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Connect the World

Hong Kong Protesters Prepare To Defy Order To Disperse; Brazilians Head To the Polls To Elect President; Biden Apologizes To Turkey; Syria Refugees Struggle To Celebrate Eid al-Adha in Jordan; Hong Kong Protesters Facing Deadline; Generational Gap in Hong Kong Protests; West Bank Bedouins Facing Relocation; Parting Shots: Hajj Pilgrimage; Industrial Expansion in Saudi Arabia Eastern Province; Women in the Workforce; Investing in Egypt

Aired October 05, 2014 - 11:00   ET

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

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Protesters in Hong Kong face a government ultimatum to disperse by Monday or else. We're live from the

scene as the deadline approaches.

Also this hour, new shelling in the Turkish-Syrian border. ISIS fighters surround the city of Kobani as residents warn of a possible massacre.

And we are live in Brazil as the country votes for its next president.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.

ANDERSON: It's a very good evening from the UAE. It is 7:00 here.

Demonstrators in Hong Kong appear determined to defy Chief Executive CY Leung's order to disperse after a week of pro-democracy demonstrations that

have erupted and disrupted the lives of students and workers. Authorities have given these protesters pictures coming to you live from Hong Kong

until Monday to lead and midnight, they're less than an hour away.

A week ago this hour clashes on the streets of Hong Kong shocked many in the region and around the world.

Will Ripley joining us now live from Hong Kong as another deadline looms.

And as far as I can tell from these scenes behind you, it may only be, what, less than an hour to go until Monday. It doesn't look as if people

are dispersing. That certainly was the appeal from the chief executive. What's the mood?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The mood out here is surprisingly calm considering the fact that we do have that government deadline hanging

overhead.

You can see from the looks of things out here, these people aren't going anywhere. They're ready to camp out for the night. This is the main area in

the heart of Hong Kong, Harcourt Road. And this is where the majority of protesters are, Becky.

And you can see they've built up a pretty sophisticated system of barricades. They actually have teams of young people who are grabbing these

things, zip tying them together. This is one of the internal layers. But as you go down that street there, there's a second and then a third layer of

barricades to try to prevent any vehicles from coming in here. Normally, this would be a road that you would use to get on to one of Hong Kong's

major highways, essentially, it's full of traffic. And the city has seen a lot of gridlock as a result of all of this.

But the real flashpoint, and we have some new video from outside the office of chief executive CY Leung, this is an area where it appeared that at

least some student leaders in this movement were ready to make a concession, they were ready to take down the barricades like this and move

out and allow government employees to go back to work tomorrow.

But then there are other groups in involved in this protest who say absolutely not. They are not going anywhere unless they get their demands

met for CY Leung to step down, which he said he's not going, and also they want Beijing to change its decision about the 2017 elections. Essentially

they want true democracy in this city as opposed to candidates hand-picked by Beijing. That also, we are told, is not going to happen, Becky.

ANDERSON: Well, I was in Tahrir Square and Gezi Park. I've been over the year -- last couple of years, as you have as well, in environments where

there are a lot of demonstrators to a certain extent around the cameras where we're pointing them at least.

So give us a sense, and our viewers a sense, of just how extensive and what the scope of these crowds really are at this point. It's quite difficult to

see just from the shots that we're getting from you.

RIPLEY: Sure.

Yeah, let's take a walk. And you can see.

So, normally cars would be driving, and this would essentially be the way that traffic would merge onto a very busy street here in Hong Kong. But as

we emerge out on Harcourt Road, which is the main artery leading into the central business district, you see the tents, you see the people, and we're

talking about tens of thousands at one point this week filled these streets. It was standing room only.

Tonight, it's safe to say there are thousands out here. There have been no official head counts, no way to truly know other than visually taking a

look.

But people down this way -- and even more interestingly, Becky, as we go down this way, this is where the sea of people continues up that on ramp

right over there, people as far as the eye can see. And they've set up this distribution network where they get supplies, all of these tents offer

different services. There's a medical tent, there's a water tent. There's a tent where they hand out protective goggles and masks just in case the

police move in here and try to use pepper spray or tear gas again.

They've even set up, since these are a lot of students out there, makeshift classrooms, Becky, where students are sitting down and tutoring each other

on a variety of different subjects.

It really is remarkable, because you have to remember, I'm standing on a road, a main road in a city of 7 million people that is essentially turned

into a town full of students tonight.

ANDERSON: Remarkable stuff.

All right, Will within that hour deadline that CY Leung has set for these protesters. Listen, we'll be back to you in about 25 minutes. And let's see

what the status is then at that point. Will, for the time being, thank you.

The fight against ISIS militants near Syria's border with Turkey has intensified. The Kurdish town of Kobani has been surrounded by ISIS

fighters for weeks. Thousands of Kurds in Turkey are rushing to the border to try and help their fellow Kurds, but Turkish forces, well they had a

different plan earlier today. This is what happened to CNN's Phil Black a short time ago. And he was talking to my colleague Jim Clancy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERANTIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sorry, they've just fired some more tear gas into this crowded area here, Jim, and the crowd is

responding. They're picking up the canisters and trying to throw them at a distance.

It is in the air, it's certainly biting us, but we're able to continue going at this stage, I think.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Earlier, smoke billowed into the air in Kobani behind where Phil was there as ISIS militants continue to launch shells and artillery fire at

that city.

The U.S.-led coalition continues its airstrikes, but some Kurdish officials say that is not enough to stop ISIS and perhaps that the frustration for

the Kurds of Phil's side of the border. He's still there on the Turkish- Syrian side of the border joining us now with the very latest.

And Phil, what was going on in those images that we saw of the conversation that you were having with Jim Clancy some hours ago now when these tear gas

canisters were being fired by the police?

BLACK: Yeah, Becky, what we were seeing were some pretty low key clashes, I think, between big crowds of agitated Kurdish people on the Turkish side of

the border and Turkish security forces, the Gendarmerie, we believe, an arm of the Turkish military.

They were -- the Turkish -- the Kurds were essentially there to watch what was going on across the border in Syria, the battle for Kobani. They had

been there in big numbers almost every day, but every so often, groups of men would get a little bit agitated, throw some rocks at the Turkish

military or try to move closer to the restricted border zone. And when they did that, well, that provoked the Turkish security forces. And they

responded with tear gas.

For the most part, as I say, pretty low key, some tear gas, the crowds were dispersed, not too much else happened. But a short time ago, it appears

that the Turkish security forces really ran out of all patience with the crowd and also, I should say, with us as well. They really moved through

that area firing vast amounts of tear gas, not firing it up into the air so that the trajectory was a long, slow loop with these canisters before

hitting the crowd, but actually firing these canisters at a very low trajectory, seeming to target vehicles and people with these tear gas

canisters, our vehicle included -- it was struck at least three times.

So pretty risky behavior, we think, by these members of the Turkish security forces today, but it cleared out that crowd. The Turkish -- I

should say, the Kurdish crowds have been gathering there regularly over the last week or so. They've been telling us, and we have seen it before, this

is a pretty standard response from those Turkish security forces when they feel that those crowds are getting a bit too close to the border or

provoking them in a way they don't like, Becky.

ANDERSON: Phil Black on the line there from close to the Turkish-Syrian border.

A lot more on the battle with ISIS on Connect the World with me Becky Anderson later this hour. The U.S. vice president had to issue an apology

to Turkey for comments he made about ISIS this week. We'll have a live report fro Washington.

And refugees from Iraq and Syria living in Jordan say they have no reason to celebrate a Muslim holiday. That and more on this show.

Coming up, the polls open in Brazil right now. Voters are choosing a president. And it's looking like a runoff will be necessary. We're

expecting election results in about nine hours. Incumbent President Dilma Rousseff's two top challengers, Marina Silva and Aecio Neves all watch as

they -- this could be Brazil's toughest election in decades.

Well, Shasta Darlington is in Sao Paulo outside a voting booth. And she joins us live.

Almost certain that there will be a female president in Brazil going forward, which given that they just had a session with a female president,

I guess is good news for the women of the world. What's the latest from there?

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Becky. This is a tight race. What we're seeing is across the country, you know, from the

shores of the Amazon to Rio de Janeiro to the financial capital here in Sao Paulo, there are more than 142 million registered voters in Brazil. They're

heading to the polls. And even though they do have 11 candidates to chose from, it really has turned into a three horse race.

Like you said, President Dilma Rousseff is in the lead. And one of her main challengers is Marina Silva. So those are two out of three of the main

candidates are women.

The main issue is the economy for a couple of different reasons. You know, on the one hand, Brazil slipped into recession in the first half of the

year. This is a BRICs economy, the seventh largest economy in the world. This has ripples around the globe, really. And so a lot of the people in

the middle and the upper class, they are tending to vote for change. They want a new president who they feel is better prepared to lift Brazil out of

recession.

On the other hand, you have millions of the country's poorest who are really worried about maintaining the subsidies and the social benefits

they're currently receiving. And so they're tendency is to vote for Dilma Rousseff.

This is what we're seeing playing out at the polls. This is a completely electronic voting system, so we expect to have results very quickly this

evening.

But as you mentioned, we don't necessarily expect to know who the president will be, and that's because according to the pre-election polls, Dilma

Rousseff is in the lead with a comfortable margin, but she is not projected to get more than 50 percent of the vote.

That means there will be a runoff between the two top candidates on October 26. And with all the ups and downs we've seen in this race, it's just too

early to call, Becky.

ANDERSON: Around 143 million eligible to vote and the winning candidates, as you suggest, must get 50 percent of the vote.

How different are the other candidates in their policies and their suggestions about what next for Brazil to the incumbent?

DARLINGTON: Well, what we're basically seeing, Becky, as the challengers, the two main challengers actually have similar proposals. They're claiming

that the Worker's Party, which is Dilma Rousseffs party, has been too interventionist. Inflation has spiked in part because she's really promoted

domestic spending instead of investment. And so their big push is control inflation even if that means interests rates have to go up.

And what they're looking for is a balance between a sort of sustainable growth, but at the same time promising that they won't repeal all of these

social benefits and subsidies. This is a big deal in Brazil.

And when Dilma Rousseff started running these attack adds suggesting that her challengers might repeal them, that's when she really went up in the

polls. So that's a big issue here, Becky.

ANDERSON: Brazil election today, the fifth most populous country and the seventh largest economy. 143 million people eligible to vote, a big deal.

We will get you those results as they come in. As Shasta suggested, this is electronic voting, so the results should be fairly quick when these polls

close.

Still tonight, when you're building a broad coalition, in quotes, against a common enemy, a charm offensive might seem like a good tactic. Find out why

U.S. vice president Joe Biden is in a bit of hot water and what he said about his Middle Eastern allies that's now got him on the defensive rather.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson at 16 minutes past 7:00.

Well, U.S. President Barack Obama has made a big push to build a coalition that is regional in the fight against ISIS. And I say it's 16 minutes 7:00

of course in the UAE. But his deputy has irked a couple of allies with remarks about their alleged shortcomings. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Our biggest problem is our allies, our allies in the region are our largest problem in Syria. The Turks, who are

great friends, and I have a great relationship with Erdogan, which I just spent a lot of time with, the Saudis, the Emiratis, et cetera.

What were they doing? They were so determined to take down Assad and essentially have a proxy Sunni-Shia war, what did they do? They poured

hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of tons of weapons into anyone who would fight against Assad, except that the people who were being

supplied were al Nusra and al Qaeda and the extremist elements of jihadis coming from other parts of the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, one top official, the UAE's minister of state for foreign affairs Anwar Mohammed Gargash has not taken lightly to this. He says,

"Biden's are," and I quote, "are far from the truth, especially with relation to the UAE's role in confronting extremism and terrorism and its

clear an advance position in recognizing the dangers, including the danger of financing terrorism and terrorist groups."

Well, Biden has yet to respond to the UAE's statement, but he has backtracked someone on his remarks made about Turkey.

Erin McPike joins me live now from Washington. And Erin, Biden has a somewhat of a reputation of misspeaking, let's say, but this was, let's be

frank, an out and out accusation against a number of countries, including Turkey and the UAE. These were in remarks made to the audience in response,

I believe, to a question at that event. But this -- you know, he name checked these countries. What's he been saying sort of so far as an apology

is concerned to Turkey in the first instance?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, first let's go back to that event on Thursday at Harvard University. And I want you to listen here to a

specific remark he made about the Turkish president. Here is it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: And the Turks, President Erdogan told me -- he's an old friend -- said you were right, we let too many people through. Now they're trying to

seal their border.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: Now, the Turkish President Erdogan is of course not very happy about this. He has made it clear.

So Vice President Biden telephoned him yesterday and apologized for those remarks. I want to read to you a comment that came from Vice President

Biden's spokesman just last night about that call. She says, "the vice president apologized for any implication that Turkey or other allies and

partners in the region had intentionally supplied or facilitated the growth of ISIL or other violence extremists in Syria."

She goes on to say, "the vice president made clear that the United States greatly values the commitments and sacrifices made by our allies and

partners from around the world to combat the scourge of ISIL, including Turkey."

So, in other words, she is saying that he did not mean this intentionally - - or that rather that the countries in the region did not do this intentionally, that it was just a mistake, Becky.

ANDERSON: Countries, or members of -- or people from a number of countries in this region have been designated by the U.S. as getting involved in

funding certainly seed funding the organizations that are fighting as jihadists in the states. That has been well reported.

It has also been widely reported that there has been slippage across that Turkey border. Is there a sense that Joe Biden has realized that he has

miss-stepped and for the good of this coalition is prepared to apologize when effectively he might have meant what he said?

MCPIKE: Oh, certainly. And you saw that last night, because he made that call and the administration put out a statement right away to let everyone

know that he had apologized.

But if you'll recall the Obama administration went to great lengths to get regional partners on board for this coalition. And Turkey, especially, held

out for some time and has recently joined the coalition and is joining in the use of military force. But that took a big diplomatic effort on the

part of the United States Secretary of State John Kerry as well as Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. And it did take them awhile to get them on board.

And now they are and are helping.

But this obviously was a big mistake and the administration has realized it. And Vice President Biden is used to having to apologize for comments

that he makes. This was no exception. He did it rather quickly, Becky.

ANDERSON: He hasn't responded to the UAE's statement defending itself from accusations of funding and financing. And if you ask most reporters in the

region, they will say there's not an awful lot of evidence to suggest they've been actively involved in funding and financing jihadist groups.

How important is that relationship with what is an extremely active Gulf partner here now for Washington?

MCPIKE: Oh, look, I think it's very important. And right now we have only heard from the administration on how Vice President Biden has handled what

has happened with Turkey. I assume we will hear more, especially because now that we have heard from the UAE, and they have put out that statement,

it's likely that Vice President Biden will have to continue to do more work to repair that relationship after those comments.

Right now it has just been Turkey. And Turkey is a very important partner of the United States in this effort as well. But that's as far as it's gone

right now.

Of course, it's Sunday morning here, and so it might take awhile until we get more information from the administration, but right now he has just

apologized to the Turkish president, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yeah, big story in this region, I have to say. Thank you for that. Erin McPike is in Washington. And as she points out, rightly, it's a

fairly early on a Sunday. It is 22 minutes past 7:00 in the evening here in Abu Dhabi lie from the UAE. This is Connect the World with me, Becky

Anderson.

Coming up in about 10 minutes times, we're going to go back to Will Ripley live in Hong Kong as the deadline approaches for protesters there to

disperse.

Plus, as Muslims celebrate an important festival, we talk to some Syrian refugees about sacrifice, safety and a longing for home. That is ahead on

this show. Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Muslims around the world are celebrating Eid, marking the end of the harsh pilgrimage as the Eid is known as the feat of sacrifice.

Sacrifice can have many meanings.

Jomana Karadsheh is in Amman, Jordan where refugees from the violence in Syria and Iraq are trying to make the best of what is an incredibly tough

time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Here in the heart of Amman, people are out and about celebrating their Eid al-Adha holiday. But

in Jordan it's not only Jordanians celebrating Eid.

For decades, this country with very little resources has opened its doors to those fleeing unrest and violence across the reigon.

Over the recent years, this country has had to deal with a massive influx of refugees from Iraq and Syria. Now the majority of these refugees are not

living in camps, they are in cities like here in Amman.

Here we (inaudible) celebrating Eid away from home is not the same, they say.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It feels hard. You know, we are not living in our home town. It -- there's no Eid to us here. I mean, what if I ask you if you

lost your mother and your father and your friends where you live, your home, you lost everything. You feel no Eid.

21-year-old Ibrahim (ph) says it's impossible to return home any time soon, maybe another 10 years, he says, but we have hope. We should have hope

until our last living breath.

Until then, the streets of Amman offer a safe and festive mood far from the reality at home.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Amman.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, your latest world news headlines are just ahead at the bottom of the hour for you.

Plus, an ancient culture at risk from modern decision making. The fears facing thousands of Bedouins in the West Bank.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: This is CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. The top stories for you this hour.

Heavy artillery fire on the Syrian city of Kobani could be seen and heard on the border with Turkey. Kurdish fighters inside the city say they are

holding ISIS back at least for now, but the fight could move into the city in closer street-to-street battles.

Millions are casting their votes right now in Brazil's tightest presidential election in decades. The race will decide whether incumbent

Dilma Rousseff stays for another term. It's expected to go to a run-off, though.

Protesters in Hong Kong get set for midnight, the deadline imposed by chief executive C.Y. Leung for them to disperse after a week of pro-democracy

demonstrations that have paralyzed schools and government offices there. These are live pictures for you from there. Will Ripley joins us from Hong

Kong with the very latest tonight.

And Will, Human Rights Watch has just issued a statement on the confrontation in Hong Kong. The group's urging authorities to keep security

forces in check, respect the rights of demonstrators and prosecute those responsible for violence against protesters, including sexual violence.

In a statement, the China director for Human Rights Watch said, Will, and I quote, "C.Y. Leung needs to act urgently or confidence in Hong Kong's

government's commitment to human rights and the rule of law will be deeply compromised.

I refer you to part of their statement, talking about sexual assault and protesters. Have you witnessed or seen evidence of that?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we have, Becky. Because what's so remarkable, as you look at the people in this crowd, and as we

just kind of give you a 360 view here, one thing that everybody is carrying is a smartphone or a cell phone, and lot of them are taking pictures. A lot

of them are taking videos.

And I've seen videos on social media from the Mongkok area, where I actually saw a video -- we can't verify its authenticity -- where a woman

was groped during those pretty violent street fights between pro- and anti- occupy demonstrators.

We see a lot of videos on social media that we can't verify, but when you see over and over again, various posts on Facebook and on Twitter, it

certainly does give credence to a lot of the claims that young women were sexually assaulted during some of these incidents. There are lot of

complaints that the Hong Kong police didn't thoroughly investigate.

The Hong Kong police say, in fact, they didn't receive any reports about this, but there is evidence, at least in the social media sphere, that this

has happened. That's why Amnesty International put out a report, and that's why now Human Rights Watch is also urging the city to take any claims of

crimes committed against these protesters seriously.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANNY WONG, PROTESTER: What we fear the most is internal conflict. If some so-called organizers come out to ask us to retreat and the entire movement

to surrender here, we are saying that this entire assembly is actually representative of the people here, not a single protest group here. So they

cannot represent any one of us to ask us to do anything, not even retreat or remove barricades.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: One of the student protesters talking about concerns that there is now division among this group. That's a key issue, because the main

objective for the city of Hong Kong is to clear this main street and get this city back moving again, because there's gridlock right now as they

have to move traffic around this area.

But because there were so many different groups, there's no one single unified voice representing all of these people, that's what creates some of

the volatility, some of the instability when you have -- and then you have also just individuals who see this gathering and come here, and that's

where there's that talk about criminal activity.

That's also why it may be very difficult, even if the city leaders do sit down with some of the student organizers to try to figure out a way to

disperse this, who's to say that there'll be any one person that can tell these people to leave, Becky.

That's the big challenge, and we don't know exactly how the city of Hong Kong is going to respond. We could just be a short time away from finding

out.

ANDERSON: Will Ripley is in Hong Kong. And be sure on CNN, we'll be back to Will and his colleagues as we hear more. Thanks, Will.

The battle lines in Hong Kong pit those seeking more autonomy against China's old guard, but they also separate the generations. As Ivan Watson

tells us, that is having an impact at home as well as on the streets.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The young people of Hong Kong aren't listening to their elders.

(CROWD CHANTING)

WATSON: And their pro-democracy sit-in is quickly turning into a generational dispute. It's put student protesters increasingly at odds with

older critics. Take, for example, Francis and Harold Li. Father and son are on opposite sides of the barricades, but still able to sit down for a cup

of coffee.

FRANCIS LI, PROTESTER'S FATHER: My son is a university student. He's young, and of course, he's full of ideals.

WATSON: Li's 19-year-old son Harold spent four days occupying downtown Hong Kong, part of what he calls a fight for the freedom of speech.

HAROLD LI, PROTESTER: I do not want to lose it, because I lived in Beijing before, and they don't even want to try to fight for freedom because it's

very dangerous to do that in China. So, I really don't want to see that happening in Hong Kong.

WATSON: But his father calls the protesters' methods illegal.

F. LI: Democracy is important, but there are always better ways, more civilized ways and lawful ways for fighting for what you want instead of

occupying the streets, disrupting other people's lives.

(CROWD SHOUTING)

WATSON: Tempers are certainly flaring. On Saturday, several dozen mostly- retired police officers and civil servants staged their own peaceful protest against the protesters.

(CROWD SHOUTING)

WATSON: The night before, things between the two sides turned much more ugly at the encampment in Hong Kong's gritty Mongkok district, with dozens

of people arrested and injured in clashes. Francis Li worries the protests could spread chaos.

F. LI: What I do not want to see is they resort to force and to violence.

WATSON: His son believes his father's generation is still traumatized by the bloody events of a quarter century ago.

H. LI: They saw what happened in Tiananmen Square, and they do think that it's quite -- it's nearly impossible to get any response -- positive

response, at least -- from the China government. And we younger people, we -- they might say we're more naive, they might say we're just dreaming, but

we do think it is worth fighting for.

WATSON (on camera): There certainly are plenty of dreamers here. Like it or not, their youthful idealism has triggered the greatest political upheaval

this city has seen in a generation.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, an ancient community in the West Bank is at risk of being changed forever. Israel wants Bedouin families in one part of the area to

relocate in order to connect an Israeli settlement with Jerusalem. While the UN says it would be a violation of international law, Israel says it's

simply providing a service. Ian Lee with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It doesn't look like much. A wind-swept hilltop where sheep graze.

(SHEEP BAAING.)

LEE: But to Yousef Jahalin (ph), this is home, happy raising his nine children here in the shadow of Jerusalem. "This land means a lot to us," he

tells me. "We were born on this land."

Jahalin is a Bedouin, originally from the Negev Desert in southern Israel. His family fled here during the 1948 war. Jerusalem on one side, the other,

Ma'ale Adumin, the largest Jewish settlement in the West Bank, housing more than 40,000 people.

Now, Israel plans to connect Jerusalem and this settlement, forcing hundreds of Bedouin families to move once again. Chris Gunness is a

spokesman for the United Nations.

CHRIS GUNNESS, UNRWA SPOKESPERSON: It's a mass forcible transfer, which is a violation of international law of the fourth Geneva Convention.

LEE: But Israel says it's a matter of improving the lives of Bedouin, a nomadic people who often live in makeshift communities off the electric

grid with no running water.

PAUL HIRSCHSON, FOREIGN MINISTRY DEPUTY SPOKESMAN: Look, you're talking about people who are living in that part of the West Bank which Israel is

legally obliged to provide services to the area, what's called Area C, who are today without municipal services, which we feel they're entitled to.

LEE: And when it comes to the Geneva Convention --

HIRSCHSON: Nobody's being transferred from anywhere to anywhere. This is all within the West Bank, this is all within a couple of few kilometers

this way or that way.

LEE (on camera): So, you would say that this is not a violation.

HIRSCHSON: I would say that. Not at all.

LEE (voice-over): Many Bedouin flat-out don't want to move. Living off the land is a way of life, and they say they most certainly don't want to move

if it's to here.

LEE (on camera): This is one of the areas where the Israeli government plans to relocate the Bedouin. Currently, it's a landfill covered in trash.

LEE (voice-over): Israel insists the land will be made suitable for habitation, but that doesn't win over Attullah Muzrah (ph), a leader in the

Bedouin community. He tells me, "Our lifestyle as a Bedouin community depends on livestock. We cannot exist on this land they've designated for

us. We need open spaces for our kids to play and livestock to roam."

For Jahalin and the other Bedouin, time is running out. Ultimately, if they are moved, they lose more than their land, but they say their way of life.

Ian Lee, CNN, in the West Bank.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Your Parting Shots this Sunday here. It's a journey every Muslim must make in their lifetime, the Hajj. We spoke to a few people taking part

in the week and the trek to find out what experience this -- what this experience, sorry, means to them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been told that you are going to feel something extraordinary. I always to myself that I don't think that I'm going to feel

that way. But let me tell you, it's really amazing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's unity here in Saudi Arabia. All the hearts are connected, brothers and sisters are helping each other. It's amazing,

actually. I love it. I think -- I feel my soul and my mind, my heart are all going to be cleansed in inshallah, and our prayers are going to be

accepted, bismillah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not he first time, this is the second time, but the first time with my wife, and that feels very, very safe. And I

appreciate what the Saudi government have done already.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very spiritual to be very close to the mosque and you can feel all the spiritual things around you. You ask about when going

to Heaven, about playing to God, drinking us in good health and happiness for us and all our families, our countries.

(CAR HORNS HONKING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Over at cnn.com, a less spiritual side to this year's Hajj ceremonies is sparking quite a debate. It seems that it's been plagued by

the ever-present selfie epidemic. Yes, you heard it right, selfies at Hajj, over on cnn.com/international, you can get that full story about Hajj

selfies and the controversy surrounding them.

I'm Becky Anderson, that was CONNECT THE WORLD, thank you for watching. MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN RICE, VICE CHAIRMAN, GE: We can do business here as easily as we do it anywhere. If you look at the length of time it took us to get this facility

up and running, no different, maybe even a little faster than some other areas of the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN DEFTERIOS, HOST: A new hub for business. This week on MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST, we head to Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province to see how it is

attracting the interest of global industry giants.

Welcome to the program. We're in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, home to some of the largest oil fields in the world. As you can see, oil has

transformed the landscape, with new buildings and motorways.

When most think of Saudi Arabia, they think, of course, of the capital, Riyadh, and going west to Jeddah. But the Fortune 100 companies, including

GE, know this province very well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(FACTORY EQUIPMENT)

DEFTERIOS (voice-over): GE, one of the world's largest American conglomerates, has been operating in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia for more

than eight decades. Employing over 1500 people in the country, it provides turbines that generate over 50 percent of the kingdom's electricity, and

more than 180 million liters of water per day. And there are plans to expand even further.

DEFTERIOS (on camera): GE has already invested $1 billion into Saudi Arabia in the energy, health care, and innovation sectors, and it's in the process

of expanding into the oil and gas manufacturing business right here in the Eastern Province.

RICE: The machines come in from 70 different countries.

DEFTERIOS (voice-over): I toured one of GE's manufacturing technology centers already up and running the eastern city of Dammam, and spoke with

the company's global vice chairman and chief executive of global growth markets, John Rice.

RICE: This country is open for business. We find it's as easy to business here as it is anywhere. You have to be on the ground, you have to

understand the culture, you have to be an investor. We've been here for a long time, and we're putting more investments in.

DEFTERIOS (on camera): It's quite compelling, if you look at the numbers. One of them is $200 billion over ten years to diversify their energy, for

electricity and also water desalination. That's pretty enticing for GE alone.

RICE: Sure. And it's not just that. It's also health care. It's commercial aviation. It's expanding in the oil and gas space. So when you look at our

infrastructure businesses, every one is active in Saudi Arabia.

DEFTERIOS: We're sitting in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, not far from the situation in Iraq. Does it affect business at all right now? Do

people get hesitant about future growth because of what's happening in Iraq?

RICE: From our perspective, we have to be aware of everything. So, we pay attention. But in the end, we're making long-term decisions about where we

invest, and our customers are making long-term bets.

So, we have be prepared to stick it out. We have to kind of drive our way through this and not react to short-term disruptions or geopolitical events

which may be here today but not tomorrow. We're in this for the long haul.

DEFTERIOS: When you think of, John, the next tier of emerging markets, then say in the "Next 11," as Jim O'Neil once talked about at Goldman Sachs

then, Iran's on that list. Iran's not open for business for an American company, but it's a large consumer market blessed with a lot of natural

reserves, in terms of oil and gas. How do you play it going forward? When do you think it'll open up?

RICE: I don't know when it'll open up. My guess is someday it will, and they'll need infrastructure. And companies like ours will be ready if the

US government and other governments say it's time to go in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEFTERIOS: Beyond the strategy of this operation, this plant is interesting for another reason: female engineers can work side-by-side with their male

counterparts. Quite a radical change for a country that still does not allow women to drive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUMANA ALMUZEL, PROCESS QUALITY ENGINEER, GE: Have we finished the infraction?

DEFTERIOS (voice-over): A rare sight in Saudi Arabia: a woman working side- by-side with her male counterpart in the Eastern Province. Jumana Almuzel is a new breed of working woman, an American-educated mechanical engineer.

She has come back to work on gas turbines for global giant GE.

ALMUZEL: I was really happy and excited that I might have the chance to work in the shop where there is most of the operators are males, and there

is no females, so I would be working inside the shop. So, it was really exciting to be one of the first females working in here.

DEFTERIOS: According to the World Bank, females in the labor force is low throughout the region, half that of the global average. It may be the

biggest economy in the neighborhood, but Saudi Arabia has just one out of every five women working.

However, change is afoot in this ultra-conservative kingdom, driven from the very top by the ruler, King Abdullah, who's giving women new

opportunities in public life. And he's using large companies, like GE, to drive that reform.

DEFTERIOS (on camera): This operation ticks two key political boxes. Number one, he gets women into high-paying, high-tech jobs. It also localizes the

workforce. Domestically, they call it Saudiazation.

DEFTERIOS (voice-over): With around 8 million expatriate workers, Saudi officials say there's an over-reliance on foreign workers. The CEO of

energy giant Saudi Aramco, is one of a handful of local business leaders tasked with changing the labor landscape. In Riyadh, he inaugurated an all-

female business processing center that will eventually employ 3,000 women.

KHALID AL FALIH, CEO, SAUDI ARAMCO: Definitely within Saudi Arabia there is a great opportunity. We utilize offshore shared services to a great extent.

And yet, the irony is we have unemployed, and many of the unemployed are highly-educated females. Over 50 percent of the unemployed females are

holding university degrees.

DEFTERIOS: In a country where many women are veiled and gender segregation is the norm, this new center for women only offers them an opportunity to

join the workforce. For engineer Almuzel, a career on the factory floor is one way to break down barriers.

ALMUZEL: When I come to the shop floor and working with them side-by-side, they ask me some questions, some of them even maybe more experienced than I

am, but we're helping each other.

There are things that I am capable of understanding, what's the mechanics behind the components that we are working on. And even the operators think

that a female can do whatever the employee males can do.

DEFTERIOS: But one exception remains: she and her peers still cannot drive themselves to work, as women are still not allowed behind the wheel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEFTERIOS: Our look at women in the workforce and Saudiazation as a result of foreign direct investment. Well, FDI's been in short supply in Egypt

after nearly four years of upheaval. When MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST continues, a special look at the el-Sisi government nearly six months in

office.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEFTERIOS: Welcome back to the program from the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The kingdom, of course, is the most-populated country in the Gulf,

but in the broader Middle East and North Africa, it is Egypt.

It is a country, however, that has lacked stability after the Arab Spring. Ian Lee spoke to the country's minister of investment about the effort to

bring in FDI after the change of government.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEE: Convince me why Egypt would be a good place to invest.

ASHRAF SALMAN, EGYPTIAN MINISTER OF INVESTMENT: The location of Egypt in the middle of the world, connecting between the East and the West, access

to 90 million consumers. Using the bilateral agreement and the international free trade agreements, you have access on another 1.5 billion

citizens, consumers everywhere in the world.

LEE: Tell me, what are some of the major challenges that you have to deal with?

SALMAN: We have a lot of challenges, actually. Challenge number one is building our democratic system. Challenge number two is trying to solve the

existing disputes with investors. I think we have learned a lot from the last economic program that was undertook by Egypt during the period of 2005

to 2010, which did not put into consideration the social impact and the social aspect.

LEE: Is Egypt stable? Is it secure?

SALMAN: Egypt is heading to stability. It's not stable yet. It's heading to stability. And security, always Egypt has security. And we are expecting

that once the whole political road map will be in place, security will come back to the country.

LEE: Talking about the Suez Canal, that is quite the large project. Congratulations on getting all the funding, over $8 billion in eight

business days. And we're told that it's going to take roughly a year. That's quite ambitious.

SALMAN: We need to launch or mega projects in this specific period as a period that is broken down from the big five-years plan in order to achieve

a growth of 3.5 percent of GDP for fiscal year 14-15.

This project represents a sentiment for the Egyptians that they want to share the development of their country, and they want to share the GDP

growth of their country.

LEE: Going back to that astonishing number, that you were able to raise so much in such a little amount of time. What does that say about the reserves

that Egypt has in itself?

SALMAN: Let me be very frank with you on this matter. Egypt has a parallel economy. So, I think this attraction of such instrument will also regulate

and organize the parallel market, pushing it into the official market.

So, you have money in the country, but you have to present this money the proper instrument, the proper yield, the proper risk appetite.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEFTERIOS: The real challenges, there, of trying to stabilize the Egyptian economy. And that's all for this edition of CNN MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST,

this week from the Eastern Province in Saudi Arabia. I'm John Defterios, thanks for watching. We'll see you next week.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END