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One World with Zain Asher
Israel: war Resumed After Hamas Refused Ceasefire Proposals; Trump Speaks With Putin About Potential Ceasefire In Ukraine; Chief Justice Roberts Rebukes Trump's Rhetoric Against Judiciary; Palestinians And Israeli Activists Speak On A Path To Peace; Source: Trump-Putin Call Has Ended. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired March 18, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:39]
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Ceasefire shattered. Israel launching its deadliest attack in 15 months. The second hour of ONE WORLD starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As of this morning, Israel is operating with full force against the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas cannot be part of the future in the Gaza Strip. Full stop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: One Israeli official saying all of this could be over if Hamas would just sign a ceasefire deal. Hamas sees things differently.
Also ahead, Donald Trump's phone call with Vladimir Putin is underway. We have up to minute details for you from the White House.
And --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Imagine living in a house like this. It looks pretty cool, if a bit out of place. And that's because it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: It's built for living underwater. And if you're like me, you've got a whole lot of questions. Why now? What's it like inside? What if there is
a leak? We've got answers later this hour.
It is the top of the hour here in New York. I'm Erica Hill. Zain and Bianna are off today. Thanks for joining me for ONE WORLD.
We are following two major stories this hour, both of which have profound implications for war and peace. Gaza is reeling after Israel unleashed a
wave of strikes, shattering that fragile ceasefire with Hamas and making for the deadliest day there in over 15 months.
Israelis gathering to protest the return to war. Meantime, the lead U.S. negotiator on the Israel-Hamas hostage deal is putting the blame squarely
on Hamas.
Brett McGurk spoke to CNN this past hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRETT MCGURK, LEAD U.S. INVESTIGATOR ON ISRAEL-HAMAS HOSTAGE DEAL: If Hamas will release hostages and agree in an endgame to ultimately relinquish
power in Gaza, this war is over. And you have a process for peace in Gaza that is being developed in Egypt with Arab partners. But Hamas, so far, and
I was in these negotiations, and Hamas for a year, they never gave any indication of care concern for Gazans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Also, when the U.S. and the Russian presidents speak, the world listens. Well, we'd love to listen in. We'll have to wait for more of the
details. But can Donald Trump, in that call that he's on now with Vladimir Putin, convince the Russian leader to sign off on a temporary truce with
Ukraine?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to have a very important call. You know, we've had calls, but we're getting down to a very
critical stage. And we want to get the whole Russia-Ukraine thing done. And I think Ukraine wants it. I know they want it. Everybody wants it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: We begin in Gaza this hour where the Palestinian Health Ministry says more than 400 people have been killed, hundreds more wounded. Arab nations
are accusing Israel of violating the January ceasefire, while Israel and Hamas are trading accusations over who is to blame.
Jeremy Diamond has more for us. I do want to warn you, some of the images in this report are disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Israeli airstrikes once again pounding Gaza, marking the end of a two-month
ceasefire. And return to the sights and sounds of war.
Civilians rushing to the enclaves, barely functioning hospitals, carrying the wounded and the dead. In just a few hours, Israeli airstrikes killed
more than 400 people, according to Gaza's health ministry. Hundreds more were wounded. It is the single deadliest day of the war since November
2023. And once again, children among the victims, some too stunned to speak. Others silenced forever. Their small bodies motionless on the morgue
floor.
Israel says it targeted Hamas commanders, officials and infrastructure, launching the strikes because of Hamas' refusal to release more hostages.
Israel now threatening to widen these attacks.
Hamas, so far, not firing back at Israel, insisting it has been committed to negotiating phase two of the ceasefire agreement while accusing Israel
of trying to impose new conditions.
In the daylight, the scale of the devastation becomes all too clear. Um- Hazem al-Zhanad (ph) was preparing a pre-fast meal for her family when the missiles hit the school they were sheltering in east of Gaza City. Sixteen
of her relatives were killed, the youngest just 2 years old.
[12:05:08]
I have no one left, she says. Sixteen people killed. Why? They are all civilians.
At another hospital near Gaza City, a father opens a body bag to show the face of his daughter. This is an unjust world, he cries. The whole world is
unjust. Here are the children. This is a little girl.
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad acknowledge a number of their militants and officials were killed in the overnight strikes. But a doctor at one
hospital in Gaza City told CNN the majority of cases she had seen were children.
Residents in Deir al Balah in Central Gaza said they had no prior warning of the strikes, which killed families as they were sleeping.
We have been pulling the remains of children since this morning, this man says. Since 2:00 in the morning, we have been collecting the remains of
people from the streets. They are all civilians, children.
The Israeli military now ordering civilians in multiple neighborhoods close to the border to move west, as the threat of a renewed Israeli ground
offensive looms.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: And our thanks to Jeremy for that reporting.
We are also, of course, closely following this phone call between the U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The White
House says the call has now been underway for more than two hours. My colleague, Alayna Treene, joining me now live from the White House.
So that call, we are two hours in. I know I guess it was about 90 minutes ago or so, the vice president and the secretary of state also arriving at
the White House. Has the White House given any indication as to how much longer the call may go on?
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: No, it's unclear. As of now, all we've really heard from so far, Erica, is White House deputy chief of
staff, or at least one of the deputy chiefs of staff, Dan Scavino. He posted roughly a half an hour ago saying that the call was still ongoing
and that it started at 10:00 A.M. Eastern.
And I will note that sounds very lengthy, and it is. However, remember that a lot of this call has to be translated. They, you know, do not speak the
same language, the president and Russian President Vladimir Putin. So a good chunk of this call is actually going to be back and forth. The
translators communicating.
But look, this is obviously an incredibly high stakes call at a very crucial moment in these negotiations. We know that the White House has been
arguing now for a few days that they are closing in on a ceasefire proposal. That is really the ultimate goal here.
Just a week ago or so, we heard the Ukrainians and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself say that they had agreed to a U.S.-proposed 30-day
ceasefire. And really, after that, we heard the White House and President Donald Trump himself say that the ball was now in Russia's court to see
where they would move.
Now, when I've talked to White House officials about some of the sources familiar with what they would be discussing during this call, I was told
one of the key priorities is really trying to narrow down specifically what is Russia willing to agree to, particularly when it comes to commitments
for concessions.
We have heard repeatedly now from top officials involved in these negotiations, essentially, that concessions are expected on all sides, that
no one is not going to have to make some sort of concessions with this, you know, proposed off-ramp to the war.
But one of the key ones that relates to Russia is what territory, occupied territory, that they have gone into Ukraine, what are they willing to
remove troops from? What are they willing to potentially give back, if any? That's, of course, one of the main things. We kind of heard the president
allude to that over the weekend, President Donald Trump saying he planned to talk about dividing up assets, talking about land.
Now, I think the timing of this call is also incredibly crucial, Erica. We know that just last week on Thursday, Steve Witkoff, the president's envoy,
traveled to Moscow and met with Putin directly in person. They spoke for several hours, I'm told, way into the night until early Friday morning.
We were told that that call was positive, but also that when he went to read out the president on the call, that the president was very encouraged
by him. And that's kind of what led to this phone call today.
All to say very unclear what is actually going to happen here. We haven't heard much from Russia yet on exactly what they are looking for. We haven't
heard much of the details. But really, it's a key test today of whether or not the president's posture towards Russia, particularly his friendlier
tone, will pay off, And they can move forward in these negotiations.
HILL: Absolutely. Certainly one of the questions and a question too about just how forceful he may be with Vladimir Putin.
There are also questions about whether Putin may continue to try to drag this out. I know President Trump has said repeatedly he would like this
done. I mean, frankly, he'd like it done yesterday, paraphrasing there, but that is sort of the speed with which he'd like to see this done.
How much concern is there in the White House that Russia will try to drag its feet?
[12:10:02]
TREENE: There is some of that. I think we've heard repeatedly now from top Trump officials and involved in these negotiations that before they can
agree to any sort of long-term deal or any specifics regarding territory and whatnot, what they really want is a commitment to end the fighting.
That has been clear. They want a temporary ceasefire. That's why we initially saw them propose a 30-day ceasefire, just to stop the fighting
and then they can get into the nitty-gritty details.
It's a similar approach that we saw them take with the war between Israel and Hamas. But again, as they said, the ball is in Russia's court. As Trump
put it himself, he actually used the exact words, quote, Russia holds all the cards. And so really, we're seeing the president call Putin's bluff
here and see whether or not he will actually give in to a temporary deal.
But, of course, if he does want to prolong this even further, that is only going to complicate the negotiations that they've had thus far. Obviously,
the Ukrainians are not involved, Erica, in this conversation today, but they are going to be crucial to whatever the two discuss regarding specific
negotiations.
So a lot that is still, you know, we need to hear from the details of this call and what moved forward, but I will say they were cautiously optimistic
that they would be able to secure something from the Russians. We'll just have to wait and see if they were successful.
HILL: Yes, absolutely. Alayna, appreciate it. Thank you.
Still ahead here, the Trump administration versus the courts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN MILLER, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF: This judge violated the law. He violated the Constitution. He defied the system of government that
we have in this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: That judge is demanding an explanation from the government over why his deportation court order was defied. That's ahead.
Plus, a heartbreaking request from the parents of the American student who went missing while on spring break in the Dominican Republic.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: We do have breaking news coming out of the Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Roberts pushing back against President Trump. This is in
response to comments that President Trump made saying that the judge involved in that immigration case should be impeached.
Now, Chief Justice Roberts issuing a rare statement where he does not mention the president by name, but listen to what he writes. Quote,
impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision.
He has said that the normal appellate review process exists for that purpose. Of course noted that this has been the way for more than two
centuries.
[12:15:04]
All of this is happening as a big showdown in Washington is expected at this hour. A federal judge set a noon Eastern deadline, so it passed about
15 minutes ago, demanding that the government explain why Trump defied a court order by flying migrants out of the United States after the
administration, the government was told, not to, so that the judge could actually review the law being used in that case?
Hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members were deported Saturday under a rarely used wartime power. Now, President Trump is calling for the judge in
that case, who again, before he could rule on whether that was legal, said, hey, I need a minute, don't do anything, now he wants that district judge,
James Boasberg, to be impeached, according to his post.
All of this happening just a day after a heated hearing where the judge summed up the Justice Department's reasoning in this case as quote, we
don't care, we'll do what we want. And some senior White House aides seem to be sending that message.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILLER: The district court has no ability to, in any way, restrain the president's authorities under the Alien Enemies Act or his ability to
conduct the foreign affairs of the United States.
This judge violated the law. He violated the Constitution. He defied the system of government that we have in this country.
TOM HOMAN, U.S. BORDER CZAR: We're not stopping. I don't care what the judges think. I don't care what the left thinks. We're coming.
JEANINE PIRRO, FOX NEWS HOST: The administration may continue doing these flights?
PAM BONDI, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Absolutely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is covering all of this for us. She has more now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Trump is escalating his immigration crackdown and setting up a legal showdown. Trump
invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. A little known 18th century law that gives the president tremendous authority to target and quickly deport
migrants.
TRUMP: Think of that 1798, oh, it's a powerful act, you couldn't pass something like that today.
ALVAREZ (voice-over): The measure, used only three times all during major wars, including during World War II, is tied to what Trump described as an
invasion of criminals.
TRUMP: These are criminals, many, many criminals, murderers. Drug dealers at the highest level, drug lords. People from mental institutions. That's
an invasion. They invaded our country. So this isn't -- in that sense, this is war.
ALVAREZ (voice-over): The move was immediately challenged in court, setting off a legal clash that's raised questions over whether the administration
violated a court order. The controversy unfolded in a matter of hours.
On Saturday afternoon, a federal district judge kicked off a hearing over use of the Alien Enemies Act. The hearing was briefly adjourned for the
government to collect more information.
In that time, two removal flights took off to El Salvador, which has agreed to take Venezuelan migrants. The judge verbally told the Justice Department
to turn around any planes carrying people being deported under the Alien Enemies Act. A written order came an hour and 20 minutes later.
In a post on X, El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele seemed to taunt the judge's order, writing, quote, oopsie, too late, with a laughing emoji.
HOMAN: By the time the other order came, the plane was already over international waters with a plane full of terrorists and significant public
safety threats.
The president did exactly the right thing.
ALVAREZ (voice-over): The administration's primary target is the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which was recently designated a foreign terrorist
organization by the administration. More than half of the 261 migrants expelled to El Salvador were done under the Wartime authority, according to
a senior administration official. The administration has not provided identities of those removed.
LEE GELERNT, ATTORNEY, CIVIL RIGHTS CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION: The law says explicitly, it may only be used against a foreign government or a foreign
nation when we are in a declared war with that foreign government or that foreign government is invading us. This gang is not invading, so in our
view there is no question that this administration is just thumbing their nose at Congress.
ALVAREZ: Now, according to some of the sources I've spoken with, the legal fight is the point. This, in particular, is a remarkable measure that has
been taken by the Trump administration, leaning on these rarely used provisions in the law to justify speeding up their deportation plans,
particularly in this case with those Tren de Aragua gang members.
All of this, though, just part of one broader effort by the administration to use these legal bases, some of which have only been invoked a few times
in history, to press forward with the president's agenda.
Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: So that important breakdown -- background, rather, which brings us to the breaking news. My colleague Joan Biskupic is with me now.
So, Joan, as we look at this for folks who are just joining us, the president --
JOAN BISKUPIC, CNN CHIEF SUPREME COURT ANALYST: Yes.
HILL: -- had put out on Truth Social that the judge here should be impeached. And then the chief justice responded, didn't mention the
president by name, but this is incredibly rare that we would have --
[12:20:13]
BISKUPIC: Yes.
HILL: -- the chief justice speak out in reaction at all.
BISKUPIC: Yes. I think you have it there, but let me just read it. What Chief Justice John Roberts said just moments ago is, for more than two
centuries, has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal
appellate review process exists for that purpose.
Now, I'll tell you, Erica, you mentioned that this is rare. It's extraordinarily rare. And I can tell you the very last time he did it was
in 2018, that many years ago, in defiance of something that Donald Trump had said at the time when he, during his first presidency, where Donald
Trump had referred to an Obama -- so-called Obama judge who had ruled against him. And the chief at that time said, we do not have Obama judges,
Trump judges, Bush judges, or Clinton judges.
But what's extraordinary this time is that we've seen in this second act of the Trump presidency that he has escalated so much and is forcing so many
issues to the courts. And judges are, you know, facing dilemmas as they're fielding challenges to Donald Trump's executive orders.
And as judges have responded, frankly, for the most part, taking very modest and incremental steps, Donald Trump and many people in his
administration have criticized them as going beyond the bounds and said that they should be impeached, as you just noted at the top just now,
Erica, with that statement from Donald Trump earlier this morning.
And I think the pressure on Chief Justice John Roberts just got to the point where he had to respond. All told, this is actually a modest response
from the chief, you know, just saying that the normal process of complaining about a judicial decision is the appellate process.
You know, that's all, you know, just very straightforward. But to take this extraordinary step at this time shows you the kind of pressure that these
judges are feeling and the kind of pressure that I know has been put on Chief Justice John Roberts from colleagues across the country who are
feeling the pressure from these administration actions and they've been putting a lot of, know, trying to get the chief to step in and today for
the first time he did.
And I think it's timely. It's -- he should. He is, you know, obviously, the top judicial officer in all of the United States. He's got that gravitas.
He can at least say it. And he isn't, again, this is not trying to challenge Donald Trump. It's just trying to say, essentially, hold on.
If you have a complaint, if you think that a judge has not ruled fairly, there is a way to go, and that is to appeal it. And eventually the Supreme
Court itself would decide the validity and the merits of an action.
And just to remind everyone, this is actually a very conservative Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Roberts was appointed by Republican President
George W. Bush, three of his colleagues were appointed by Donald Trump himself. So this -- this is not a jurist who's, you know, himself in a
position to, you know, be as Donald Trump claimed some sort of member of the radical left, a lunatic of the judge as a -- as Donald Trump has deemed
the D.C. circuit -- the D.C. jurist who's actually handling this case, a district court judge, who has been going very -- actually very, in a very
measured way, trying to assess the merits of the deportation matter right before him right now.
HILL: Yes. It is -- it is obviously timely response to that Truth Social post, but also --
BISKUPIC: Yes.
HILL: -- timely, you know, as there are questions about whether we are on the brink of a constitutional crisis in this country, given the way a
number of these rulings are being regarded by the executive branch.
Joan, really appreciate it, as always. Thank you.
Also with me this hour, my colleague, Stephen Collinson, joining us from Washington as well. I mean, you talked about even before we heard from
President Trump and now Chief Justice Roberts this morning, your piece this morning talked about this being a fateful moment as the Trump
administration tries to, in your words, bypass the judiciary.
Is it your sense, based on folks that you're speaking with there in Washington, that comments from Chief Justice Roberts will in any way tame
those efforts?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: I think what they do is they suggest that we're heading inexorably towards a clash between two
branches of U.S. government, a historic clash between the judiciary and the executive, the presidency, that will probably end up going down alongside
some of the biggest conflicts over the last 250 years that have really shaped American history.
[12:25:13]
I would argue, I think, that we're not necessarily at the point of a constitutional crisis just yet, where the administration has gone through
all of the appellate levels and is defying the orders of the Supreme Court.
It seems, however, to be trying to delegitimize that process because Stephen Miller, the senior White House official you saw there, is basically
arguing that a federal district judge has no power to rule whether the actions of a president are constitutional. That's got no basis in American
law or the Constitution and in many ways is a political argument.
But it shows, I think, that on every level and on many separate issues, the White House is determined to push executive power as far as it can. And
some people would argue, those people that believe that the administration defied this judge who temporarily tried to halt these deportations, that it
has already crossed the line.
So I don't think crossing the line once necessarily means we're in a constitutional crisis. But multiple crossings of that line really do, I
think, portend quite serious situation as developing.
HILL: Well, and to your point that is what we're hearing from different officials in the administration, basically, it sort of feels like a hate
buckle up. This is the way things are done from here on out.
Take a listen to some of what we have heard in just the last 24 hours or so.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MILLER: The district court has no ability to, in anyway, restrain the president's authorities under the Alien Enemies Act or simply to conduct
the foreign affairs of the United States. This judge violated the law. He violated the Constitution. He defied the system of government that we have
in this country.
HOMAN: We're not stopping. I don't care what the judges think. I don't care what the left thinks. We're coming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: So is it part of that Stephen Miller, that's you had actually been referring to his comments. We also heard from Tom Homan there. The fact
that they are saying it so loudly, it is not perhaps surprising, but to your point, it is the fight that this sets up now where everything is
political.
COLLINSON: Yes. And I think the administration believes that it's on a very firm political footing because there aren't many Americans who would argue
that deporting gang members is a bad thing.
That said, a lot of these people that were deported haven't had due process. The administration has offered no evidence that all of them are
gang members. So there's the possibility that people who aren't could have been caught up and thrown into this very draconian prison in El Salvador.
I think on this issue what we're seeing is the administration is creating the political space to push against the judiciary that it will escalate, I
think, in even more significant cases down the line.
So this is a process and a strategy, I think. I don't think this is just some one-off thing from the administration. And what they like to show the
American people is that Donald Trump is acting with strength, what they call common sense. And that if the legal process gets in the way, they will
try and trample over it.
HILL: That has certainly been the example that they've been putting out there. Stephen Collinson, thank you.
COLLINSON: Thanks.
HILL: France taking particular notice of the shifting political winds in Washington with one French politician now suggesting the U.S. should maybe
get back the Statue of Liberty. It was, of course, gifted to the U.S. by France in 1886.
Raphael Glucksmann, who's a member of the European Parliament, initially suggested it at a rally Sunday saying the U.S. is now taking, in his words,
the side of tyrants. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt firing back saying, it's only because of the United States of America that the
French are not speaking German right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:30:38]
HILL: Welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Erica Hill.
Gaza's fragile ceasefire shattered early today as Israel carried out what it described as extensive strikes on Hamas targets inside the enclave.
Today marks the worst single-day death toll in Gaza in 15 months.
Authorities there say more than 400 people have been killed by Israeli strikes, including dozens of children. An official in Gaza says the
enclave's hospitals are completely full and struggling to treat wounded Palestinians. They are said to be dying, according to some on the ground
there, as they wait for beds.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAZAN AL-NAHHAS, PHYSICIAN VOLUNTEERING IN GAZA: I lost count of how many patients, you know, I pronounced that myself, but it was at least maybe 15
or 20 with just myself.
The majority are women and children. The majority are women and children. I mean, I -- just babies, like one, two, three year olds just lined up four
or five to a structure. And many, many, you know, young women, entire families, wiped out.
But the majority of cases that we've seen tonight are children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: As war returns to Gaza, the families of Israeli hostages say they have seen their greatest fears realized and are demanding the Israeli
government return to that truce.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHAY DICKMANN, RELATIVE OF CARMEL GAT, HOSTAGE KILLED IN CAPTIVITY: Today, the deal fell and the war broke. And we understand that it puts our
hostages in danger. The last time that the deal broke and the war started, my cousin who was supposed to come back on the deal, was murdered in
captivity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Time now for The Exchange. Joining me, Bassam Aramin and Robi Damelin, both spokespeople for the Parents Circle-Families Forum. It's a
joint Israeli-Palestinian organization made up of more than 700 families, all of whom have lost a loved one in this conflict. Bassam Aramin and Robi
Damelin join me now. It's good to have both of you with us.
As we look at where things stand, I know as you have been united in your loss and in your grief, you have also been united in the fact that you both
believe there is a path towards peace.
Bassam, I'll begin with you. Based on what we're seeing play out now in these last several hours, do you believe there's still a path to peace?
[12:35:59]
BASSAM ARAMIN, SPOKESPERSON, THE PARENTS CIRCLE-FAMILIES FORUM: Absolutely, absolutely. Unfortunately, when this genocide has started again, and we
were hoping that Mr. Trump would come and promise that there is no wars, will really make a real pressure on Netanyahu exactly as he make the same
pressure on Zelenskyy. And we can see the results.
But in the end, yes, I believe we will sit down and talk and who remain? People like us. Who paid the price? Those kids. Those innocent people are
paying the price of this -- of Netanyahu political career. He don't want to go to jail. He don't care about us. He don't care about even the Israelis
themselves.
But in the end, I call the Israeli people to make their voice very loud that we cannot continue living like this. It must have a solution once and
forever to stop this occupation. This is our main problem. No occupation, no Hamas, no Fatah, no resistance.
HILL: Robi, in terms of those voices we are hearing from the Hostage and Missing families Forum, speaking up quite loudly, saying as I noted, they
say their greatest fear has now come true. How do you make your voices heard?
ROBI DAMELIN, SPOKESPERSON, THE PARENTS CIRCLE-FAMILIES FORUM: Well, wherever we can speak out, we do. We are traveling all the time, all over
the world. We have a project in the States running now. It's called Listening from the Heart, because so many people turn to us to look for
hope.
And, you know, this is a very difficult thing when you go to bed at night and thinking that there's a ceasefire and you wake up the next morning and
there are so many children killed, mainly children.
I bet you nobody knows the name of one of those children that was killed. And so what we can do is to try to get the world to stop being polarized,
to stop importing our conflict, to force Israelis to the table.
We cannot go on like this. I look at the hostages and I think to myself, how much more must they suffer? How many insults must they have in our
parliament? They can't even go and talk and share their pain without some minister saying to them, you talk too much, go away. I'm throwing you out
of the room.
And so what brings me hope is I look at -- actually we are now 800 families. I look at the 18 new members, some of whom lost both of their
parents on -- in Kibbutz on the 7th of October. I look at the Palestinians who have joined our group, who lost family members in Gaza.
We have continued to work nonstop since the beginning of the war. And it is quite incredible to see that even if each of us watches a different media,
even if we watch a different media and we live in a parallel universe, we continue to listen to each other with empathy, even if we don't agree. And
that's the message.
And the world have all become great experts on the Middle East, instead of which, if they would start to support all the NGOs on the ground, it
doesn't have to be the Parents-Circle, but it certainly could be one that wants to stop the war, that wants to have reconciliation.
That moral support would be so much more valuable to Bassam and I than the standing with the flag in the middle of the road screaming. And I just wish
that people would start to understand the consequence of war.
When you look at Bassam and I, we are two consequences, but there are so many more. And who will look after them?
HILL: You bring up the importance of dialogue, the importance of empathy.
Bassam, that's what started your journey in many ways. You know, unfortunately, after your daughter, your 10-year-old daughter was killed by
Israeli border police, but prior to that happening, and you said, you refuse to go down the path, the easy path of hatred and vengeance in that
moment. That's because of conversations that you had when you were in prison with an Israeli prison guard. And it is starting those
conversations.
Just, if you could, for our viewers, walk them through what that changed for both you and for that Israeli prison guard, the fact that you both took
the time to listen to one another.
ARAMIN: No, it's very complicated to explain in a few minutes, but this guard was a very extremist like most of the Israeli guards. They know that
we are terrorists and that's it. It doesn't matter how old are you or what you really did. I was 17 years old when I was go to jail for seven years.
So through talking to each other, I discovered his human face as a human being. He discovered that I am just a kid and this what we call the
occupation, make from me a fighter or a warrior. It's not my choice. It's very difficult to grow up as a Palestinian.
[12:40:08]
In fact, in jail, I also, watch a movie about the Holocaust, which was unbelievable for me because I never know anything about this Holocaust. We
think it's a big lie, which lead me to tears. I start to cry because I cannot understand how human beings can do the same to other human beings,
which lead me after more than 25 years after that to make my master degree about the Holocaust.
Because in the first place, I want to understand the brutality of the Israeli soldiers. And I say to myself, maybe they watch such a movie and
they come to my country or to my village. They will act in this brutal way. This was the first motivation.
In fact, when you talk to your enemy as a human being in the personal level, it's another issue. We became like we understand that both of us
have the right to exist. No one will disappear. The Palestinians and the Israelis, in that matter, they forget to die.
So it's up to us to live side by side or together. Or unfortunately, as long as the Israeli occupation continue, we will continue to sacrifice the
blood of our kids from both sides even after 3,000 years.
The Israelis need to understand that the Americans need to understand that and the Palestinians need to understand that. So it's up to us to decide.
There is a place for everyone. We can live in peace without occupation, without oppression.
Why is the 7th of October happened? For the Israelis, it's the first time in the history after the Holocaust. For the Palestinians, we face it like
75 years, not in the same way. It means imagine if there is peace agreement between Israel and Palestine, there is no 7th of October. There is no
Hamas. There is no Fatah. There is no resistance.
In fact, this is the main condition. And this is our message. We just want to send our kids to their school and get them back safe. Exactly what
happened with my daughter, Abir , 10 years old. She left the school and someone killed her in front of her school. Why? This is for the Israeli
security. It's the opposite, unfortunately.
People start to -- they have a strong memory. This is what brings us to more revenge, more 7th of October, another 10 years, 20 years. We need to
have justice, justice to give the Palestinians their right in their state, not to deport them from their country. It never happened. It will never
happen. We need to be normal. This is what I said.
HILL: Robi, you said you're holding on to hope through these conversations. Are those conversations becoming easier or more difficult to have in this
moment?
DAMELIN: Look, it's very difficult now. The war is still going on. You know, there is so much anger and so much fear. And fear and anger just lead
to revenge.
And actually, if you think about it, most of the world is talking about how can we free so many prisoners to bring back the hostages. And I think to
myself, the man who killed my child, I don't care if they're free and they can free them whenever they want, because if that will bring back one
hostage, is that not worth everything? That's the sanctity of human life.
It's difficult now. There are so many families affected. And I'm not sure I do know that when I lost my son, the people who brought me the most solace
were other bereaved mothers. And so this is a lot of the work that we're doing now. And we are continuing to do this work. And I wish you would
advise some of your listeners and watchers to open Listening from the Heart. That's a program that we created together with Georgetown
University, four university campuses, it's dialogue meetings, it's a way of bringing hope.
HILL: Robi Damelin, Bassam Aramin, thank you for your time. Thank you for sharing your stories and your journey.
DAMELIN: Thank you.
HILL: We'll be right back.
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[12:45:17]
HILL: This just into CNN, a source telling us the phone conversation between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has now ended. The leaders, of
course, were discussing that proposal of a 30-day ceasefire to begin those conversations to end the Ukraine war.
A Russian source telling CNN the call went, quote, very well. There is no word yet, though, as to when there were any concrete -- whether there were
any concrete decisions made in terms of that agreement.
Jeff Zeleny joining me now. Of course, Jeff, these are the big questions. Glad to hear it went well, but what actually is it that happened in that
call. A positive sign, one could take, though, is that it did last a fair amount of time.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Erica. We were told the call lasted about two hours or so, give or take a
few minutes. And when you sort of subtract the translation from that, it's about an hour-long normal phone call.
But this is about the same length of phone call that the two leaders had a little over a month ago when the reset of relations really happened in
pretty dramatic fashion.
So here we are to this point, but we do not know really the central question hanging over this entire meeting is, is Russia, is Vladimir Putin
going to agree to a ceasefire in some respects?
Of course, the framework of a deal that was announced a week ago between the U.S. and Ukraine, that was met sort of skeptically by about by Vladimir
Putin. So we shall see if sort of some more roadblocks were thrown up or if he is going to agree, at least in theory, to a ceasefire.
But also so many other questions here coming. This phone call coming on the 11th anniversary of Russia's original invasion into Crimea back during the
Obama administration here in the United States. And this is something that Russia clearly has, you know, had their eye on.
Vladimir Putin has had this grand design of retaking and remaking Ukraine. And so the central question here is, how much land is he going to -- is
Russia going to sort of get out of this deal? So left out of the conversation, of course, at least at the moment, is Ukraine.
So we're also waiting to hear from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who'll be having a press conference in Ukraine to talk about their view of this. All
of Europe also left out of this conversation. So this is something that Trump administration has been working on in piecemeal, if you will. First,
a conversation last week with Ukraine and now this phone call with Vladimir Putin.
But many, many, many questions about exactly what type of a deal this will be. And we are still learning those answers, Erica.
HILL: Yes. Absolutely, Jeff. Appreciate it.
Also joining me now, I have Fred Pleitgen joining us from Moscow.
Fred, we know prior to this call, Vladimir Putin had said he had some reservations. Donald Trump had said they were going to talk about land,
they were going to talk about power plants So we know going in with some of the reservations were the fact that we are hearing that the call went,
quote, very well is certainly interesting.
What else are you hearing from the Russian side?
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Not much more than that, but it is -- it is certainly interesting, but it certainly
doesn't say, whether or not any real progress was made in this call. And I think there were certain issues that the Russians were wanting to talk
about that could be very difficult to sort out.
And essentially, it goes back to the fundamental issue that was going on with the conflict in Ukraine, that essentially the Ukrainians signed on to
a 30-day ceasefire without any sort of preconditions, whereas the Russians are saying that they believe that all the -- what they call the root causes
of the conflict in Ukraine need to be sorted out before the weapons can be silenced.
And on top of that, the Russians are also saying that in this phone call with President Trump today and members of his administration, they did not
only wants to talk about the conflict in Ukraine, but also broader issues as well, like, for instance, sanctions relief.
[12:50:03]
The Russians here, just to sort of paint a picture of what the vibe is here in Moscow, they're already talking about better relations with the United
States, about exploring space further together, about economic relations, about investments and the like.
So they're already thinking several steps further, where, of course, the Trump administration is saying, if you want all of that to work out, a deal
needs to be reached on Ukraine first.
Now, whether or not that was discussed, in which way that was discussed on that phone call is obviously unclear. But the Russians have been framing
this as though Ukraine and the Ukraine conflict is one of several topics that these two leaders were going to talk about.
And, of course, as far as that is concerned, the Russians had many issues that they said for them would make it very difficult to come to any sort of
agreement. Like, for instance, they want to keep all of the territories that they've already taken from the Ukrainians and possibly even get more
than that on top of it in any sort of agreement.
Because, of course, in some areas, they've taken parts of administrative areas of Ukraine, but not the entire area of those administrative places.
And the Russians have always said that they wanted, for instance, the entire Donetsk Oblast, the entire Zaporizhia Oblast, Kherson Oblast. Those
were all things that the Russians have been talking about.
So whether or not any headway was made there is very difficult to ascertain at this point. We are, of course, waiting for any further readout to come
from the Kremlin. All we've heard, so far, is that the call has indeed ended, that the call apparently went very well, as the Russians have put
it.
But what real headway was made at this point in time is not yet clear, Erica.
HILL: All right. Fred, appreciate it. Stay with me.
Also joining me, Clarissa Ward is with us as well. I believe you're still in Kyiv, Clarissa, so correct me if I'm wrong. Oh, in Odesa, I see for your
locator.
How is this playing out now in Ukraine? Because we know those reservations have been there on the Ukrainian side as they wait, as Putin has dragged
this out a little bit, and they wait to see what, in fact, their fate will be.
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So we haven't heard any official reaction to the phone call yet. We are expecting a press
conference later on with the president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He's supposed to be traveling to Finland tomorrow.
But I think more broadly, the sentiment here in Ukraine is one of deep cynicism and skepticism. I think from the outcome, they have found it very
difficult to believe that Russia is entering into this with genuine spirit of goodwill that they actually want to see peace realized here.
The belief among most people here is that Russia wants this war to continue, that Russia wants this war to grind on, and that they're
essentially seeing President Putin try to manipulate President Trump to improve Russia's public relations, both domestically inside Russia, but
also internationally.
As Fred mentioned, the tantalizing prospect of sanctions relief and various economic initiatives, bilateral agreements together, all have certainly
whet the Kremlin's appetite and encourage them to sort of enter into at least the pretense of these talks.
But from the Ukrainian perspective, that is exactly what it is, just a pretense. And I think they felt that that was sort of cemented for them
when we listened to President Putin's press conference last week where he said, yes, it's a great idea, but the Ukrainians can't receive weapons, but
the Ukrainians can't continue to do training, but how will it be enforced, but how will it be monitored?
And essentially, in their eyes began to just sort of deliver a sort of filibuster, if you will, against all the possible permutations and
roadblocks that he could possibly throw up.
So here in the Ukrainian mindset, I would say, people are not overly optimistic. At the same time, they are desperate for peace. They are
exhausted. But certainly, I would not say they are yet hopeful, Erica.
HILL: Yes. And it is understandable. Of course, we appreciate it.
Also with us, Nick Paton Walsh joining us as well.
And, Nick, we are just seeing, I'm just seeing, we are hearing a little bit from Vladimir Putin's special envoy, who's calling this historic and epic
saying that under the leadership of Presidents Putin and Trump, the world has now become a much safer place today. It's quite a statement coming out
of that call.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, obviously, that was posted while the call seems to have been ongoing and
that is a presidential envoy for economic and development affairs. So, yes, certainly part of the circle that appears to be involved in some of the
Saudi Arabian discussions here, but not the full kind of Kremlin readout, if you like, which we may potentially hear in the coming hours.
But we're into a particularly complex moment here because I think it's fair to say that the initial offer made by the United States and Ukraine after
their Jeddah meeting for a simple 30-day complete ceasefire left a lot still to be discussed.
Perhaps that was intended as indeed weeds that Moscow would then get themselves caught upon, but it left a lot still to be talked about. It left
the concept of monitoring a lot of technical issues still up for discussion.
[12:55:07]
And I think you have to remember too that the concept of ending a war that's been so horrifically brutal for three years, quite as fast as that,
certainly would have been a monumental task. Possible indeed certainly, but it would have taken vast amounts of coordination to bring to a halt.
And so this may be potentially one of the first things that have been one of the snags to be negotiated between Moscow and Washington here. I do
recall one of the statements from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio being that U.S. satellite technology could potentially monitor any ceasefire.
I'm sure there will be some in Russia who would take issue potentially with that vast amount of U.S. intelligence gathering occurring across their
front lines there as well.
And then, of course, we have to deal with the broader, more complex maximalist mindset of Vladimir Putin here. He probably doesn't see a moment
here of weakness where he has to necessarily back down.
And I think that some of the glimpse we've got from President Donald Trump's comments about assets being divided provided something of a glimpse
into that.
Maybe a nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, maybe part of the discussions here that is under Russian control. Unclear how well it's functioning.
Unclear, frankly, if Moscow wants to hang on to it or hand it back to be a Ukrainian problem, but it's certainly something that's being discussed.
Assets too is an important word when it comes to some of the frozen hundreds of billions of dollars currently in European bank accounts. The
Europeans are thinking about cutting that up potentially and using it to fund Ukraine's reconstruction, but also maybe Ukraine's continued defense.
I'm sure Vladimir Putin would like to get that vital amount of money back into Russia's hands.
And so there is a large amount that Putin could potentially ask for, concessions that he could. Sorry, back to you.
HILL: Nick, I will take it. Thank you. We will, of course, continue to follow all these developments. And as we wait to learn more, as Nick has
pointed out, of course, as we wait for that official readout, of the call from both sides. So again, stay with us as we continue to follow this
breaking news of that call now wrapping up between President Trump and President Putin.
You're watching CNN.
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[13:00:00]
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