on Russia and other geopolitical

events. But then also conceded that he was aware of the valuations and was sort of dismissive of the significance. What do you make of what he said

today?

MARIOTTI: Yeah, it's very problematic. I think that he did not help his case today. And really, I think from a purely legal perspective, his legal

team probably would have advised him not to take the stand because he's someone who's not disciplined. And he would really have to walk a tightrope

here. He's essentially going to not take responsibility.

If he was doing this the right way, he would try not to take responsibility for this. Suggest that his sons were running things, suggest that others

were at fault. But, you know, looking at the documents in front of him have very carefully worded answers.

And of course, former President Trump's answers were anything but careful. They're all over the place at times making obvious errors, asserting that

he was president, for example, in 2021, which, you know, of course, President Biden was in office at that time.

I really think that that's why it's best to not try to understand this from a legal perspective and to see this as something that's extralegal. It's

beyond legal where he's trying to pursue some sort of political or press strategy.

GOLODRYGA: Best not to understand this from a legal perspective. That really sums up the trial right now. Theatrics in the courtroom for sure.

Renato Mariotti, thank you for joining us. We'll continue to be covering this trial, of course.

ASHER: Thank you. All right, despite those ongoing legal problems that Donald Trump is facing, a new poll from "The New York Times" and Siena

College shows that he leads President Biden in key battleground states.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, this is really eye-opening. In a hypothetical matchup between the two, Trump is on top in Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, and Michigan.

He also leads in Pennsylvania, but that lead is within the margin of error. The Biden campaign downplayed the results, suggesting that it's way too

early to draw any conclusions. Clearly, though, they are consistent.

ASHER: Oh yes. All right, still to come here, a powerful voice for peace. Questions whether peace is possible with an enemy like Hamas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNIE SANDERS, U.S. SENATE INDEPENDENT: We have to give hope to the Palestinian people. Hamas has got to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[12:31:37]

ASHER: All right, welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher.

GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders is a well- known dove, a politician who loathes the use of military force. That's why his comments this weekend about Israel's fight with Hamas are so notable.

ASHER: Right, he appeared on CNN's State of the Union, and he said that he doesn't think a ceasefire is possible at all with a terrorist organization

like Hamas. But he did go on to say that the world must continue to push for a two-state solution, and that is the only way people, hope. Take a

look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDERS: We have to give hope to the Palestinian people. They are living, they were living before October 7th in a disastrous situation in Gaza -- 75

percent youth unemployment, massive poverty. And right now in Israel, you're having the Netanyahu government, an extreme right-wing government

with racists aboard, trying to make it impossible for a two-state solution in the West Bank. They're killing settlers there.

So, what we need is the world to come together to give hope to the Palestinians. We need a two-state solution.

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR, "STATE OF THE UNION": I want to just clarify one thing, Senator, if I might. You support a humanitarian pause in Gaza. Some

of your fellow progressives say that there should be a full-on ceasefire, which would require an agreement on both sides to halt the fighting. Do you

support a ceasefire? And if not, why not?

SANDERS: Well, I don't know how you could have a ceasefire, permanent ceasefire with an organization like Hamas, which is dedicated to turmoil

and chaos and destroying the state of Israel. And I think what the Arab countries in the region understand that Hamas has got to go. So, what we

need right now, the immediate task right now, is to end the bombing, to end the horrific humanitarian disaster, to build, go forward with the entire

world for a two-tier, two-state solution to the crisis to give the Palestinian people hope.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Time now for The Exchange and joining us is Aviv Bushinsky, a former advisor and spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Despite his long ties to the prime minister, he has recently been highly critical of Mr. Netanyahu's leadership during this crisis in particular.

Aviv, it's good to see you. So, we'll get to whether Netanyahu can survive this crisis right now. But let's talk about another issue that is really

concerning U.S. officials, and that is what is reported as concerns -- that there's no real exit strategy following this war in Gaza. We heard from

Bernie Sanders there saying that Hamas has to go. But the question is, what comes next and who's responsible for rebuilding Gaza?

And there's reporting that suggests shock in the Biden administration that, according to top-level officials close to Netanyahu, this issue has barely

even come up. What more do you know about it?

AVIV BUSHINSKY, FORMER AISE TO ISRAEL PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU: It is -- it is true, Bianna, but the problem is not the endgame is the first step and

the first step is the fact that at the moment, we are struggling and fighting for our survival. There's an entity called Hamas that they're not

only that in its charter they say that the day of judgment they will not come about until Muslims will fight with the Jews and will evaporate the

invaders -- invaders into Israel.

[12:35:00]

We're talking about the borders of 48 which the U.N. acknowledged in once the state of Israel was declared into independency. So, we are talking now

only about the first step. The first step is how we defend our border, how we defend our people, how do we release the 240 people that were kidnapped.

Imagine a four-year-old girl or eight-year-old kid that was kidnapped from his house and now is somewhere underground for over 30 days, didn't see the

light, we don't know what is this condition. We know nothing about them.

So, I might say that in Israel at the moment, people are more concerned about existential issues, about how we survive, how we secure ourselves,

and not about the end game. The end game, you know what? I'm quite careless. It could be the Palestinian Authority that will take over. We

will be happy about it.

Imagine, Bianna, that maybe, the Israeli Prime Minister will offer an amazing suggestion to send a hypothetical one that he will call the Hamas

to put down its arms completely but really completely, leave Gaza and release the hostages. Will the Hamas agree to that? I can assure you that

the Israelis will be happy about it.

So, this is the issue. About the future, I hope that this ordeal would be over first of all from a security point of view, from the safety of the

entire world, by the way.

And then if it would be the Palestinian authority that will takeover, fine. If it will be an international force, fine. And if not, unfortunately,

we'll have to, in a way, be there, physically be there, which we don't like, either as a soldier have been there.

It's not the pleasant place to be there. Bearing in mind that Israel not only headed over Gaza in the Oslo Accord, but in the early 2000, by Prime

Minister Sharon, unilaterally disengaged from the surrounding of Gaza, actually from the kibbutz and places where the massacre occurred exactly 30

days ago.

ASHER: Actually, you know, a lot of Israeli officials have reiterated that exact point, and that is, you know, when it comes to what happens next in

Gaza, hey, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Now, it is simply time to defeat Hamas.

Aviv, Antony Blinken is, of course, in the region. He's traveled to Israel and various countries in the Arab world several times over the past month

or so. His goal seems to be -- I think his number one goal is really to ensure that Iran and Hezbollah do not enter this war at all.

Let me ask you. What do you think will be the deciding factor as to whether or not this war expands? Is it going to be Blinken's diplomacy? Is it going

to be, you know, the death toll that we end up seeing in Gaza right now? There are 10,000 Palestinians dead. Or is it going to be the messages of

deterrence that the U.S. has been sending to the region? What do you think will be the deciding factor here?

BUSHINSKY: So, first of all, I, as an Israeli, I'd like to thank the U.S. administration, of course, Biden, President Biden and Blinken that came

here and delivered an amazing speech after he watched this horrific video of what happened on the Black Sabbath, as we call it. We have full support

from the American administration.

We have another front, which Zain, you mentioned, the Northern Front, where the Hezbollah actually took over Lebanon. They physically took over

Lebanon. They are the governing entity at the moment, another terrorist organization, and constantly launching missiles over Israel. Recently we

had, in the last hour, we had 20 missiles that were launched towards Israel, and thanks to the Iron Dome where most of them were intercepted.

So, the question is whether they'll join the Hamas as a proxy of the Iranian regime or not. In Israel, there's quite a conflict, whether to do

some kind of a preemptive attack and try to eliminate this threat because we already have evacuated over a hundred thousand people from the Northern

front.

Or to lay low, get those missiles and imagine, I don't know if there's any country that gets missiles that might -- missiles are being launched at a

sovereign country and you barely retaliate. Deliberately we don't want to conduct two fronts simultaneously.

So, as you mentioned, yes, the issue now, or the main problem is hoping the Hezbollah will not join, is Gaza. It's not a matter of death toll. We're

not counting the number of people that are dying. Unfortunately, some of them have nothing to do with the conflict, but they are being taken as kind

of hostages, as human shield to the terrorists of the Hamas.

Today, I saw a video showing how they launched those missiles from a mosque or nearby the hospital. That's what they're doing. And this is the issue.

[12:40:00]

Once we'll be able to knock it down, to clear this threat down south, the fight will be over. It's not the numbers. It's not the proportion. And I

want to just reiterate something, maybe the audience will understand. You know, when you drive the -- you ride the subway in New York underground,

the length of the Manhattan subway underground is about 330 or 70 kilometers.

If you take, Zain, if you want to go to Piccadilly Center, circle in London, the tube underground is roughly 170 kilometers. You know, what is

the length of the tunnels in Gaza according to the Hamas? Five hundred kilometers. And it goes down 90 meters.

Imagine if they would have used the infrastructure and the resources to build a vibrant city, not underground, but above ground, I think that

things would be better. And unfortunately, this village, we call it a terminal of underground facilities, serves only the Hamas, only the

terrorists.

They move their armament from one place to the other. They move the missiles from one place to the other, and unfortunately also took 240

hostages from one place to the underground of the Shefa Hospital.

So, our object is now to try and bring an end to this threat. And I'm sorry to be so repetitive.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah.

BUSHINSKY: I think that the world should watch it and should adhere to this message because if we'll fail, the Hamas or maybe Boko Haram or other

organizations will see, oh, you see it works. If we use people as human shield and the Western world bends down, maybe we can do it elsewhere in

other places.

So, this is the mission. It's not the number of people that are being targeted and not the number of civilians that are dying. We are losing

soldiers on a daily basis. We lost many civilians a month ago. Actually, today, we lost another soldier, woman soldier even in East Jerusalem.

The issue is complicated, but the job must be done, not only for us, for everybody else. As former Prime Minister Johnson that was here yesterday --

Boris Johnson, he said that the world has no right to tell Israel what to do because it's the most justified operation of war, unfortunately.

Hamas doesn't want Israel at all. It's not the issue of the borders and they're not the issue of two-state solution for many Israelis do want to

two-state solution as a solution. Unfortunately, till now, this formula failed.

ASHER: All right, Aviv Bushinsky, former advisor to Benjamin Netanyahu, thank you so much for your perspective. It is greatly valued. We'll be

right back with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:46:26]

GOLODRYGA: Well, right now, as you can see, parts of India are covered in a thick layer of toxic smog and it is impacting every aspect of life. The

problem is so serious that the World Health Organization warns it could shorten the average life expectancy there by more than five years if

conditions aren't dramatically changed.

ASHER: Look at that visibility. You can barely even see. So, in an effort to curb pollution, officials in New Delhi are limiting how much people can

use their cars in the next few days or so. They're also temporarily closing some schools to help protect children from the air because it's simply so

toxic.

GOLODRYGA: My goodness. Well, while India battles pollution, the world is focused on the COP28 conference, which kicks off on November 30th. It is

the largest climate change conference in the world.

ASHER: And this year's event in the United Arab Emirates is promising a much more inclusive edition by giving a voice to people from a whole host

of different backgrounds, as well. Let's head to India to see how a young activist hopes to represent his community at the conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANKALP SUMAN, SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE SR. MANAGER, INDIAN SUGAR MILLS ASSOCIATION: On the outside, the sugarcane crops look so green and

sturdy, but when you look closely, you see signs of decay that is being caused by climate change.

UNKNOWN: Sankalp Suman is trying to make a difference in the agriculture sector. His home country, India, is at the center of the world's food

production, but the country is expected to be one of the worst hits by climate change. From recurrent heavy rains to scorching heat waves,

livelihoods are being impacted season by season.

SUMAN: People are not resisting the fact that, you know, climate change is actually a very big problem for the industry, but they're seeing it with

their own eyes now. They want to do their best, they just don't know how.

UNKNOWN: Sankalp hopes to be able to help them adapt to a new reality.

SUMAN: We're trying to develop varieties and so that the crop uses less water. It's drought resistant -- it's resistant to this disease called red

rot, which is again a consequence of climate change.

UNKNOWN: But beyond what happens in the fields, Sankalp believes that the real change depends on the world's largest round tables.

SUMAN: I have been to so many conferences about agriculture and climate change, but not one of them had any formal representation.

UNKNOWN: This year, the United Nations Climate Change Conference has announced inclusion as one of its key themes. Part of the agenda is to

discuss how small entrepreneurs and communities are dealing with the climate crisis.

IAN HIGHAM, RESEARCH OFFICER, ENVIRONMENTALPOLITICS LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POITICAL SCIENCE: Having different groups represented is

really important because it ensures that as we transition to sustainability that it is more just and more fair and thus more durable and more widely

supported.

There's a real push from the hosts of COP to make sure that these smaller scale on entrepreneurs are represented because otherwise they're not

necessarily represented just because their stakeholder group is there. They might be overshadowed by bigger players in their field.

UNKNOWN: Sankalp will be at COP on behalf of his country as a youth international delegate.

SUMAN: We would actually have to go there and negotiate and as representatives of the youth, we are the real stakeholders of the climate.

So, we need to go there and make sure that we are heard.

UNKNOWN: Sankalp hopes that his presence and COP can help give more voice to a future generation of farmers.

SUMAN: These are the people who are actually interacting with the forces of nature every day, having to work in the fields in this heat, having to

suffer through the water scarcity and everything.

UNKNOWN: As the world awaits a more inclusive COP, Sankalp has kept off his preparations, and for him, the most important thing is not to feel alone on

this journey.

[12:50:00]

SUMAN: It's easy to not think about climate change when the temperature is 30 degrees but there are places in India where the surface temperature

reached even 60 degrees this year. It will affect you one way or the other. Your food security will be threatened and water security will be

threatened. It' not my problem. It's not your problem. It's our problem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right, I want to give you a quick update now on former President Donald Trump's testimony at his New York civil fraud trial. Trump has been

answering questions under oath about allegations that he and his co- defendants grossly, seriously inflated the value of his assets and properties in order to get much more favorable terms and conditions when it

came to loans and insurance.

GOLODRYGA: The judge and Trump sparred back and forth during the first hour of testimony, but after that things moved along a little more smoothly

after the judge told Trump's lawyer to control their client. Everything is relative, I guess, in terms of what's working smoothly.

CNN's Kristen Holmes joins us now. Kristen, we understand the court is in a lunch break. Walk us through what we can expect to see in the hours to come

for the rest of the day.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I am going to tell you that Trump's team is very happy with the way things are playing out.

And I say that because that's going to be what you see after this lunch break, as well. He's not getting any kind of guidance from his lawyers or

his campaign team to change his strategy.

Now, of course, things did go, as you mentioned, smoother, but then they started getting contentious again right before that lunch break. A lot of

this is over the heart of the issue, which is whether or not Donald Trump essentially inflated the values of multiple of his property.

And this goes to the core of who Donald Trump is. He has sold himself. He has built a brand on being a successful, wealthy businessman. And this goes

to the core of that, because essentially the attorney general here in New York is seeking to, one, fine him $250 million, but also, in addition to

that, to bar him from ever practicing business again here in the state of New York.

That is who Donald Trump is. And it's not just his personal brand. It's also his political brand. If you remember back in 2016, Trump always said

that if he was able to be rich and have all this money that he could do it for others, as well, for Americans. He could run the country the way that

he ran his business. Well, now, you're saying and now they're believing he is saying is that he essentially inflated all of those numbers.

[12:55:00]

So, it really does again cut to the core of who Donald Trump is. However, his team wanted him to make this all about Donald Trump, to make this the

Donald Trump show, to try and control the narrative around what is going on in court. And he was able to do that.

He has been able to answer these questions essentially off topic, which is why you heard so much sparring with the judge early on, is because the

judge told him to just answer yes or no, and he essentially refused and continued answering these lengthy sentences.

But then also trying to take control of the narrative outside of the courtroom, walking up to the camera, saying that this is unfair. He

couldn't believe that they were focusing on this. So, likely to see more of this after that break.

GOLODRYGA: Yeah, from our Kaitlan Collins reporting inside the courtroom saying things have gone downhill again, saying Trump called the judge,

saying he called me a fraud, he didn't know anything about me, it's a terrible thing you've done, you know nothing about me, you believe this

political hack, that being the Attorney General, I'm assuming he's referencing back there, and this is unfortunate. As you said, once again,

Exhibit A of the Trump Show there in the courtroom. Kristen Holmes, thank you.

ASHER: He basically gave up on the case and decided to solely use it for political purposes. All right, that does it for this hour. I'm Zain Asher.

GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. Thank you so much for watching. Amanpour is next.

END