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Connect the World
Closer Look at Victims of Jerusalem Synagogue Attack; Aftermath of Jerusalem Synagogue Attack; #Influencer2014 Highlights Benjamin Netanyahu; Drone Shortage May Affect ISIS Fight; US Woman Arrested in ISIS-Linked Probe; Use of Social Media in Uprisings; Parting Shots: The Cost of Conflict
Aired November 19, 2014 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JONATHAN MANN, HOST: Refusing to be driven out: worshipers return to the Jerusalem synagogue that was the scene of a horrific attack.
Meantime, Israel starts destroying the houses of the attackers. We're live in Jerusalem in a moment.
Also coming up on this addition of Connect the World, a suicide attack rocks Iraq's once safe haven. We report live on the crossborder fight
against the terror group ISIS.
And the harrowing tales of Mexican mothers looking for their missing children. We talk to families who say the state has abandoned them.
ANNOUNCER: This is the hour we connect the world.
MANN: Thanks for joining us.
Israel is tightening security in Jerusalem to prevent any copy cat attacks. The Jewish State cannot sustain more bloodshed.
Today, worshipers returned to the scene where police say two Palestinian cousins use knives and a hand gun to kill four rabbis during
morning prayers Tuesday. A police officer who responded to the attack has now died of his wounds.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed a tough response and has ordered the demolition of homes belonging to the slain attackers.
Atika Shubert joins us now from Jerusalem with more on reaction to the attack.
Atika, what's happening in Jerusalem, both the Jewish and the Arab areas of the capital?
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, you mentioned fear about copy cat attacks, I think there's a lot of fear of
revenge attacks as well. There are a number of people in the streets of Jerusalem last night, mobs of people actually going around looking --
calling for revenge.
So there is a lot of fear that the city on edge could tip into violence. Fortunately, that does not seem to have happened. So far it is
quiet.
In East Jerusalem, what we've seen is a lot of police stopping cars, talking to residents there, asking for identities and so forth and that
seems to be one way of sort of patrolling the situation in largely East Jerusalem.
On the west side, things are continuing as normal as we saw earlier this morning at the synagogue where that attack took place, they pressed
ahead with morning prayers and refused to sort of be afraid to go on with daily life despite this terror attack.
So, it is a city on edge, but life is continuing as normal. And many people here are hoping that it will not tip over into violence.
MANN: How much do we know about the attackers? They are said to have been members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which is
a terror group, well known from decades past, but that has seemed dormant in more recent years.
SHUBERT: Yeah, this is not a group that's been very active recently. It was far more active in the past. And the group has claimed that both of
these -- they were cousins were members, but they didn't really seem to claim responsibility for the attack.
And there doesn't seem to be any indication that this attack was in any way ordered by any particular group. There was a certain amount of
coordination and premeditation in order to gather the weapons for the attack, but we really don't know much more than that. And that is what
Israeli police say they are looking into. They have arrested a number of relatives, I believe about 13 family members of the men. And you know
hoping to get some answers to that. But that's really all we have at the moment. And of course, this threat by the Israeli security to now demolish
their homes, which is a standing practice.
In fact, overnight they demolished the homes of one man who carried out an attack on October 22 with his car hitting a light rail station and
killing two people, including an infant, his home was demolished overnight.
And so we do expect to see more of those happening in the next few days.
MANN: Atika Shubert live in Jerusalem. Thanks very much.
We'll have more on the Jerusalem synagogue attack later on Connect the World.
Four of the five victims were rabbis. We'll learn more about their lives and their faith from those who knew them best.
And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls this part of the battle for Jerusalem. I'll talk with a government spokesman about just
what that means.
Iraq's Kurdish capital has just seen its worst attack in more than a year. At least four people were killed and several were wounded when a
suicide car bomb went off in central Irbil. And Iraqi state-run television says the explosion happened outside the governor's office. Irbil is known
for its relative safety compared to other areas where ISIS has been stirring chaos.
In Syria, meanwhile, Kurdish fighters continue to battle ISIS for control of Kobani, a key border town right next to Turkey. The Reuters
news agency says local defenders managed to retake six buildings in Kobani Tuesday. They're still getting help from coalition airstrikes the U.S.
military said Monday that coalition aircraft had destroyed at least seven ISIS positions in the Kobani area since last week.
The air campaign in the Syria-Turkey border town has been a key part of the U.S. strategy against ISIS, but Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan
said today that strategy has some major flaws.
For more, senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh joins us now from Gaziantep (ph), Turkey.
I wondered, Nick, if we could start with the attack in Irbil. We are not used to hearing about that as a particularly dangerous part of the
country, but we're hearing about it today and of course we're hearing about Kobani
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely. And this will shatter, I think perceptions of many who live in the Kurdish
region in northern Iraq that Irbil and the surrounding areas are comparatively safe from ISIS.
We're hearing from a spokesman for the government, four were killed, 29 injured when a suicide car bomb drove itself towards the gates of the
governor. That's a highly protected area. unclear quite how they will have managed to have navigated the security around that. Police officers
amongst those killed and injured when the device actually went off.
That spokesman said that ISIS have already begun to claim responsibility for that blast on social media. Pretty obviously, frankly.
It's them and they are beginning the work, they say, the Kurds, that is, to establish the identity of the suicide bomber and anybody else, perhaps,
involved in this attack.
But certainly shattering that perception f security that many in the KRG, the Kurdish region in the north of Iraq who have been enjoying in the
past few months, despite ISIS being so close, despite fears they may have been one day be able to push towards the city. They have held them back
near Kirkuk and areas around there.
A continually fluid situation, one emphasized, in fact, by what's happening in Kobani. As you say, Jonathan, despite reports two days ago
that in fact the Kurds have seized key buildings. We're winning the fight. The same reports did suggest that ISIS have control of perhaps even half of
the city in some ways. That continually varies as a figure. And today whilst the Kurds pushed against some ISIS vehicles in areas that were
important to them, ISIS, too, it appears able to push back, particularly around that vital city center, so key for control.
MANN: More of a stalemate, really.
But let's move on to the Turkish president's remarks, because he has been a key player ever since the conflict in Syria began, though not really
seen as a key partner, especially not in the western coalition. He had more to say about that today. What can you tell us?
WALSH: Well, certainly from the beginning Turkey has had to deal with the Syrian civil war and has a relatively early on position adopted, which
is the Syrian regime is part of the problem. That, in fact, was the U.S.'s position until recently, then its focus became that ISIS were the major
problem.
Today, President Erdogan quite clear that Turkey doesn't want to shift in its attitude. And I think most would consider that to be not as
cooperative as it could be with U.S. plans here until it sees what it wants, which is a focus on the removal of President Bashar al-Assad in
Damastcus, and most importantly and potentially complicated for the United States a no-fly zone in northern Syria.
Now President Erdogan is quoted by some agencies saying one in Syria and Iraq, but I think the Turkish focus has always been particularly on
Syria.
And these remarks come as General John Allen, the point man for the White House on the fight against SIS was briefly in Ankara. We are now
told he is perhaps en route to the next stop of his journey in Brussels, but that must have been perhaps a complex meeting, certainly, Turkey not
budging, perhaps now seeing the U.S. decision to get involved, something that must happen on Turkey's own terms.
MANN: Nick Paton Walsh in Gaziantep, thanks very much.
The president of Mexico says protests over the disappearance of 43 students have been taken over by people, he says, wanting to destabilize
his government.
More demonstrations are expected Thursday, the national holiday known as Revolution Day. It has been nearly two months now since those students
disappeared. They're among thousands who have gone missing in Mexico presumed buried in mass graves as CNN's Rosa Flores reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROSA FLORES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This wife says she believes her husband's remains are in a mass grave. This sister says she
doesn't want anything to do with authorities.
All these people have similar stories to tell about their sons, daughters, brothers who went missing in Guerrero, Mexico and have never
been found.
She remembers testimony from people saying that he was begging, begging his kidnappers not to kill him.
More than 26,000 people have disappeared in Mexico in the last seven years, according to the Mexican government.
In Guerrero, many of the bodies are believed to be in mass graves on the hills that dot the landscape.
They have hope, her family has hope that even if they find his body in one of these mass graves, it would be closure for her family.
(inaudible) brother Julio, an attorney, but last seen on this busy Iguala street nearly five years ago. She says he was dragged down these
steps, beaten and forced into a truck.
She says that her mom is disabled. She missing both of her legs and it's very difficult for her not to be able to be out and about looking for
her son. That's why she's so active in looking for her brother.
Just like the dozens of people in the basement of this church in Iguala. They're here learning about (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE), a DNA
bank that's run by regular citizens who hope to identify the countless remains in mass graves.
As this woman points out, families here say there is much distrust in federal authorities that's why they're leaning on each other to get answers
even if it's not what they want to hear.
Rosa Flores, CNN, Iguala, Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: Still to come this hour, an American woman is held, accused of showing support for the ISIS cause online. We'll take a closer look at
social media as a means for terror recruitment.
And a critical week for Iran's nuclear talks. After the break, we go live to Vienna where negotiations are taking place and to Tehran for
reaction on the ground.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MANN: Welcome back. You're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World. I'm Jonathan Mann in for Becky Anderson.
Negotiators from Iran and six world powers are meeting in Vienna for a second day to try to end the dispute over Iran's nuclear program after
nearly a year of discussions, officials say it's unlikely that the deadline Monday will be met. UN Security Council's five permanent members, plus
Germany, want Iran to scale back its capacity for refining uranium in exchange for ending sanctions.
Iran's foreign minister says he's still hopeful that a solution will be found, but he insists Iran will not give in to excessive demands.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMED JAVAD ZARIF, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): If the other side is unwilling to compromise, then the world will
understand that the Islamic Republic of Iran is looking for a resolution, looking for a solution, however Iran is unwilling to jeopardize its
national welfare.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MANN: CNN's Nic Robertson is n Vienna with more on what's happening at the negotiating table, and our Reza Sayah is in Tehran to give us a
sense of how talks are playing there.
Nic, why don't we start with you. How do things look? Are they close to a deal?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think the sense here is that people are working hard, but in essence though the gap is
close, it's the toughest issues that have yet to be crossed. This morning, there were bilateral meetings between the Russians and the Iranians, the
Germans and the Iranians this afternoon anticipated bilateral meetings between the French and the Iranians, the United States and the Iranians and
the British and the Iranians.
So, there are certainly meetings going on, but it's perhaps significant that sort of big players in this, if you will, the foreign
ministers are not present, these talks are sort of going on at a slightly lower but still senior level.
So, the hope is there. But I think as you say, the anticipation is that unless there is some serious compromises made on key issues, and
everyone knows what they are, Monday may be pushing it -- John.
MANN: OK, let's talk to Reza Sayah. Tehran, what are the signals you're seeing there?
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Jonathan, I think here in Iran just like in Vienna where Nic is, it is a waiting game. I
think people understand that there's probably not going to be an announcement, an outcome until Monday and they're waiting to see what that
is.
But I would say the anticipation here in Iran is greater than probably anywhere else, because there's so much at stake not just for the Iranian
government, but for the Iranian population. Remember, this is a very young, sophisticated, educated population that's been years of hardship,
years of economic sanctions and economic and political isolation, being demonized by the international media. And they're tired of it. They want
an end. They want better lives, a better economy. And they believe that the first step to getting there is a nuclear deal with the west, with the
world powers and an end to the sanctions.
However, we should point out that this is also a very skeptical and political savvy population. So their position is we'll believe it when we
see it.
And just like Nic said, the impression here is that there is probably going to be an extended -- another six months. There's not going to be an
outcome, and a positive outcome on Monday.
MANN: Nic, I want to ask you it's so obvious what a good, widely trusted and well received deal would bring that I'm wondering if we spin it
around the other way. Who stands in the way of a deal? I know there's a lot of distrust at the table, but among other nations -- Israel, Arab
nations or even the domestic constituencies of some of the leaders who are represented in Vienna like the U.S. congress for example.
ROBERTSON: Absolutely. And they would look at the International Atomic Energy Agency's most recent statement at the beginning of November
that says on some issues here Iran hasn't been in compliance with the resolution and really what it signed up to. There's been some projects,
ongoing, at a heavy water reactor plant. That is out with that resolution. There has been some amount of enrichment going on, that's out with the
resolution.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has wanted to have access to a military site where it believes testing may have gone on just outside of
Tehran. It hasn't had that. It sees growth and expansion and building going on at that sight by satellite, but it wants to get to the sight on
the ground. That hasn't been allowed.
One of their negotiators at the technical level has had a visa denied on several occasions to go to Tehran for talks.
So, these are just some of the issues that pile up and in the eyes of Israel and in the eyes of many people in the U.S. congress right now, that
means that Iran has not been acting in good faith, albeit according again to the International Atomic Energy Agency's analysis that Iran is keeping
its conditions, or keeping to the terms of the resolution on some points.
But, you know, there are key sticking issues really, you know, particularly for Israel, particularly for the U.S. congress, and that is
again an issue that the IAEA says that Iran hasn't answered and those are - - those are key questions about past potential possible military use and military planning for these nuclear reactors. And according to the IAEA at
the moment, they cannot say assuredly that all Iran's nuclear efforts at the moment are entirely for peaceful purposes.
So, these...
MANN: Well, let me jump over to Reza on exactly that thought. Let me jump over to Reza Sayah in Tehran.
Reza, who in Iran doesn't want this deal? Is the military eager to hang on to the nuclear program? Are the revolutionary guard?
SAYAH: Well, I think what's remarkable is that over the past year there's been a decision from the top, perhaps the supreme leader, that
let's negotiate with the West, let's negotiate with the world powers for some sort of nuclear deal with the western powers and that's why all four
sit here pretty much...
MANN: Well, we seem to have lost Reza Sayah. Reza Sayah in Tehran, Nic Robertson in Vienna.
And our coverage continues elsewhere. If you're trying to follow all of this -- it's horrendously complicated -- and you feel like you need a
refresher course on why these talks matter, let me send you to an explainer, Idiv (ph) at CNN.com. You'll find out about the key players,
the key sticking points in the video section. We essentially have an introduction to a story. We'll be keeping a very close eye no as Monday's
deadline nears and the likelihood of any extension increases.
Live from CNN Center, this is Connect the World. Coming up, Israel orders the demolition of homes belonging to terror suspects. Does the
strategy work or does it hurt the prospects for peace? After the break, we'll take you to Malawi as well where a new art shop is doing so well its
owner wants to take it global. African Start-up is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TERRI MASHANDA, FOUNDER, TINDOZ D'AFRIQUE: Hi, my name is Terri Mashanda. I'm the owner of Tindoz d'Afrique in Malawi. Come, have a look
around.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the Malawian capital, Mashanda has started a shop that pulls together local artisans.
MASANDA: Tindoz d'Afrique it's an arts and crafts shop. It tries to promote artists from different backgrounds and put them in one-stop shop.
The concept of the business is show me your art, if your art is unique then it can qualify to be a Tindoz product.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mashanda takes artist's work and sells it on their behalf, splitting the profits after the sale.
MASHANDA: This is one of my favorite piece, the clock. It is made by one of my artists. I just love the way he came up with the creative mind
of using a tree bark to make a clock into this piece of art.
I'm originally from Zimbabwe. And over the years I've been to so many countries. I've lived in South Africa. I've lived in Nigeria. I've lived
in Kenya. I used to work from a suitcase. You buy different artifacts and you sell them to different people in different countries. But in Malawi,
this is my first shop
I use my own funds. This shop has only operated for five months. We opened in July and really now we're moving, and it's been quite a success.
And already we are -- have managed to sort of break even. So, we hope that the next year we start making good margins.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Enjoying a successful start to her business, Mashanda must still overcome difficulties.
MASHANDA: Really to get the word out onto the Malawian market has been very difficult, because not everybody has got Facebook, not everybody
has got computers, so in that aspect it's been a bit of a challenge and also finding space here in Malawi is a bit of a problem because there's not
much of market malls where you can go and find space. So that's also been a challenge.
I could have opened this shop in January, but because I had to wait for space, it had to be in July.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mashanda already has plans for the future.
MASHANDA: Malawi Lilongwe has been the first shop. I intend to grow into (inaudible) and I intend to also go global into Europe -- London and
America and any other world coming country. That's willing to take Tindoz d'Afrique.
In 10 years from now, I pray that this shop it will not just be Tindoz d'Afrique, but it'll be Tindoz Global.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MANN: This is CONNECT THE WORLD, I'm Jonathan Mann in for Becky Anderson with the top stories this hour.
Israel is increasing security in Jerusalem after Tuesday's terror attack at a synagogue. Four rabbis and a police officer were killed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the demolition of the homes of the two Palestinian suspects who were killed at the scene by police.
ISIS is claiming responsibility for a rare attack in the Iraqi Kurdish capital Erbil. That's according to a Kurdish government spokesman. He
says a suicide bomber drove a car into the gates of the governor's office, then detonated the bomb. There was four people killed, including police
officers who tried to stop the attack. It is Erbil's worst attack in more than a year.
Negotiations are continuing in Vienna on the future of Iran's nuclear program. The West wants to Tehran to scale back its capacity to enrich
uranium in exchange for ending sanctions. Iran's foreign minister said Wednesday his country would not give into excessive demands.
An American imprisoned for nearly a month in the United Arab Emirates is returning home to the US. Robert Alan Black was held on charges he took
what are called photos of restricted areas. A spokeswoman for the Friends of Alan Black says a court freed him after finding he had no ill intention.
More now on our top story, terror at a Jerusalem synagogue. Atika Shubert has the latest on Tuesday's attack and takes a closer look at the
victims.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Today, early morning prayers at the scene of a horrific terror attack inside this
West Jerusalem synagogue. Mourners watch in grief as the victims' bodies are carried outside and laid to rest.
Four rabbis killed, three of them Americans with dual citizenship: Aryeh Kupinsky, Kalman Levine, and Moshe Twersky. A police officer, Zidan
Saif, was critically wounded during the attack and later died in hospital. Back in the US, a vigil in Boston for Twersky.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will always remember Moshe for his modesty, his brilliance, his smile, and his kindness.
SHUBERT: Relatives remember Levine as a gentle man with a calling.
JONATHAN BEIN, RABBI KALMAN LEVINE'S BROTHER-IN-LAW: As beyond horrific as this is, for Kalman to live and die in the land in Jerusalem in
prayer, that's the way we'd all want it to happen.
SHUBERT: But as some mourned, others up in arms. Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli Security Forces in the West Bank, who fired
teargas.
(EXPLOSION)
SHUBERT: The attack ratcheting up fears of increasing violence in a city already reeling from weeks of unrest.
Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas strongly condemned the attack on civilians, but Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing
to settle the score with every terrorist, ordering the demolition of the slain attackers homes in East Jerusalem. President Obama saying too many
have died on both sides.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's important for both Palestinians and Israelis to try to work together to lower
tensions and to for reject violence.
SHUBERT: But in Gaza, celebrations, revelers wielding axes, throwing candy, waving posters of the two Palestinian assailants. So far, no group
has claimed responsibility for the attack.
MICKY ROSENFIELD, ISRAELI POLICE SPOKESMAN: Part of the ongoing investigation is leading us to believe that the two suspects, the two
terrorists, worked on their own, that they planned the attack ahead of time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: Atika Shubert reporting form Jerusalem. Israel is calling the brutal synagogue massacre a "defining moment," and is urging worldwide
condemnation of the attack. Among the leaders speaking out, Pope Francis.
The presidents of the United States and France, along with the prime ministers of Britain and Canada have strongly condemned the attack.
Officials from the EU, Germany, and Italy have done the same. While we have yet to hear from Russia or China, other countries who are routinely
critical of Israel have spoken out.
Turkey's foreign minister said, "It's not possible for us to approve attacks against holy places, regardless of which religion it belongs to."
And Bahrain's foreign minister wrote on Twitter, "The murder of innocents in the synagogue will not be worth the price paid for it: more collective
punishment of the Palestinian people and more injustice and aggression."
As Atika mentioned in her report, the demolition of terror suspects' homes is a long-standing policy of the Israeli government. Witnesses say
Israeli security forces have destroyed the home of a Palestinian man who drove his car into a light rail station last month, killing two people,
including a baby.
It's part of what could be a series of new anti-terror measures by Israeli authorities, and we're joined now by Israeli government spokesman
Mark Regev. Thank you so much for being with us. I'm sorry about the circumstances that bring you to our air once again. But let me ask you,
first of, all the prime minister is saying that this could be the start of a battle for Jerusalem. What does he mean?
MARK REGEV, ISRAELI GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: Unfortunately, we've had Islamic extremists trying to stir up problems here, just as they're active
in Syria or Iraq, in Libya or in Yemen, we've got very radical Islamists who are spreading all sorts of false stories that somehow the Jewish state
or Jewish people are going to destroy or undermine the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.
Nothing could be further from the truth, but they're propagating this ridiculous myth. And unfortunately, some people are believing it, and
that's causing a very violent situation.
MANN: I want to ask you more about that, but first I want to ask you about what your own government is planning. Prime Minister Netanyahu said
that Israel would -- and I think this is quotation -- "respond harshly."
What kinds of measures are being planned? People are talking about potentially permanent checkpoints inside of Jerusalem. People are talking
about easing gun laws so that Jews can protect themselves more easily. Even placing security guards at synagogues, which would put an awful lot of
guards in an awful lot of places. What is your government going to do?
REGEV: Well, we're looking at all those things. Obviously, after yesterday's terrible atrocity, it's our obligation as a government to
provide security for all our citizens, for all of Jerusalem's inhabitants.
And that means, I think, beefing up a police presence, beefing up a security presence, to make sure that we protect our people. Ultimately,
that's our first obligation as a government, that's the obligation of any government.
MANN: Understood. And I think a lot of people would agree with the idea of more security. Where people will be surprised is to find that one
of the first steps your government took was to demolish the homes of the two men who were killed in that attack, the two Palestinians.
Why did you take that step? Because I know that Israel has paused for years -- has reflected on whether it was worthwhile, has reflected on
whether it makes any bad situation worse. Tell us about that decision.
REGEV: Well, Jonathan, we haven't destroyed the house of the two people involved in the horrendous crime yesterday. There's a legal
process. You can't do it off the cuff. There's a legal process you have to go through --
(CROSSTALK)
MANN: I stand corrected, but it has been ordered. It has been ordered.
REGEV: Yes.
MANN: So tell us about the thinking on that.
REGEV: Well, when we face these sort of violent extremist terrorists who don't care for their own life and of course don't care about the lives
of the people they're about to kill, normal deterrents doesn't work, because usually, you deter criminals by punishing them or the threat of
punishing them.
In this case, this is unfortunately not relevant, because they're quite willing to die for their extremist and hateful cause. So, what sort
of deterrents can work to try to prevent this sort of future crime happening? To prevent terrorist attacks, to save lives?
And though it is an extraordinary step, it's one of the tools in our toolbox. If a Palestinian terrorist -- if any terrorist understands that
if they don't care about their own life, maybe they care about their immediate loved ones and where they live.
And our security people -- and I've heard them say this in internal discussions -- believe that this policy could save lives.
MANN: Well, there are Israeli security officials who spoke in public who said they don't fee that that's the case, but maybe that's a debate for
another day. Let me ask you about something you said earlier, because it may be the emerging face of this conflict.
As much bloodshed as Israel has suffered in its history, people are saying that things may look different now, that this is becoming a
religious conflict. What do they mean by that, and why would that make any of this, as tragic as it is, even worse?
REGEV: I think it shows how dangerous things can get, but it also shows hope. Because ultimately these Islamist extremists, who are
supporting this sort of violence -- Hamas, who embraces the massacre yesterday, Islamic Jihad, who celebrated the massacre -- they represent a
more regional phenomena.
Phenomena you see in Iraq and Syria through ISIS, you see it in Hezbollah, you see it in Somalia, you see it in Africa. You've seen these
very hardcore radical Islamist groups. But against them is much of the democratic world and much of the Arab world, the moderate Arab world, who
opposes them.
And so, in our fight against these extremists, is it possible to build new bridges, new channels of communication? You saw and you noted that
there are Arab and Muslim governments who've condemned the atrocity yesterday. And is it possible to build new bridges in a coalition of
moderate people against this sort of senseless violence?
I hope it's possible. And here, I think, the Palestinian Authority has to get off the fence. The Palestinian Authority has to break its pact
with Hamas, who ultimately relishes in this sort of violence, it has to stand up and say we are for peace, we are for reconciliation, and
thoroughly condemn and disassociate this sort of extremism.
MANN: I don't want to get caught up in details, but it's still not clear -- there's a lot about this attack that isn't clear, but one of the
elements of it is that it was carried out, apparently, by two men who have been claimed as members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine.
You know its history better than I do. It is not an Islamic group. It dates back decades. And I think it was radical left. Are these men
PFLP terrorists? Are they ISIS terrorists? How much do you actually know about them? And who, if anyone, was behind the attack?
REGEV: We don't know yet. As you heard our police spokesman say, we don't know of any specific affiliation of these two individuals yet. We
think the report out there about the Popular Front is probably not true.
I can say the following: we've seen over the last few weeks in Jerusalem what you would call lone wolf terrorism, which is in many ways
more of a challenge for our security people because it's not an organized terror cell. It's someone waking in the morning who's been motivated
through incitement, through hatred, to commit an atrocity.
We saw that with the people using motor vehicles to run over innocent people deliberately, as was done in Canada. We've seen that with knives,
we've seen that with axes. It's a very dangerous phenomena because it is spontaneous.
And it comes from this culture of incitement which, as I said before, the Islamists, Hamas and the others, have been pushing. But also,
unfortunately, we've heard very inflammatory language from mainstream Palestinian leaders, including President Abbas.
We think if you deal with the issue of the incitement, if mainstream Palestinian leaders come out very strongly against this sort of violence,
that can be an important step in the right direction.
MANN: Well, let's hope for it. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev, thanks so much for this.
Few world leaders have commanded as many column inches this year as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He's in the news again today,
though obviously not for reasons he would have chosen. Little surprises that he makes our short list, though, as we ask you to name the most
influential person in the Middle East. Here's a look at how we made the headlines -- or rather, how he made the headlines in 2014.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: Hamas must be held accountable for the tragic loss of life. It must be ostracized from the
family of nations.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Israel declared that almost 1,000 acres in Wadi Fukin and nearby areas
would become state land. The decision is linked to the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in June.
NETANYAHU: The same countries that now support confining ISIS oppose Israel for confronting Hamas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MANN: To make your selection, visit cnnarabic.com/influencer2014. You'll find summaries of all the candidates, and you can select three
finalists for a big debate in our town hall special next month. Also remember to use the hash tag #Influencer2014 if you're joining the
conversation on Twitter.
Live from CNN Center, this is CONNECT THE WORLD. Coming up, a suburban US neighborhood shocked by the alleged online activities of a
woman in its midst. We'll tell you what she's accused of doing.
And devastation is captured through the lens of a foreign photographer. We'll show you the cost of conflict on the people of Gaza in
today's Parting Shots.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MANN: Welcome back, you're watching CNN and CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Jonathan Mann sitting in for Becky Anderson.
The US is facing a shortage of a key tool in its battle against ISIS. We're talking about drones. Military officials say there may not be enough
drones to keep up with America's expanding needs overseas. Chief US security correspondent Jim Sciutto has been looking into the issue.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(EXPLOSION)
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF US SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Today, US warplanes strike another ISIS target from the air. The US-led air
campaign depends on intelligence, much of it supplied by pilotless drones. Eyes in the sky because no boots on the ground.
But now, military commanders express growing concern that the US is running short on drones, compromising the campaign's chances of success.
MICHAEL VICKERS, US UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR INTELLIGENCE: Particularly in the area of intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance,
and particularly because of the fight now in Iraq and Syria. And there just is not enough of that capacity to go around right now.
SCIUTTO: And here's the reason: the US military is now carrying out both surveillance and airstrikes against potential terror targets in
several countries at once, from Iraq and Syria to Libya, Yemen, Somalia, and Afghanistan and Pakistan.
VICKERS: I won't go into the specific shortfalls, but we are concluding we will need more going forward than we might have thought a
year ago.
SCIUTTO: Today in Iraq, the Iraqi military scored a rare success, recapturing the crucial oil refinery at Baiji, under siege by ISIS for
months.
(GUNFIRE)
SCIUTTO: And the UN envoy for Iraq told the Security Council that the new Iraqi government strategy of enlisting Kurds and local tribes in the
fight against Islamists is yielding results.
(EXPLOSION)
SCIUTTO: This strategy is bearing fruit, Nickolay Mladenov told the Council. Here in the US, however, the threat from ISIS is becoming
clearer. The FBI raided the home of a Virginia woman, Heather Coffman, who allegedly tried to arrange travel to Syria for an undercover agent who
claims he wanted to fight for ISIS.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: Jim Sciutto. And building on that, ISIS has successfully used the internet as a means of recruiting new members, but as you just heard,
American Heather Coffman has landed in trouble, accused of lying to US agents after posting messages about ISIS on social media. Jon Burkett from
our affiliate, WTVR, has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JON BURKETT, WTVR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dropping evidence into a bag, confiscating a laptop.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They had spotlights down there, and they just --
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM TEST)
(NEW VIDEOTAPE IN PROGRESS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- strong sense of political motivation getting together and organizing something.
FAISAL ABBAS, EDITOR IN CHIEF, AL-ARABIYA NEWS: We've seen how social media went from being the kind of hero of the Arab Spring to a tool used by
extremist terrorist groups, such as ISIS.
(VIDEO CLIP FROM ISIS VIDEO)
ABBAS: Extremists were always the first to condemn technology and always end up being the people using it the best out of everybody.
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Is the sort of veil of extremist violence propaganda and content online to be used by governments in the future to
legitimize regulation of tech companies in and of themselves?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe that people's privacy is something that should be generally protected on our platform. But there are exceptions.
And those exceptions are when people are using our platform to cause harm to others.
AYMAN SAFADI, CEO, PATH ARABIA: When a community is being threatened because ISIS is being able to tweet to its members through whatever cryptic
message that go and kill, I think you need to take some notice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you talk about regulating social media, if what you mean is every single individual must have all of the
responsibilities of a traditional media platform, then social media can't exist that way.
SAFADI: We do have a problem. Will regulation solve it? I think we do need to impose sort of hierarchy (inaudible) to ensure that some of the
material that is teaching people how to kill, that is not just recruiting, but providing technical information on how to go out and kill somebody,
that needs to be done.
ABBAS: I've seen what social media has been able to accomplish in the region, and I think it's wrong to try and impose corrections or regulation,
and we should just trust the fact that it is, in fact, self-regulating.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: Live from CNN Center, this is CONNECT THE WORLD. Coming up, lost livelihoods preserved for generations to come. A French photographer
tells us what she learned from capturing the devastation in Gaza. Your Parting Shots up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MANN: Welcome back, you're watching CNN, and this is CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Jonathan Mann.
Tuesday's horrific attack on that synagogue in Jerusalem shows that all too often, the most vulnerable people cannot escape bloodshed. Well,
that region suffers many kinds of bloodletting. In neighboring Gaza, the youngest and oldest members of society fell victim to aerial attacks from
Israel over the summer.
In today's Parting Shots, a French photographer based in the Palestinian territory shows us how conflict can consume entire communities.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNE PAQ, PHOTOGRAPHER: My name is Anne Paq. I'm 30 years old. I am a French photographer. I've been focusing my work on Gaza since 2010.
During the offensive this summer, I was focusing on showing the impact of the infantries on the civilian population in Gaza.
When we document such attacks, then we forget about the stories. We keep taking pictures of bodies and killed people, and for me, it was really
frustrating not to get to know their names, not to get to know their thoughts, their stories.
What struck me the most here is the feeling of powerlessness of people. They tried to continue as best they can, and they are not sure
about the future. The strongest in terms of the emotion was the picture I took from a young Palestinian in Rafah clinging onto a baby and then it
turned out that it was actually his little brother. And for me it was really devastating to see that.
To take pictures of the bodies is one thing, but to take pictures of the relatives in their suffering, the relatives who stay. And the question
is in my mind is always, how are they going to go on with their life when they lost their loved one.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MANN: I'm Jonathan Mann, you've been watching CONNECT THE WORLD. The news continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
