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Connect the World
Boko Haram Attack on Nigerian Village Leaves 2,000 Dead; Boko Haram Straps Explosives to 10-Year-Old Girl, Kills 20; Israel Prime Minister Asked Not to Attend Paris Rally; France Attackers Linked to Yemen Extremists; Anti-Islam Movement Grows in Germany; Paris Marchers Support Free Press; Saudi Blogger Flogged; Parting Shots: Palestinians Celebrate First Match of Asian Cup
Aired January 12, 2015 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Hello and welcome to a special edition of Connect the World coming to you today from Jerusalem.
Four Jewish victims of the Paris terror attacks will be laid to rest here tomorrow. As we await that event in one of the regions holier cities,
over the next hour we'll delve into a story that connects continents, but for many starts right here in the Middle East.
Well, it looks like the world united in Paris for an instant, but the reality much more complex. From France to Nigeria to Saudi Arabia,
competing interpretations of Islam jostling for headline space from hardline terror groups using it to justify bloody attacks on people of all
faiths to far-right politicians using it to spread fear and soak anti- Muslim sentiment. Right to the very heart of the vast and varied Muslim world itself.
The divisions and debates over how to respond to some of the biggest challenges it's facing laid bare in the wake of those Paris attacks.
Well, our reporters are covering this story from all angles in cities across the world for you this evening. From Beirut to Abuja; from Istanbul
to Dresden.
I want to start, though, in Paris where more than 1 million people marched together in a stand against terrorism. They were joined by world
leaders who linked arm in arm in a show of solidarity with France.
Well, now a day after that massive march of unity, the French prime minister has revealed the massive increase in security France plans to roll
out.
French media reporting that 10,000 soldiers and 8,000 police officers are being deployed across the country to bolster security.
Let's get straight to Isa Soares, who has been tracking these latest developments. And Isa, more than half of the police officers I understand
will be at Jewish schools, stationed around those schools. What do we know?
ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Becky.
Indeed, yesterday, like you said was a time for contemplation and for unity. Today it seems is a day of action. We have heard both the defense
minister and as well the prime minister Manuel Valls really announce very severe numbers in terms of the people taken to the -- in terms of the
forces that will come into the streets today.
Let me break down the numbers so that you get a sense of just how seriously they're taking this. So we know 10,000 soldiers, these are
soldiers not police officers, will be deployed throughout the country. And they'll be in place tomorrow.
By Wednesday, there will be an additional 500. So we're talking 10,500 by Wednesday. These are all soldiers.
In addition to that, exactly that point you were mentioning, Becky. We are talking about 4,700 police securing schools, places of worship.
Mostly of these will all be Jewish.
Already, we already heard from our senior international correspondent in the last couple of hours really telling us that he's been in the Mahir
District (ph), a mostly Jewish area, and he said he's seen police there and he's been talking to students and they are still worried despite the fact
that security has been ratcheted up, there are still concerns, some even saying, Becky, they want to return to Jerusalem.
Take a listen to what defense minister has to say.
(BEGIN VIDE CLIP)
JEAN-YVES LE DRIAN, FRENCH DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): And this morning, more particularly, the president of France asked the armed
forces to help secure vulnerable areas of France due to the scale of the threats which exist for our country. That is why we have decided, with the
chief of the staff of the army, to mobilize 10,000 troops who will be protecting vulnerable areas across the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: We've also heard in the last couple of days, if you remember, Becky, that police are being told to carry guns with them at all times.
They've also been told to erase their profile from social media so they're not easy -- not so easy to track.
So on the whole, a country that is indeed united, but one that's still very much weary and very much vigilant, Becky.
ANDERSON: Isa, are we talking credible threats here, or is this France erring on the side of caution?
SOARES: I think it's a bit of both. I mean, there's no new threat per se, but I think what we're getting in terms of the levels of
investigation it's really hard to tell. We heard from Prime Minister Manuel Valls today saying that perhaps he thinks that the gentlemen in the
attack on the store on Friday he had an accomplice. He didn't say that that accomplice perhaps was his girlfriend. He didn't say she wasn't or
was, but there are fears that perhaps this bigger cell, a wider cell with bigger connections.
Of course, we know that the terrorists on Friday, they found an apartment with stashed with lots of weapons. And they are concerned that
this has bigger implications, a wider net, that not just reaches within France, but in much bigger within Europe.
And I think that's why we've seen, Becky, European foreign ministers meeting, looking to protect the border perhaps pushing Europe -- the
European Union in terms when it comes to flight data, because at the moment, of course, they do not share flight data or the passenger
information.
And as you well know, Becky, because obviously you've been here in Europe, the question of Schengen. Should they be keeping an eye on
Schengen. They should be tightening security in Schengen, because as you know we can travel without a passport. All you need is an ID card.
So all measures they will be looking to reinforce, Becky.
ANDERSON: And as we move around the world this hour, more on the possible whereabouts of Boumeddiene.
For the time being, Isa, thank you very much indeed for that.
That's Paris for you today.
The Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was among world leaders in the French city after what -- and French President Hollande attended a
ceremony in memory of the victims at the Synagogue de la Victoire in Paris. They were welcomed with applause by a cheering crowd.
Now the Jewish community in France is on edge after Friday's attack at a Kosher grocery store killed four people.
Mr. Netanyahu addressed their concerns.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL (through translator): Israel will continue to fight against terror. We have the right to defend
ourselves. And we know that when we do it ourselves we take care of the entire Jewish world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, many Jews in France say they now fear for their safety and are considering a move to Israel. It's a move many French Jews
made last year in record numbers. And even more are expected to emigrate in 2015.
It's a tale of two countries and one community that is increasingly torn between both.
Atika Shubert in Paris and Ian Lee is Ashdod in Israel have these reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sunday in Paris and the city tries to return to normal life. But the bullet holes are still there
for all to see at the kosher supermarket. The makeshift memorial nearby continues to grow. Heavily armed police keep a watchful eye, removing
suspicious packages, alert and on guard.
On Sunday morning, the Jewish community gathered here for prayers.
(on camera): Now it's been like this all day. People have been streaming in to the site from across all different communities to bring
flowers, light candles, but also with this message, (speaking French), it means "I am a Jew" or "I am Jewish." It's the French rallying cry for
people here to show support for those Jewish victims specifically targeted in this attack.
(voice-over): Israeli politicians also came. Naftali Bennett, the controversial right-wing leader of the Jewish home party, shook hands with
Jewish Parisians at the scene, comforting those who came to mourn with an offer to immigrate to Israel.
NAFTALI BENNETT, ISRAELI MINISTER OF ECONOMY: If they decide to make (inaudible), to come to Israel, we will accept them and with -- and embrace
them. If they decide to stay here, we will continue to make sure that they're secure. The world has to wake up.
SHUBERT: Many French Jews we spoke with are now seriously considering that offer. This man told us the Jewish community is no longer safe. The
attacks against Jews are now sporadic and completely irregular. It's on the weekends, every day, there are anti-Semitic attacks against the Jews in
France and across Europe.
This woman told us, I envisage that I will leave for Israel when I have a good moment because, unfortunately now, here, I'm afraid.
France's chief rabbi says leaving France is an individual choice but it won't solve the problem for the whole community.
HAIM KORSIA, CHIEF RABBI OF FRANCE: We have an (inaudible) but my problem is a problem in France. It's a - we have a (inaudible) that's an
old (ph) one. But I think we need to say it again, this (SPEAKING IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE) happy like a Jewish in France. So we need to be in France
where Jewish people can be happy and I think we can do that together only when we are together (inaudible) France.
SHUBERT: On Sunday, Parisians rallied in solidarity with their Jewish neighbors. But this week's targeted attack may convince some French Jews
that France is no long a safe place to call home.
Atika Shubert, CNN, Paris.
IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Real estate is booming in Israel's beach city of Ashdod. Cranes dominate the skyline preparing for waves of French
Jews emigrating to Israel.
Developer Sammy Aslan (ph) is cashing in, showing me his latest high rise apartment.
"We are doing a lot of advertising in France, he tells me," adding that since last August the majority of buyers are now French."
Interest has swelled after the Paris attacks that left 17 dead.
There's been a large number of French immigrants here to Israel. In 2013, there was 3,400. Last year, 7,000. And this year they're expecting
10,000.
And they've created a little Paris here in Ashdod. There's the apartment complexes, an art center behind me that is based off the Louvre
and of course cafes.
Here at Cafe Lyon, you're more likely to hear French than Hebrew. Ronnie Darmont (ph) left Paris last year because of the rise of anti-
Semitism.
The father of four tells me that in France you have the impression that the word Jew is an insult. People look at you like you're a leper.
It's disgusting.
Fearing for her children's safety, Catherine immigrated two weeks ago. Her friends and family plan to follow soon.
CATHERINE, RECENT FRENCH IMMIGRANT: The government they say to us we don't want you to go, but they don't do nothing that make us stay.
LEE: French officials mobilized thousands of extra security personnel to protect the Jewish community. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said
in a statement, "Already, several thousand have left over the past few years. But it's not merely the physical safety of France's Jews that is
imperiled by anti-Semitic violence, but the very idea of the French Republic itself."
But for many French Jews, it's too late: Israel will be their new home.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, the Israeli Prime Minister throwing open the doors to the Jewish community in France, encouraging them to make (inaudible). Will
more do so?
Well, Ian Lee joins me now with more on that.
And your report talking to those who have already arrived in a community known as Ashdod, which is a coastal city very close to Gaza, in
fact, but the idea of throwing open the doors to what is the third largest Jewish community in the world outside of Israel and the U.S. throws out a
number of questions, not least where would those new arrivals go? And would this provide an argument for further settlement expansion already a
highly controversial issue here not least in east Jerusalem?
LEE: You have a couple of things that are controversial when you have these immigrants coming to Israel.
On the first, like you said, where do you put them? Some of them go to Ashdod, which isn't politically sensitive, it is a city in Israel, but
like you said some of them go to these settlements in the occupied West Bank and the international community deems them illegal. This is a thorn
in the side of the peace process and expanding these creates more problems.
You also have the Palestinian community. When an Israeli -- when a Jewish immigrant comes here they're granted Israeli citizenship right away,
but for the Palestinians, for the millions that fled during the wars they're still waiting to return home.
ANDERSON: Ian Lee on that part of the story for you. Ian, thank you very much indeed.
A special edition of Connect the World for you tonight here in Jerusalem.
Still to come, was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked not to attend the Sunday rally in Paris? Details on that in 20 minutes' time.
And for you tonight, we look at another anti-terror rally around the world. Others, indeed, particularly in Muslim nations and those who are
the victims of brutal attacks there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: At about 17 minutes past the hour, you're watching CNN and a special edition of Connect the World with me Becky Anderson out of
Jerusalem for you this evening. Welcome back.
Now, one of the main suspects linked to last week's terror attacks in France is still on the run. There are questions now about whether Hayat
Boumeddiene was even in Paris at the time of the attacks.
Now the Turkish news agency reports she arrived in Turkey on January 2, five days before the first attack in Paris. She is then said to have
traveled to Syria.
Let's get more from Jomana Karadsheh who is live for us in Istanbul this hour.
Jomana, what do we know?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, here is what we know from Turkish officials. On January 2, as you mentioned, they
say that Hayat Boumeddiene arrived into Istanbul from Madrid with a male companion she was traveling with. No information has been made public
about this man who was accompanying her.
Now as they arrived at the airport, a decision was made there by the country's risk assessment center as they flagged them coming in, part of a
routine procedure for passengers arriving into Turkey. A decision was made and Turkish officials insist there was no tipoff or request from French
authorities to put surveillance on this couple. And they did.
They checked into a hotel in Istanbul, according to Turkish officials. And for a couple of days they engaged in what is being described as tourist
activities here in the city.
Now, when Hayat Boumeddiene's name was made public by French authorities that is when the Turkish government says they notified French
authorities of tracking her movements and that is when the French provided them with a list of phone numbers associated with Boumeddiene.
Turkish officials say they tracked her to the area around the Turkish- Syrian border. And today we're hearing from the foreign minister saying that on the 8th of January that is when they believe that Hayat Boumeddiene
crossed illegally into Syria, Becky.
ANDERSON: What is Turkey doing to stem the flow of foreign fighters through its terror tree, Jomana?
KARADSHEH: Becky, Turkish officials say that they are doing a lot to stem that flow of foreign fighters into Syria and into Iraq. Just today,
the foreign minister mentioning figures saying that more than 7,000 people have been put on a no-entry list into Turkey, more than 1,100 have been
apprehended and deported from Turkey.
But what they say it is very difficult for them to control who comes into the country. Millions of people visit this country every year for
tourism. And it is very difficult for them to pursue everyone who comes in or to deport people on suspicions.
What they say they need is more information, more cooperation from countries where these foreign nationals, these foreign fighters are coming
from. They say if they get more warnings, specific information on these individuals, they would be able to try and stop them.
And again today hearing from the foreign minister saying the border with Syria is more than 900 kilometers. So it is impossible for them to
control that border, Becky.
ANDERSON: Jomana Karadsheh in Istanbul for you this evening.
Well, many Muslims swiftly condemned the Paris attack. And as the city marched and mourned, people from Cairo joining them, taking to the
streets to show their support. A demonstration also in Ramallah where a crowd turned out to condemn the attacks in Paris.
But while all eyes were on France there were brutal attacks by Islamist extremists elsewhere. And one thing to point out is the victims
of extremism are most often Muslims, the very people the radicals say they are representing.
To one such attack recently in Pakistan shocked the world. And students who survived a brutal terror assault by the Taliban at their
school, well they returned to class this Monday. 150 people, remember, killed in the attack, the majority of those were kids.
CNN's Michelle Stockman visited the school to see the recovery firsthand.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHELLE STOCKMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is where the bullet went through your shirt into your back and this is your blood?
SHAHRUKH HUSSAIN, SCHOOL SHOOTING SURVIVOR: Yes.
STOCKMAN: So, tell me why did you decide to keep this?
HUSSAIN: The (inaudible) it's like my mapping of that day, of my shocking day that I survived.
STOCKMAN: Wounded in body but not in spirit, at least not that he'll say outloud.
15-year-old Shahrukh Hussain was shot in the back while protecting two classmates from Taliban gunmen on a murderous rampage in his school's
auditorium.
Shahrukh saw close friends die in the most gruesome and horrifying way.
HUSSAIN: Mostly one of my friend was shot on his face and he was barely recognize...
STOCKMAN: Shahrukh shivers when he tells me about this moment.
He and other survivors have turned to social media to share memories of those they've lost.
At least 145 people, 132 of which were children, were killed in just a few hours. The majority of Shahrukh's 10th grade class was wiped out. But
he says he's excited to go back to school, a decision echoed by his proud, defiant mother.
"He's very brave, my son," she says. "The Taliban is spreading fear and terrorism, but we are not afraid. God willing, my son will go back to
the same school and he will fight against them one day. I don't want to make my child afraid."
That's the goal of military and school officials, too, to shore up security but make the campus seem normal again.
Behind me you can see some of the efforts that are being made to get the school ready for the students to come back. There's a medal detector
that's been set up. The walls are being fortified. Barbed-wire is being strung up. We're also seeing a huge security presence, checkpoints on
either ends of the road.
And inside the gates, there are memorials set up for the students. And we're already seeing parents bringing their children to go inside the
school to see what has happened here.
This son lost his mother in the massacre.
Tahira Qazi (ph) had been the principal of the all boys' school for two decades. She was shot in the head fighting against the militants to
the very end trying to save her pupils. And in his grief, outrage, that to settle scores with the military the Taliban killed innocent children.
AHMED QAZI, SON OF ARMY PUBLIC SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: They were harmless. They weren't doing harm to anybody. They were just there for their
education.
STOCKMAN: As the wounded school heals, it has become a symbol of resolve for a wounded nation battered by terrorism.
Michelle Stockman, CNN, Peshawar, Pakistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: You're watching Connect the World with me Becky Anderson live from Jerusalem.
Coming up in Germany growing anti-Islam marches with large crowds expected in Dresden about an hour from now.
First up, though, wind power revolutionizing Ethiopia's energy landscape. Up next, we'll show you the transformation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Africa's energy struggle: for decades, the continent has been using more power than it's
making. But in the horn of Africa, Ethiopia is leading the way towards sustainable change.
The hope is to deal energy demand with renewable solutions and in the process become the region's top energy output hub.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Africa has a very huge deficit in terms of energy production. Everybody will agree that there can be no
transformation in Africa without energy.
LU STOUT: This is Ashagoda (ph), located nearly 800 kilometers north of Ethiopia's capital it is one of Africa's largest wind farms. Completed
in 2013, it is home to over 80 turbines harvesting wind power as renewable energy, an area previously inhabited by small-scale farmers, unpaved roads
and grassland now provides 120 megawatts of power and that, its operator says, can fuel a population of around 6 million people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wind energy is a renewable energy. It's everywhere. It's all the time. So, it's not a resource that depletes
through time. So, wind energy, it was here before. It's here today and it will be there tomorrow.
LU STOUT: Ashagoda (ph) is just one of several major projects working to increase Ethiopia's energy generation. And in order to have a more
stable, sustainable power supply, the country is turning to different sources of power.
ALEMAYEHU TEGENU, ETHIPIAN MINISTER OF WATER, IRRIGATION AND ENERGY: There are a lot of (inaudible) constructed already need electric city. For
this purpose, we need huge amount of megawatt for industries, services and also for export.
LU STOUT: Adding more energy through projects like Ashagoda (ph) means Ethiopia will be in a better position to boost industrialization,
attracting more foreign investments. For one Turkish textile's firm operating in the country it is a must.
ERCAN TISANDGLU, GENERAL MANAGER, AYKA ADDIE TEXTILES: There's a big interest in investment in Ethiopia. But our professional people are
looking for the necessary conditions. Electricity is one of the most important ones.
LU STOUT: While the vast majority of the country still struggles to access electricity, it is step toward improvement as Ethiopia gains
regional and economic power through energy means.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back to what is a very chilly evening in Jerusalem, a special edition of CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. The
headlines for you this hour.
A Turkish news agency reports one of the main suspects wanted in connection with last week's terror attacks in France may be in Syria.
Hayat Boumeddiene is said to have traveled to Turkey five days before the first attack in Paris. Turkish officials say she then headed for Syria.
The French government says it's rolling out a massive increase in security in response to the terror attacks. French media report that
10,000 soldiers and 8,000 police officers are being deployed across the country. More than half of those police officers will be stationed at
Jewish schools.
And some news just coming into CNN. Sharif Kouachi, one of the three men blamed for last week's attacks, his wife in Paris says she condemns her
husband's actions. That statement coming through to us here from her attorney.
Divers have recovered the latest of the flight data recorder from AirAsia Flight 8501. This is a major breakthrough in the effort to
determine what downed the passenger jet in the Java Sea.
As the world reels from events in Paris, in Nigeria, another tragedy has been unfolding. Details still very sketchy. Amnesty International
calls it Boko Haram's deadliest massacre to date. Local officials say up to 2,000 people were killed in the town of Baga. Amnesty believes the
death toll may be even higher.
This is in Northern Nigeria near the border with Chad, and some residents attempted to swim across Lake Chad to escape the militants.
They, though, drowned. Other people tried to flee on land. Survivors now report that the bodies litter the brush.
CNN's Nic Robertson is in Nigeria covering the latest of what is possibly Boko Haram's brutality. Just today 20 people were killed in a
market. Nic, what do we know?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the killing in that market was perhaps one of the most dastardly tricks, if you
will, by Boko Haram so far, strapping explosives onto a young girl who was believed to be around 10 years old, according to some eyewitnesses. And
then as she approached a security checkpoint in the town of Maiduguri, blowing up the explosives that she was wearing, killing 20 people, injuring
many more around them.
But they didn't just use that tactic Saturday. They used that same tactic on Sunday in the town of Potiskum, again, not far away, down the
same major highway. And there, they used two girls, putting explosives on them, young girls, then blowing up those explosives as they got near the
security checkpoints, three people killed, 43 wounded there.
And that's coming right after we're getting the reports of this major offensive on the town of Baga, many of who the sort of 20 -- the 30,000
people have been displaced there, not just trying to swim across the lake to Chad, but displaced internally in Nigeria in the town of Maiduguri,
where that bombing took place with the young girl on Saturday. So, they're being hit coming backwards and forwards here if you will.
But eyewitness talk, indeed, of a killing spree lasting three days, of burning, of looting by Boko Haram, of overrunning a significant and
strategic army outpost in that area. And then, witnesses say, walking past body after body after body, mile after mile after mile on their roads
trying to escape, Becky.
ANDERSON: Dreadful story. Nic Robertson on it for you. Thanks, Nic.
Well, leaders from all over the world gathered in Paris at the weekend to condemn the terror attacks there, including Israeli prime minister
Benjamin Netanyahu. There are now reports that France asked him not to attend.
"Haaretz" newspaper reports that the prime minister agreed not to go, but then changed his mind when the Israeli economy and foreign ministers
said they would attend. They are all preparing for the upcoming election.
So, did France not want a political sideshow overshadow its national tragedy? Well, for more on this, I'm joined by David Horowitz. He is the
founding editor of "the Times of Israel."
Certainly CNN has been told by the spokesman for Netanyahu today that it wasn't that the French didn't want him to attend, it was an issue of
logistics and security that the Elysee Palace were concerned about, and that was something the Israelis were able to put to rest in the French
minds. Do you buy that?
DAVID HOROWITZ, FOUNDING EDITOR, "THE TIMES OF ISRAEL": Not entirely. It would -- you'd think that the leader of the world's only Jewish state
would have been a guest that France would have been very anxious to have come to a solidarity rally for 17 people, for of whom were members of the
French Jewish community.
ANDERSON: That's exactly what the prime minister's spokesman told us, that it was important that Netanyahu was there to support not just the
French, but the French Jewish community, many of whom, we are hearing, may be making their way in the future here. There are already thousands of
French Jews who live, for example, in Ashdod on the coast here.
An open offer to make Aliyah or to come and take Israeli citizenship by Netanyahu. Should we be surprised by that?
HOROWITZ: No, I don't think so. This is the only Jewish state on the planet. It was tragically revived too late to save 6 million Jews from the
Nazi Holocaust, but it has been a country of refuge for Jews in persecute areas: the Middle East and North Africa.
And when Israel looks to France and sees, well, Jews in some kind of trouble, shall we say, it stresses that the door is open.
ANDERSON: Two issues, though. Many will say Palestinians have no chance of an option like Aliyah, for example. They have no state, nowhere
to come back to. It also begs the question of where those French Jews might be welcomed to.
Where would they be accommodated? And would that provide more grist for the mill of what is a very controversial policy by the Israeli
government, one that has been denigrated, to a certain extent, by the UN, even back in November, of the expansion of settlements here?
HOROWITZ: See, I don't think it's about either of those issues at all. I think most Israelis want to partner with the Palestinians to some
kind of an accommodation. And when the Palestinians have their independence, their refugees would become citizens of the Palestinian state
in the same way that Jewish refugees are given citizenship in Israel.
And as for the notion of this being somehow settlement connected, there's a lot of room in Israel. It's a small country, but as you say,
there are French people living in Ashdod, there are French people living all over the country. There's the whole Negev and the Galilee where
there's plenty of room for people to live.
We're not talking about that many people in a country of 8 million. We're talking about a concerned prime minister, a question of how sensitive
or insensitive he is in making that kind of offer as overtly as he has. But saying, remember, the Jewish state is here if you need it.
ANDERSON: And an open invitation to the families of those who lost their lives at the Kosher supermarket last week. Those bodies will arrive
here, we believe, in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.
The funeral ceremonies to be held just about five minutes from here in what is the biggest cemetery in West Jerusalem. The funeral services
expected to be attended by the prime minister, the president, and many religious leaders. A very sad day for those families.
HOROWITZ: I think so. And remember, the reason why this resonates so much in Israel is because they were targeted in this case because they were
Jews. We know that the gunman, he told a French journalist at the height of the siege that he was deliberately targeting Jews.
There was information found on his person suggesting he might have wanted to target Jewish schools, other sites. That's why there's this
outpouring of emotion and identification from Israel for that Jewish community.
ANDERSON: Should this not provide, though, at this point, as good an opportunity as any to revive the Middle East peace process, something that
many people will say is the fulcrum, is the reason why we see the sort of anti-Semitism that we are witnessing in France and in many other places
around the world, and the Islamophobia by some on the other side. It's an issue that comes right back to here. And the question, for example, of
Jerusalem.
HOROWITZ: I think when you look at the first of the terror attacks, last Wednesday's, you recognize that Islamic extremism is not rooted in
despair over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That strikes at the --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: They would use it as an excuse.
HOROWITZ: OK, yes they would, but that's -- the goal here is something much more pernicious. They're out to destroy freedom of
expression, Western freedoms.
In the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the peace process, Israel has been trying to partner the Palestinians towards an
accommodation, but relatively moderate Mr. Abbas, who marched in that rally yesterday, is allied in the current Palestinian government with Hamas,
which is committed to destroying Israel. Kind of hard for Israel to negotiate with them.
ANDERSON: Let me ask you very briefly, yes or no, was Naftali Bennett right to say that it was an act of hypocrisy for Abbas to be there with his
arms joined with other world leaders in defiance of those extremists?
HOROWITZ: I think he was pointing to a wider concern that Europe, France, much of the international community, is disinclined to acknowledge
the dangers posed by Islamic extremism. And surprisingly, in fact, somebody who has come out and said, hey, we've got a problem here, was the
Egyptian president, who's talking about the need for a revolution in thinking in Islam.
ANDERSON: A religious revolution, you're exactly right. Just days before the attacks in Paris last week, that is exactly what President el-
Sisi called for. Sir, always a pleasure.
HOROWITZ: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Thank you very much, indeed, for joining us.
Well, investigators in -- looking into those Paris attacks are following several leads. We heard earlier about the Syria link to that
attack, but there's also a possible connection to Yemen. A security source there tells CNN that at least one of the Kouachi brothers spent time there.
Nick Paton Walsh has been following that part of the story for us, and he joins us now from Beirut. Nick?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, as investigators piece together the history of these two brothers and their
associates, it is remarkable quite how many times they would have appeared on watch lists, on the intelligence radar.
But one remarkable fact is, in the city of Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, where according to one man that CNN has spoken to who met Said Kouachi
there in 2011, he in fact was briefly the roommate of one of the most notorious attempted bombers of the past decade, the so-called "Underwear
Bomber," who tried to target a plane to Detroit in 2009. Here is the place where they briefly lived together.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH (voice-over): During multiple alleged trips to Yemen, Said Kouachi, the older of two brothers behind the Paris attacks, made some
extraordinarily high-profile friends, it is said. A local witness tells CNN he briefly roomed with Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried to blow up
a plane to Detroit in December, 2009.
In these winding streets, Kouachi studied Arabic grammar at a local institute, and sometimes played football with children. This is where, in
2011, Kouachi met this researcher, Mohammed al-Kibsi.
MOHAMMED AL-KIBSI, RESEARCHER: And he was the only adult among them that day. They were making a (inaudible) there, studied in an institute a
little bit down there. And he lived, Umar Farouk, at that place.
WALSH: He shows our producer the institute lodgings where he says the Paris gunman and the Underwear Bomber shared an apartment for a week or
two, probably in 2009. The lodgings are closed to us, but Kibsi remembers what Kouachi told him about the Underwear bomber.
AL-KIBSI: That Farouk was a very quiet person, and he rarely talked to people.
WALSH: Those former lodgings are now office space, the school closed down. Despite this link to one of the most famous attempted bombers of the
last decade, somehow, quiet Kouachi later fell off the French intelligence radar.
AL-KIBSI: He was a very nice guy. Very cheerful, polite.
WALSH: One Yemeni official tells CNN Kouachi met al Qaeda loyalists in Sanaa. The streets of the capital perhaps holding so many secrets about
how the Paris attackers learned their brutality.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH: Becky, in the last few hours, we've learned that it wasn't just Said, in fact, who went to Yemen. One Yemeni security official
telling us that the brother, Sharif, also was there at the same time as Said for a period of about three months, they believe, from April 2011,
just after that man, Mr. Mohammed al-Kibsi, met Kouachi playing football in those streets.
Now, what they believed Sharif did is, perhaps, different to what they thought Said did. They don't think Sharif went to that language school,
those schools in Sanaa, the capital. They think instead, perhaps, he traveled north toward Saada, towards perhaps an Islamic school in a town
there called Dammaj and believed, too, this Yemeni security official.
And I have to say, Yemen's been really, I think, struggling to put forward a unified picture of what they think happened. But this official
believes that maybe that town, Dammaj, was close to some al Qaeda- affiliated training camp that Sharif may have visited.
A lot still to be unearthed in Yemen, but quite clear, these two brothers went there at the same time, and Said, it's said, on a number of
occasions. That surely should have tipped off French authorities more than the case that it seems to be now. Becky?
ANDERSON: Nick Paton Walsh reporting for you.
Well, wherever the investigation leads, some Muslims have expressed concern that the Paris attacks were not seen and just weren't anticipated.
Well, coming up, we'll hear from the family of a blogger who was publicly flogged in Saudi Arabia, away from the Paris story for you. But some sense
of connection as well. We'll tell you why coming up.
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ANDERSON: At ten to the hour here in Jerusalem, this is a special edition of CONNECT THE WORLD. And a reminder that the four victims of the
Kosher supermarket, the Jewish victims, those bodies will be flown back to Tel Aviv overnight for what will be a funeral ceremony here in West
Jerusalem around 12:00 local time tomorrow.
Wherever the investigation leads, some Muslims have expressed concern that the Paris attacks will fuel a wave of Islamophobia. In Germany, anti-
Islam sentiment was on the rise even before the attacks in France. Protesters against immigration have held a string of rallies there. Next
is to start within the hour in Dresden.
Now, that's been organized by the right-wing group PEGIDA, which stands for Patriotic Europeans Against Islamization of the West. Last
week's rally attracted 18,000 people. Other groups are pushing back, though. A pro-tolerance rally on Saturday reportedly drew nearly 35,000
people.
Well, let's get you to Dresden, now, and CNN's Phil Black joining us from there. And Phil, the atmosphere, if you will?
PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky, as you said, this rally's due to kick off in about an hour or so, but already, there are
already some pretty big crowds here. You make the point -- and it's an important one -- this movement, this event, well, it wasn't inspired by the
events in Paris specifically. This movement, it started to take shape back in October.
Small numbers, hundreds, coming out onto the streets under that banner that you mentioned, against what they say is the Islamization of the West.
It grew to a few thousands, spread to other cities. But it is here in Dresden where it has really taken hold.
And at the most recent event, almost 20,000 people took to the streets here. These are people who fear Islam and fear it enough that they're
prepared to come out onto the streets in big numbers. And this was before the events in Paris.
It's a -- these are big numbers, and it's a powerful voice. But also, as you say, it is not by any means a unanimous position. On Saturday, a
counter rally. You mentioned 35,000 people on the streets opposing this movement, arguing for greater tolerance of immigrants and Muslims. Some of
them will be on the streets tonight as well.
So, in some ways, this is a divided city. Two opposite blocs facing each other, both within pretty close proximity to each other tonight. And
the police are going to be out in big numbers to ensure they don't get close to each other, Becky.
ANDERSON: Phil Black in Dresden for you this evening.
In Paris on Sunday, arm-in-arm, world leaders marched, but some of these same heads of state led crackdowns on freedom of speech in their own
countries. In Egypt, Al Jazeera journalists, for example, have been imprisoned for nearly 400 days.
Seventy journalists in Turkey jailed for reporting on government corruption. And in Saudi Arabia, blogger Raif Badawi is charged with
insulting Islam after he started an online forum. Now, Badawi was publicly flogged 50 times in a Jeddah town square.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): "He spoke about God and his prophet," the men say in Arabic. Moments later, police bring out this shackled prisoner. He
is lashed 50 times. Ensaf Haidar says she believes this unverified cell phone video shows Saudi police flogging her husband, Raif Badawi.
ENSAF HAIDAR, RAIF BADAWI'S WIFE (through translator): Every lash killed me. There are no words to describe how I felt.
ANDERSON: The activist started an online forum in 2008 that his wife says was meant to encourage discussion about the faith. Badawi was
arrested that same year, charged with insulting Islam. After a lengthy legal battle, a Jeddah court sentenced the blogger to ten years in prison
and 1,000 lashes.
That means the ordeal is not over. Badawi will be lashed 50 times every Friday for 19 more consecutive weeks. Speaking from Quebec in
Canada, Haidar called for her husband's immediate release.
HAIDAR (through translator): Respect the right to opinion. Raif did not do anything. Raif did not carry a weapon. Raif's only weapon was his
pen.
ANDERSON: Human Right Watch condemned the sentence on Saturday saying, "Publicly lashing a peaceful activist merely for expressing his
ideas sends an ugly message of intolerance. Saudi Arabia is showing a willingness to inflict vicious and cruel punishments on writers whose views
it rejects."
Days earlier, the Gulf state had condemned the terrorist attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, saying it was, quote,
"incompatible with Islam."
A chorus of criticism quickly grew online, ridiculing the double standard. This cartoon shows a red line representing a split. The side
labeled "outside" shows a flowery statement in support of free speech. The other half, marked "domestically," recreates the flogging.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry refused to comment to CNN on Badawi's case, citing it as a legal issue, not a political one. Allies in the West now
asking how can a nation that whips and even beheads stand against ISIS for the same?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, live from Jerusalem, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Coming up, a big moment for Palestinian footballers.
More on that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: All right, you're back with us on CNN. This is CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson for you tonight out of Jerusalem. And in
your Parting Shots this evening, for the first time, Palestinians are playing in Asia's biggest football competition know as the Asian Cup.
It wasn't the score they'd hoped for, a loss of 4-nil, but that didn't dampen the jubilant mood. Soccer should be the beautiful game, of course.
I'm Becky Anderson, that was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thank you for watching.
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END
