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Connect the World
Regional Leaders Endorse Parts of U.S. Plan, Suggest Provisions they Want Added; Trump's Plan for Gaza; Trump Admin Presents Gaza Peace Plan to Regional Leaders; DHS: One Detainee Killed in ICE Facility Shooting; Abbas Thanks Nations that have Recently Recognized Independent Palestinian State; Palestinian Authority President Addressing UNGA in Video Message. Aired 9- 10a ET
Aired September 25, 2025 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, this is the scene at the Paris criminal court where Former President Sarkozy has been sentenced to
five years in prison. It is 03:00 p.m. there. It is 05:00 p.m. in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson, you're watching "Connect the World".
Also coming up, as the United Nations General Assembly continues in New York, the future of Gaza and the West Bank are front and center today, with
Donald Trump calling annexation a red line. Palestinian Authority, President Mahmoud Abbas is due to deliver a pre-recorded speech to world
leaders later this morning.
While in Washington, Trump is meeting with Turkey's President, Erdogan. The stock market in New York opens about 30 minutes from now, 09:30 local time
of course. Stock futures indicating a lower start to the trading day, with some of the leading tech stocks having a bit of a rough ride of it the past
week, amid some concerns about sky high valuations and jitters about the real returns on artificial intelligence. More on that at the bottom of the
hour.
Well, the future of the West Bank and a post war Gaza will be front and center at the United Nations General Assembly in a pre-recorded speech by
the Palestinian President that will be played to world leaders soon. Ahead of that France's President says he has spoken to his U.S. counterpart about
any Israeli plans to annex large swathes of the West Bank.
And that Donald Trump agrees that annexation would be a quote red line for the United States and mark the end of the Abraham Accords that President
Trump brokered. While diplomats talk more, Palestinians are dying in Gaza. More than 80 people killed, including children, in Israeli attacks over the
past day, according to local health officials.
Well Senior -- CNN Jerusalem Bureau Chief, Oren Liebermann, joining me now live. And Oren, let's start with the significance of these comments from
Emmanuel Macron about annexation, if you will.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, the French President was speaking to French media after he met President Donald Trump and discussed,
at least in part, the topic of Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank. That's been one of the major questions hanging over not only the U.N.
General Assembly, but really over the meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump.
That's scheduled for Monday as well, because Netanyahu's far right, allies are pushing him to annex all or parts of the West Bank in response to
France and other countries recognizing a State of Palestine. After those discussions, French President Emmanuel Macron told French media that the
U.S. and Europe were on the same page, that annexation would be a red line, meaning the U.S. and crucially, Trump would not allow Israel to go forward
with an annexation of the West Bank.
At risk here and this, perhaps one of the key reasons that Trump won't allow it to happen is that such an annexation, such a move, could
destabilize or even make the Abraham Accords, which was Trump's signature foreign policy achievement from his first term, it could, or would put that
at risk the UAE, which was a landmark part of that, could downgrade its own ties or cancel the Abraham Accords altogether.
And that's something that Trump is incredibly unlikely to accept as a possibility. The only question mark here out of this significant statement
that that Israel will not be allowed by the U.S. to carry out an annexation of the West Bank, is that meeting between Trump and Netanyahu that's on
Monday.
What will Netanyahu push for? We have seen Trump essentially favor the last guy he spoke to and lean towards that position. What is Netanyahu's moved
during that meeting? And can he shift what Macron says Trump's position is? That will be a key question coming out of that meeting.
And Becky it is out of that meeting that Netanyahu has said he will -- he will tell the world how he will respond to recognition of a Palestinian
State.
ANDERSON: Yeah. And one assumes that during that meeting, Donald Trump will flush out, if he hasn't already done so, his administration's 21-point
peace plan for a post war Gaza. He has certainly had meetings about that with Arab allies and others during his time in New York. What are the
details on this plan as we understand them?
LIEBERMANN: So, we have a fairly good sense of some of the 21-point plan here. And this is the first real detailed plan we have seen, or at least we
have heard of, from the Trump Administration. And he presented it, or the administration that is presented it in a meeting with Arab Leaders over the
course of the U.N. General Assembly.
It includes a post war governor's -- governance plan for Gaza that does not include Hamas. It's a comprehensive end of the war. It's the release of all
the hostages.
[09:05:00]
So, it's a lot of what the U.S. has been calling for. It's certainly a lot, and this is not surprising, of what Israel has been calling for. And from
regional sources we have spoken with who were privy to the details of the meeting, there was a lot of agreement. The Arab leaders and diplomats in
that meeting pushed for some of their own points, including saying that annexation of the occupied West Bank is a red line.
More talk about the humanitarian aid that needs to flow into Gaza. But there was a lot of overlap here. The question is, can this move forward? Is
there a diplomatic track to actually get to a ceasefire. The U.S. Envoy, Steve Witkoff, who's been the lead on the U.S. side of this, says there
could be a breakthrough in the coming days.
Now, we've heard those sorts of promises before, so there is good reason to be skeptical here. And of course, there is no moving diplomatic track right
now, after Israel struck a residential building in Doha going after Hamas Leaders just a few weeks ago.
So, even if this plan is fleshed out, has agreement from Arab states and has Israel's agreement, it's unclear where the final details would be
worked out, where those last negotiations would happen, even as the U.S. expresses optimism about its viability. But Becky, this is certainly a
space to watch, especially now that after the UNGA, there is a tension on this.
ANDERSON: Yeah, absolutely good to have you, sir. Thank you. That is Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem. The time is just after four in the afternoon, so
just as we get into this morning session, then at the UNGA, Gaza and the West Bank will be in focus. But yesterday, the war in Ukraine took center
stage.
President Zelenskyy again appealed to world leaders for help against Russian aggression. And top U.S. and Russian diplomats then held talks on
the sidelines of that meeting. The U.S. State Department says Marco Rubio called on Moscow to take, quote, meaningful steps to end the war.
Well, CNN's International diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, following all of this. A key speech, then by the Ukrainian President, a key meeting
between the U.S. and Russia. Briefly, what's the upshot do you believe over the past 24 hours for the Russian war on Ukraine, Nic?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, I think status quo, certainly in Russian U.S. discussions, Sergei Lavrov pushing back
against what Rubio said. Rubio putting the pressure on Russia to back off in the war Russia, through Lavrov, saying that it was Ukraine and elements
within Europe that are responsible for the uptick and continuation of the war inside of Ukraine.
So, you know, not a meeting of minds, and that's kind of what we've been -- kind of what we've been seeing recently, particularly on what President
Zelenskyy had to say, stressing that despite -- if you don't have powerful friends, you're nowhere. And even if you have powerful friends you're still
nowhere unless you have weapons.
And I think the other big point, two points there that he painted a very sort of apocalyptic future for the world of drone wars controlled by AI of
escalation of wars and armaments developments, of which he said Ukraine was involved in, but Russia was responsible.
But unless there are working international bodies like the United Nations with international law to back up their writ and actually have meaning and
stop invasions of aggression like Russians -- like Russia's, in Ukraine, the world is headed to a bad place. I think that was a sort of lasting
impression of his speech yesterday.
ANDERSON: And the German Defense Minister making some interesting comments about, what is this drone incursion over Denmark saying, and I quote him
here, we are not at war, but we are also no longer at complete peace, alluding, one assumes, to Europe here. What do you make of his statement?
And does this mark a new era in this conflict?
ROBERTSON: When I read that, I was slightly shocked that a politician has come out and said this so openly. But it's clearly what is being thought
behind the doors of all the capitals by politicians at the moment, particularly those that feel they're close to or at the forefront of these
what he is hinting at their escalation of Russia's.
And he specifically says, you know, hybrid tactics, and this is something that Denmark has felt a couple of times over the past few days, with these
-- with these drone incursions that Poland has felt that Romania has felt.
[09:10:00]
But I think, look, put it in this context, it was only a few months ago that the European Union, with all its leaders, were banding together and
saying, we need to get our countries on a war footing, making munitions, making weapons, to support Ukraine, but to ready Europe for further
aggression from Russia.
So, the message from Europe has been amongst lead -- the leadership has been that Russia is a really serious potential aggressor. So, this just
seems to be a step down that track, and if anything, it will galvanize populations, perhaps, to listen to their politicians on this particular
issue, and what they're witnessing, be it in the -- around the airports in Denmark.
One of them a military one, by the way, or in the Baltic Sea, where data and power cables have been pulled up, or it's the spoofing of the GPS
satellite navigation system that civilian aircraft finding is being interrupted in the Baltic region and along that sort of Eastern Flank of
NATO, close to Russia.
All of this is pointing to the concern about Russian hybrid tactics. Now he didn't -- the defense minister there, Pistorius, didn't lay out concrete
proof, and neither have the Danes laid out concrete proof. But we heard from there -- from the Danish Defense Minister today and from the Police
Chief saying, look, we think that there are professionals behind these drone incursions.
ANDERSON: Nic, it's good to have you. These are certainly interesting and worrying times, and your insight and analysis hugely important to us. Thank
you. On to some breaking news in Europe, Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Now this comes after a Paris court found him guilty on a key charge in what was his Libya Campaign Financing Trial. And in a surprise ruling, the court
said Sarkozy must still be incarcerated, even if he appeals the conviction. Now the ex-president strongly criticizing the decision, calling it, quote,
extreme gravity for the rule of law and maintaining his innocent. CNN Senior International Correspondent Melissa Bell has the very latest from
Paris, Melissa.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is something of an earthquake here in French political circles, the very first time a
former president, Becky is going to actually physically serve time in jail.
Because it's worth remembering that Nicolas Sarkozy has faced a number of different trials since he left office in 2012. In 2021 he had been found
guilty of having attempted to bribe a judge back in 2014 and that guilty verdict led to sentencing a jail sentence that he was allowed to serve from
home wearing an electronic bracelet.
So, the big difference here is that a Former French President will physically make his way inside a jail. I think that's significant in terms
of public perceptions of the relative impunity or not of France's political classes. And certainly, it's being taken as something of an earthquake here
in France.
Now, as you say this case centered on the allegations that when he was interior minister Becky back in 2005, he had concluded what prosecutors
described as a corruption pact with Muammar Gaddafi of Libya at the time, that in exchange for help in financing what would turn out to be a
successful 27 presidential run with those Libyan funds.
The Libyans in return, and Muammar Gaddafi specifically would get diplomatic favors help, and that is indeed what happened. You remember,
back in 2007 Muammar Gaddafi was received rather grandly here in Paris. It was the first time that he was sort of brought back into the Western fold.
So, there had been a lot of attention paid to this case, arguably the biggest corruption case facing Nicholas Sarkozy, and as I say, there have
been several trials against him over the last few years. It is the severity of that sentence, the fact that he will serve time in jail, that I think
has surprised most people here in France. And I think it's worth mentioning also Becky --
ANDERSON: Yeah.
BELL: -- that it comes in the context of another big trial that we had only a few months ago here in France, Marine Le Pen and her party found guilty
of embezzling European funds. She's waiting to appeal that sentence, but there is this sense that the French judiciary, and each time the people
concerned will argue that it is a political witch hunt that the French judiciary is managing to hold either those who left power or hoping to gain
it to account.
ANDERSON: Melissa, good to have you. Thank you. Breaking news story out of Paris for you today. Well, coming up more on the Trump Administration's
proposed peace plan for Gaza. Our next guest has been in New York at the U.N. General Assembly, where those plans were discussed on these sidelines.
[09:15:00]
He's been listening to the speeches being made the West Bank and Gaza front and center again today, with a speech by Mahmoud Abbas, a virtual speech, a
pre-recorded says speech will be played to the audience gathered there. We're going to talk all of that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: We are standing by for a pre-recorded speech from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the United Nations. The issue of statehood front
and center this week at the United Nations General Assembly, as we hear that annexation of the West Bank would be a red line for the United States.
At least that is per French President Emmanuel Macron, after he spoke with Mr. Trump in New York, saying, and I quote Macron here, the Europeans and
the Americans are on the same page, and that this would be the end of the Abraham Accords.
Well, those normalization accords, of course, the crowning foreign policy achievement for Donald Trump during his first term, and something he is
keen to build off now by pushing through normalization with, for example, Saudi Arabia and Israel.
But that won't happen unless the war in Gaza ends and Saudi Arabia has been clear that there must be a viable path forward for Palestinian Statehood.
Here in the UAE, the main signatory of the accords to date, they've laid their own red line on the West Bank, saying that further annexation would
undermine the Abraham Accords.
Well for now, the Trump Administration says it has a plan to end the war in Gaza. One they've presented to their Arab allies U.S. Special Envoy Steve
Witkoff, claiming could be, quote, some sort of breakthrough. Well, a lot to get into here.
I'm joined by a good friend of this show Firas Maksad, who is the Managing Director for the Middle East and North Africa and the -- at the Eurasia
Group. He is in New York for the UNGA and joining us from there. And it's fantastic to have you, Firas.
You're extremely well sourced. I know that you'll have been speaking to those who've met Donald Trump behind the scenes the Middle East and Gulf
allies, who've had this plan for Gaza the end of the war, and the day after presented to them so we understand it's a 21-point plan. What sort of
detail are you hearing on this, and how's it landed?
FIRAS MAKSAD, EURASIA GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA: Well, Becky it's good to be with you again. It's important to paint the
backdrop to this meeting that took place yesterday between President Trump and the Leaders of eight leading Arab and Muslim countries.
It was the negative backdrop. This came a few days after an Israeli unprecedented attack on a GCC Capital, an attack on Doha, Qatar, in which
there were emergency summits held, in which, of course, the Saudis then very quickly moved to sign a mutual defense pact with the Pakistanis. A
shot across the bow the United States for the added -- inadequacy of its security umbrella in the region.
[09:20:00]
And so, this was the general backdrop that was at least less than positive one would say. The coming out of the meeting these states had a very
different feel. President Trump presented a white paper of 21 points about the day after in Gaza, the understanding so far is that that is loosely
based on a play on that has been in the works, led by Tony Blair, the firm -- the Former British Prime Minister but also with the involvement of Jared
Kushner.
It envisions Gaza being under an international trusteeship with a Board of Governors comprised of those leading Arab and Muslim states with the
participation of other international community that then leads the process of reconstruction, rebuilding and stabilizing Gaza.
Now that said, there are still differences. This is a draft. My understanding is that some of these Arab countries are in the process of
drafting a response to the American position. But what was key in that paper is the American guarantee that the Israeli threat of annexing parts
of the West Bank will not go through.
And that the U.S. will take a clear line against that position, one that again, very much undermines the Abrahamic Accords, the key foreign policy
achievement of the Trump Administration's first term in office.
ANDERSON: And to underscore that, let's just play for our viewers what Emmanuel Macron told French media in the past 24 hours standby.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: There is one person who can do something about it, and that is the U.S. President. And why can he do it more than
us? Because we do not supply weapons that allow the war in Gaza to be waged. We do not supply equipment that allows war to be waged in Gaza. The
United States of America does.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: So, this issue of annexation now gaining momentum. The UAE has said annexation would be a red line. The French have said the same. The
French have said that the U.S. President has said the same.
The other outstanding issue, of course, before any sort of plan to end this war, any sort of idea of a day after, would be getting the Israeli
President to agree that a Palestinian State, or Palestinian Statehood, has some you know, is realistic going forward.
And he has been very clear and very vocal about the fact that that is not realistic as far as Benjamin Netanyahu is concerned. Again, how does that
land with those that you are speaking to from the Middle Eastern Gulf region?
MAKSAD: Well, Becky that's absolutely right. And I would only add to that that the 21-point plan presented and discussed here in New York does not
necessarily spell out the answer for bringing the war in Gaza to a final conclusion, to an end.
It envisions a day after plan, which is arguably very crucial to help bring that war wind down, that war in Gaza that has had some 60,000 -- 65,000
plus Palestinians die as a result of it. But does not really force an end to the war. And everybody here is, you know, focused on the upcoming
meeting between the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump in the White House on Monday.
That will be a crucial meeting. But the question is, will Donald Trump move to pressure Bibi to end the war? I could tell you that the Israelis were in
Washington just about a week ago. Ron Dermer, the Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs, really, Bibi Netanyahu's alter ego.
And the Israeli sense is that they can win this. They can win this militarily, if only Donald Trump will afford them more time. And this time
they're saying, by end of year. Of course, we all know that this was the same case made about a year and a half ago.
Back then it was the campaign in Rafah, if we could only finish off the two brigades Hamas has in Rafah. Now it's Gaza City after that, many sources
tell me that it's the central camps, where Hamas is still very strong. And so, there's an argument to be made that being able to finish the war in
Gaza militarily by end of year is an extremely optimistic scenario the Israelis are putting forward in Washington.
ANDERSON: You started our conversation by providing some context for this meeting between President Trump and some of his allies in this region, not
least those from the Gulf, and reminded us that there has been a real sense of whether or not the U.S. is a reliable security sort of partner going
forward.
And you talked about this new Pakistan, Saudi mutual defense pact. I just want to get you to sort of, you know, explain a little further what your
thinking is on this. A piece that you wrote for "Time" has come as of course, Gulf has to question its reliance on U.S. security guarantees in
the light of that Israeli attack on Hamas in Qatar.
[09:25:00]
And you say that this pact could be more than a bilateral agreement writing, and I quote you here. Regional heavyweights Egypt and Turkey are
similarly very concerned about an Israeli dominated Middle Eastern order. The pact that we see with Saudi and Pakistan at present could become the
nucleus for other Islamic Defense Accords, undermining Trump's signature foreign policy achievement, the Abraham Accords, of course.
Firas, I think this is a really important point. How are the Saudis viewing all of this at present?
MAKSAD: Well, Becky, it's very important to keep in mind here is that in the past two years, since October 7th, Israel has overflowed its borders.
It's the Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu, very much likes to boast about operating on seven different theaters all at once. Israel today is
occupying parts of Southern Lebanon, certainly occupying and expanding its foothold in Syria.
And then the strike against the GCC capital unprecedented really put these Arab Gulf countries on notice. The fact that they spend billions of dollars
in investments in the U.S. and U.S., armament. And the U.S. has time and again failed to honor its security guarantees. Whether it was the 2019
Iranian attack against the oil fields of Saudi Arabia, or it was the Houthis backed by Iran against the UAE in 2022.
And now Israel, where there's no political will in Washington, let's be honest, no political will to defend Arab partners against Israel. And so,
we look at this Saudi Pakistani Pact. Saudi -- Pakistan being, of course, a nuclear state, effectively an extension of Pakistan's nuclear umbrella to
the Gulf as a warning shot to President Trump.
That if in fact, the security umbrella, the U.S. regional order, is not going to protect the GCC allies, there will be alternative that will
complement and plug holes in those American security guarantees that threat perception shifting from Iran to now an Israel that is expansionist is
shared by Turkey and is shared by Egypt.
And Turkey and Saudi Arabia today are moving closer than they have ever been in the past couple of years, certainly, in Syria to keep, or at least
try to keep, Israeli influence at bay.
ANDERSON: Yeah. Yeah, this is fascinating. I said this move by the by the Saudis, with this -- with Pakistan, I think you know you're describing here
as a hedge in an effort to look beyond the U.S. is the only country that can provide security guarantees, not necessarily turning their backs on the
U.S., but certainly a message from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that the U.S. is not the only game in town.
Should Riyadh decide it needs other options. Good to have you, Firas. Thank you very much indeed. Well, Firas, of course, is in New York. And a new
poll from the Rockefeller Foundation surveying over 36,000 adults across 34 countries showed that in a world that is seeing the breakdown of global
cooperation with trust in institutions like the United Nations.
The IMF and the WHO at a low people still do want to see more international cooperation. The foundation has also announced the launch of a $50 million
initiative that aims to modernize and rebuild global cooperation.
Well, the backdrop to all of this the U.S. drawing back from its global humanitarian role, dismantling USAID and pulling funding from other
initiatives. And just this week, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, echoing Donald Trump in calling international institutions too weak.
But Rajiv Shah, President of the Rockefeller Foundation and the Former Administrator of USAID, says it's time to look at what can be done to
revive international global cooperation. I spoke to Rajiv this week about the foundation's new initiative.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAJIV SHAH, PRESIDENT, ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION: Our Rockefeller Foundation Poll surveyed more than 36,000 people in more than 36 countries, and found
that there's broad and extraordinary support for global cooperation that delivers results. The numbers are astonishing.
75 percent of all people believe we should cooperate with other nations and help them with core issues and especially service to those who are
vulnerable. 93 percent want to see more cooperation on issues like food security and water security.
[09:30:00]
91 percent on supporting efforts around global health. And this is broadly gaged in the United States, but also in 35 other nations that cover the
span of our planet. And you look at that, that's what people want, and at the end of the day, in the last year in particular, has been an absolute
disaster for global cooperation.
ANDERSON: This new study published by the Rockefeller Foundation showed trust in global institutions like the U.N. like the WHO, like the IMF is at
a low. Is the post-World War II world order in need to your mind of a significant change to make it more effective.
The headline from your latest polling is really positive, but this crisis of confidence about how the world goes about its global cooperation is
really worrying. So, what needs to happen to your mind?
SHAH: Well, you're absolutely right. When we look at questions related to confidence in institutions like the U.N. or the World Bank, it's around 42
percent in the survey, and that's obviously a far cry from the 90 plus percent supporting the actual work that these institutions do.
And the Rockefeller Foundation has for years been advocating and working with partners to make these institutions much more modern. You know, they
were created more than 80 years ago, and they were created in a very, very different world. They need to be much more transparent.
They have to do a much better job of documenting the results of programs that are implemented around the world, and making that available, not just
to their boards, but to the taxpayers of countries around this planet that ultimately provide the resources that make this work go forward.
And this field for too long, I know I've been a part of it, running USAID has just been too insular. Has been too insular and too stuck in the past.
And we think in the future, a development cooperation field defined by public private partnership, using public money in a catalytic way to
motivate more private investment, measuring results and making that very available to anyone.
ANDERSON: What do you believe is the future of U.S. global development leadership?
SHAH: We're having a blip right now in American politics that has dismantled a lot of that work, but I'm determined to help us reconstruct
it.
ANDERSON: That blip, as you describe it, will worry leaders from the global south who you will be speaking to, given the work that you do and the
enormity of the Rockefeller Foundation in getting stuff done. What do you expect to hear from global south leaders this week at UNGA?
SHAH: What I am hearing from global south leaders as we do so much work with our partners, which is they absolutely rightly believe that they will
have to be the leaders of a reconstructed movement around global cooperation.
We have nine heads of state coming to the Rockefeller Foundation later this week to talk about how they are going to take over the design
implementation and funding of their own global health programs in order to not allow people getting antiretroviral treatment through the American
PEPFAR Program, for example, to just go without and face, you know, face chronic disease or even death.
And so, I think that greater responsibility, accountability, leadership from global south leaders is the direction of the future institutions like
the Rockefeller Foundation or private companies and commercial enterprises. And ultimately, you know, global north institutions will all end up rightly
following their lead as they set priorities for health, education, energy and a sustainable future.
And what I'm really hearing is that, you know, they are struggling through a debt crisis in many of these nations, and they will need real support
when the politics comes back to recognize that we are, in fact, all on this planet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Yeah, Rajiv Shah speaking to me earlier this week. Well, still to come, President Donald Trump blaming a deadly shooting in Texas on rhetoric
from the quote, radical left. More reaction to the incident near an immigration facility is just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:35:00]
ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi, and you are watching "Connect the World". Right now, the FBI is investigating a deadly
shooting at a U.S. immigration facility in Dallas as an act of targeted violence.
Officials say one detainee was killed and two more were critically injured after a sniper opened fire from a rooftop near the facility on Wednesday.
Shortly after the shooting, the suspect was found dead with a self- inflicted gun wound. Now the Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem, says evidence gathered at the scene indicates the alleged shooter was, quote,
very much against ICE officers more now from Ivan Rodriguez.
IVAN RODRIGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right behind me is the ICE facility where the shooting took place Wednesday morning. And we're learning a
little bit more information from the Department of Homeland Security into the moment that led up to this deadly shooting.
We know, according to them, that a quote, sniper was on a nearby rooftop and was shooting indiscriminately, they say, not only into the ICE building
here, but also into a van that was in a sally port, and that's where the victims were shot. We know that one of the detainees here was killed during
that shooting.
Two other detainees are currently in serious condition. We don't know much of details as to who those detainees are. What we do know is that one of
them is a Mexican National, according to the Mexican government. In terms of the shooter, we know that he was a 29-year-old man. He's a Dallas
resident, and he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The FBI is investigating this as a targeted attack. We have also heard into this evening here a little bit more from Secretary Kristi Noem from
Homeland Security. She went on to say again that she believes that the shooter was against ICE agents based on the evidence that they have been
able to gather here.
She also says that the shooter wasn't specifically targeting any area of the building, and that there were bullet holes, again, all over the
building here at this ICE facility in Dallas, Texas, I'm Ivan Rodriguez.
ANDERSON: Well, ahead in sport the top U.S. and European golfers are getting prepared to battle it out for continental supremacy at the Ryder
Cup. And we will get you a preview on that up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:40:00]
ANDERSON: Well, right now, the Palestinian Authority, President Mahmoud Abbas, is addressing the U.N. General Assembly in what is a virtual pre-
recorded message. It's a video message. He's not appearing there in person because the Trump Administration denied him and his delegation entry into
the United States. Let's just dip in and have a listen to what Mahmoud Abbas is saying.
MAHMOUD ABBAS, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT: -- undermine the option of the two-state solution in a blatant violation of international law and
relevant security council resolutions, specifically resolution 23-34.
Furthermore, the Israeli Prime Minister announced a plan for what he calls Greater Israel, which we reject and completely deplore, and which involves
expanding into sovereign Arab states. In addition to the brutal attack against the sisterly State of Qatar, which we condemn and see as an
escalation that is grave and a blatant violation of international law, which requires a decisive intervention and deterring procedures and
measures for such expansionary plans.
With official support and through increasing facilities, the terrorism of settlers increases. They burn homes and fields. They uproot trees and
attack villages and attack unarmed Palestinian civilians. In fact, they killed them in broad daylight under the protection of the Israeli
occupation army.
Furthermore, the Islamic and Christian religious sites in Jerusalem, Hebron and Gaza Strip have not been spared the attacks which have damaged the
mosques, churches and cemeteries, in a blatant violation of the historic status quo, and in a clear violation of the provisions of the international
law.
Despite all what our people have suffered, we reject what Hamas carried out on the 7th of October. These actions that targeted Israeli civilians and
took them hostages. Because these actions do not represent the Palestinian people, nor do they represent their just struggle for freedom and
independence.
We have affirmed, and we will continue to affirm, that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the State of Palestine, and that we are ready to bear full
responsibility for governance and security there. Hamas will not have a role to play in governance.
Hamas and other factions will have to hand over their weapons to the Palestinian National Authority as part of a process to build the
institutions of one state, one law and one legal security forces.
[09:45:00]
We reiterate that we do not want an armed state. Ladies and gentlemen, our wounds are deep and our calamity is great. 7 million Palestinians are still
living the tragedies of the Nakba and displacement since 1948. Our people in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and in the Gaza Strip, are still
living the tragedies of the Israeli aggression and occupation for decades.
Years that our people have spent under occupation, killing, arrests and settlement and the theft of money, property and lands. And this still
continues without any deterrent or accountability.
Years of oppression, deprivation and the protection for the occupier and enabling the occupier, instead of protecting the people under the
occupation and more violations of the rights of our Palestinian people to self-determination, to freedom, dignity, independence and sovereignty on
the land of the occupied state, on the land of the State of Palestine, occupied since 1967 including East Jerusalem.
More than one thousand resolutions at the United Nations. Not one of them was implemented. There have been many efforts, many international
initiatives, without reaching an end to this tragic situation that the Palestinian people are living under the yoke of occupation.
In 1993 we signed the Oslo Accords, and we adhered to all its items. And we recognized the State of Israel. Israel, at the time, recognized the
Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. Based on that, we restructured our institutions,
and we amended our National Charter, and we rejected violence and terrorism and we adopted a culture of peace.
We made all our efforts to build the institutions of a modern Palestinian State that lives side by side in peace and security with Israel. But Israel
did not adhere to the signed agreements and has worked systematically on undermining them.
Ladies and gentlemen, just three days ago, we met at a high-level international conference in New York under the Joint Chairmanship of France
and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with wide scale international presence and united positions that expressed a genuine international will to put an end
to this historic conflict.
By recognizing the State of Palestine, ending the occupation and returning hope to both the Palestinian and Israeli people. And here, I would like to
on behalf of the Palestinian people, to express our gratitude and appreciation to all the states that recently recognized the State of
Palestine and those that intend to recognize the State of Palestine soon.
We urge all the states that have not done so yet to recognize the State of Palestine we call on supporting Palestine obtaining full membership in the
United Nations. It should be noted that we have already recognized Israel's right to exist in 1988 and in 1993 and we still recognize this right.
In this regard, we would like to thank France, the UK, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Portugal, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, Andorra and
Denmark for their recognition of the State of Palestine. We would like to thank all 149 states which had previously recognized the State of
Palestine.
[09:50:00]
Our people will not forget this noble position. We would also like to commend the role of the Chairmanship of this conference the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia and France and also the United Kingdom. We would also like to thank all the states that headed the various working groups and those which
participated and continue to participate in the international alliance for peace.
We would also like to thank the states that are supporting our efforts to stop the genocide, end the occupation and achieve peace. We highly
appreciate all the people and organizations around the world who protested in support of the rights of the Palestinian people to freedom and
independence and to stop the war, destruction and starvation.
We reject confusing the solidarity with the Palestinian cause and the issue of anti-Semitism, which is something that we reject based on our values and
principles. Within the framework of welcoming the outcomes of the International Conference for peace, we reiterate today before the General
Assembly the following points.
First, the need for an immediate and permanent end to the war in Gaza. Second, the entry without conditions of humanitarian aid through United
Nations organizations, including the UNRWA and to stop using starvation as a weapon. And here we would like to thank the brotherly and friendly states
and organizations that have been sending aids.
Third, the release of all hostages and prisoners on both sides. Fourth, the complete withdrawal of the occupation from the Gaza Strip and the rejection
of the plans for displacement and putting an end to settlement, the terrorism of settlers and the theft of Palestinian lands and property under
the headline of annexation and stopping the aggression against the status quo in holy sites.
These are all unilateral actions that undermine the two-state solution in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem. Fifth, the State of Palestine should
take their full responsibility, starting with the Administrative Committee for the Gaza Strip, which is Chaired by a minister in the Palestinian
government to manage the affairs of the Gaza Strip for a temporary period.
And then to connect that with the West Bank, all through Arab and international support and with Arab and international presence to protect
civilians in Gaza and support the Palestinian forces under the umbrella of the United Nations, rather than being a replacement.
Sixth, to guarantee that the residents of the Gaza Strip remain on their lands without displacement. And to implement a recovery and reconstruction
plan in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Seventh, releasing the Palestinian tax money that is being held by the State of Israel unjustly.
And lifting the economic siege and the barriers from the Palestinian cities, villages and refugee camps. Eight, supporting our national efforts
towards reform and conducting presidential and parliamentary elections within a year after the end of the war, the practical procedures has begun.
A committee has been assigned to draft a temporary constitution, and it will end its work within three months, so that we move from authority to
state. We want a modern and democratic state that abides by international law, the rule of law and multilateralism and the peaceful transition of
power. And we are extremely looking to empower women and the youth.
[09:55:00]
Ninth, we declare that we are ready to work with U.S. President Donald Trump and with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and France, the United Nations
and all partners to implement the peace plan that was approved in the conference that was held on the 22nd of September, in a way that would lead
towards a just peace and regional cooperation.
Ladies and gentlemen, today we say clearly, peace cannot be achieved if justice is not achieved. And there can be no justice if Palestine is not
freed. We want to live in freedom, security and peace, like all other people on earth, in an independent, sovereign state on the borders of 1967
with East Jerusalem as our Capital in security and peace with our neighbors.
We want a modern, civilian state that is free of violence, weapons and extremism, one that respects law, human rights and invests in people,
development, technology and education, not in wars and conflict. The time has come for the international community to do right by the Palestinian
people.
So, that they may obtain their rightful -- their legitimate rights to be rid of the occupation and to not remain a hostage to the temperament of
Israeli politics, which denies our rights and continue in their injustice, oppression and aggression. We are continuing to move forward, and we will
continue our peaceful, legal and diplomatic fight to obtain our rights.
In conclusion, we say to our sons and daughters in the homeland, in the exile and in the diaspora, no matter how much our wounds bleed, and no
matter how long this suffering lasts, it will not break our will to live and survive. The dawn of freedom will emerge, and the flag of Palestine
will fly high in our skies as a symbol of dignity, steadfastness and being free from the yoke of occupation.
Palestine is ours. Jerusalem is the jewel of our heart and our eternal Capital. We will not leave our homeland. We will not leave our lands. Our
people will remain rooted like the olive trees, firm as the rocks. We will rise from under the rubble to rebuild and to send from our blessed and holy
land the messages of hope and the sound of truth and right and build the bridges of just peace for the people of our region and the entire world.
May the peace and mercy and blessings of God be upon you.
ANDERSON: Well, welcome slightly early to the second hour of our show from our Middle East Programming Headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. Time is just
before six in the evening here. And you have been listening to the Palestinian President who thanked nations there that recently recognized an
independent Palestinian State.
Mahmoud Abbas himself did not appear in person at U.N. Headquarters in New York because the Trump Administration denied him entry into the United
States. Well, our Jerusalem Bureau Chief, Oren Liebmann, and our International Diplomatic Editor, Nic Robertson, back with me this hour.
They've been listening in to what Mahmoud Abbas had to say. Let's kick off with you Oren. What did you make of what you just heard?
LIEBERMANN: Quite the similar speech to the one that Mahmoud Abbas made just a few days ago as part of the French Saudi Summit in support of a two-
state solution. He hit a lot of the same points, and perhaps this is no surprise. He began effectively by condemning Israel's conduct in the war in
Gaza, talking about more than 65,000 Palestinians who have been killed in Israeli strikes.
The humanitarian crisis unfolding there, and calling on the world to step in. But from that point, and he did this in his speech a couple of days
ago. He condemned the Hamas terror attack of October 7th, the killing and kidnapping of Israeli civilians.
END
