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James Comey, in Court for Arraignment on Federal Charges, Pleads Not Guilty; Day Three of Gaza Ceasefire Talks in Egypt; Hamas Demands Release of High-Profile Palestinian Prisoner; Gazans Share Impact of War on Their Lives; Turkish Intelligence Chief Helping Mediate Gaza Talks. Aired 10- 10:45a ET

Aired October 08, 2025 - 10:00   ET

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

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): And wherever you're watching in the world, a very warm welcome to the second hour of the show from our Middle

East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson, time just after 6 in the evening here and we are following two major stories for

you this hour.

Former FBI director James Comey currently being arraigned in federal court. The first major instance of U.S. president Trump following through on

something he has long vowed to do, prosecute his political foes.

And a diplomatic show of force in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt, for these Gaza ceasefire talks, including president Trump's key advisers, Steve Witkoff,

and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, raising hopes of progress toward a deal.

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ANDERSON: Well, federal court convening this hour in Alexandria in Virginia for the arraignment of James Comey, the former FBI director, in

court for the first time since his indictment on two charges.

He is accused of lying in past testimony in Congress. The Department of Justice homing in on Comey after an all-caps directive from president

Trump, railing against Comey and other political foes and ordering attorney general Pam Bondi to go after them.

While those proceedings get underway, let unpack both the legal and political components of this case.

CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams with us this hour, along with good friend of this show, CNN Politics senior reporter Stephen Collinson. Good to have

you both on board.

Elliot, let's start with you. Lay out the case that has been brought against Comey, if you will, and what we should expect to unfold in court

today.

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Sure. So, no problem, Becky. Jim Comey has been accused of making false statements in connection with testimony

that he gave a few years ago in connection with the investigations into Donald Trump's alleged misconduct and back in 2020, around the 2020

election.

Now he's charged with two things here, one of making a false statement to Congress, knowingly making a statement that he knew to be a lie and,

separately, to obstructing a congressional proceeding by engaging in behavior that, corruptly, which is what the law says, corruptly sought to

get in the way of Congress.

Now that's the -- they're quite simple charges in the grand scheme of American law. But the far bigger and more consequential question here are

all of these vast political questions that surround them.

This idea of an American president having quite specifically targeted or identified his political opponents for prosecution is something that causes

a great degree of alarm among many people in America. And that's going to be looming over the case. And some of that may even come up in court today.

ANDERSON: And just to get our viewers bang up to date, we have just -- I've just been told that Comey has pled not guilty and is asking for a jury

trial.

And to remind our viewers, there are no cameras in court. These are federal proceedings.

What do you make of that new information?

WILLIAMS: I think we could all have been quite certain that Jim Comey was going to plead not guilty, simply because that's, you know, he's been --

he's asserted his innocence. He made a direct-to-camera video that he put on the internet the night the charges came down, saying that he intended to

contest his innocence along the way.

Now to be clear, a few of the things that that we've talked about here are rights that all defendants in the United States possess, like, number one,

the right to plead not guilty and the right to a jury trial. That's right out of what's called the 6th Amendment to the Constitution in the United

States.

And Americans know that quite well. So he a lot of what we will see today are just very ministerial, almost, rights; the advising him of the charges

against him, telling him what his rights are and laying out what the next few months will look like as he proceeds through this proceeding.

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ANDERSON: Right. OK. Thank you.

Stephen, this is a moment in time, of course. Trump criminally prosecuting his political enemy and he is firmly standing his ground. Have a listen to

this exchange with CNN's Kaitlan Collins on Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: Are you worried that your own statements, calling for his prosecution, could help him, actually, in his defense of

this case?

TRUMP: No. I think he's a crooked guy. He's a dirty cop.

I'm allowed to do that, if I wanted to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Talk to us about the gravity of this moment. Stephen.

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think Elliot put his finger on it there when he said that this is a key moment because this

is a President of the United States singling out a political opponent for prosecution.

Trump came out and called for this indictment. And then three days later, lo and behold, Comey was indicted. So he is a very, you know, influential

and historic figure in the United States.

After all, this is the former head of the FBI being indicted and showing up to court to plead not guilty to a crime. So that, in itself, is

extraordinary.

And then there's this feeling about, well, the president is weaponizing his power to target his political opponents, which is not something we've seen

generally in the United States but is the tool often of authoritarian leaders abroad.

I think this case actually helps us trace the arc of Trumpism itself. It was a few -- it was right at the beginning of the Trump first term that

Trump, according to Comey, asked for his loyalty as the head of the FBI.

That is the start of the erosion of the standards in the in the Justice Department that we saw on display yesterday in Washington, when Pam Bondi,

the attorney general, put on an extraordinary performance of defiance and contempt in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

So this is not just about one case. I think it's about the destruction of standards that we've come to expect from Justice in the United States.

ANDERSON: Yes, fascinating.

Elliot, Comey says he is intent on fighting this case in court and is confident that he will win.

How strong is his case as you understand it?

WILLIAMS: It's less a question of how strong his case is and the number of issues that that come with the government's case.

And just to back up for international viewers, in American law, the defendant, the person who's charged with the crime, does not actually have

to prove anything. It is entirely 100 percent on the government to establish the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. And that's the language.

Now the big challenge for the prosecution here legally is that they have to establish not just that Jim Comey made a false statement to Congress but

that he knew it was a false statement at the time he made it and still went ahead and made it anyway.

That's far harder than it might sound, because you have to get inside a defendant's head.

And did he write down that he knew he was lying?

Did he tell someone that he knew he was lying?

Or was he merely confused?

Or was there merely a difference of opinion?

And if there's confusion or just a difference of opinion with another witness, that is simply not grounds to convict someone of making a false

statement. And so it was really the big challenge here. So that's the legal question.

And then there's the far broader, let's call it, political question. There are reasons that Jim Comey can seek to have this indictment thrown out,

starting with the fact that, as Stephen had noted, the president has made a series of on-the-record statements about targeting Jim Comey for

prosecution.

Texting a message to the attorney general of the United States, directing or at least asking or at least hinting strongly at wanting Jim Comey to be

prosecuted.

Comey could then go -- Comey can now go into court and say that the charges against him are illegitimate because of the fact that the president of the

United States has, in effect, put his thumb on the scale toward getting Jim Comey prosecuted.

So there are a few different avenues. Some of them are procedure but some of them just are on the law and how hard it is to prove these cases that

might make this, you know, a case where it's not out of the question that Comey walks away here.

ANDERSON: Just hearing that the request has been for a trial in January.

Is that quicker than you would expect?

Slower than you would expect?

What do you make of the timing?

WILLIAMS: No, it's not so. So back to the -- back to the United States Constitution. The explicit language in the Constitution, back to the 6th

Amendment to the Constitution, is that all -- everyone in the United States, regardless, is entitled to a speedy trial.

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Now in the United States, that tends to be 70 to 90 to 100 days. It varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. This court, where Comey is charged, it's

in Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., a few miles from where I'm seated right now. They tend to put things to trial around 70 or 80 days.

And so it really doesn't shock me that, you know, trial two or three months out would be unreasonable. Now again, sometimes those dates get moved,

depending on what happens in the trial. But that's not a remarkable fact.

ANDERSON: Yes. Good to have you.

Stephen, look, I mean, you know, we have been discussing for some time, when you've been on this show, the wider story of Donald Trump using the

law to go after his perceived opponents.

To that end, he has just posted on Truth Social, quote, "Chicago mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers. Governor Pritzker

also."

That, of course, is the Illinois governor.

How concerning do you find that post?

COLLINSON: Well, it's concerning in that you have a, again, a president calling for the jailing of his political opponents. Obviously, a lot of

this is being done for political effect. There's no legal proceeding against either people named in this post. It doesn't seem like there's any

reason for one, either.

But the administration has said that it will use all of its powers to go against political opponents who do stand in the way of its deportation

drive. We've seen judges and officials, local officials arrested at some of these customs enforcement facilities. So it is part of a troubling pattern.

And let it be said that there are troops from elsewhere in the United States and National Guard, troops from Illinois massing even as we speak,

as the president attempts to send troops into Chicago to what he says is to protect customs and enforcement officers.

The president himself has been speaking about invoking the Insurrection Act, which would be an extreme measure, to use forces in law enforcement,

which is normally not allowed under the law. So these are very authoritarian echoes.

And it's clearly a political attempt by the administration to put teeth behind its deportation drive. I think, as always with Trump, you have to

make a distinction between what actually happens.

And his rhetoric in the Comey case, why it's so different, as we were saying, is because his rhetoric was followed through. So I think that the

moment to get alarmed in Chicago is if the president breaks the law or unlocks emergency presidential powers that are not merited by the situation

on the ground.

ANDERSON: To both of you, thank you.

And let me just wrap up what we know at this point. We've just heard the trial date is now set for January the 5th. It is expected to last two to

three days. The former FBI director, accused of lying in testimony to Congress in 2020, he has -- he being James Comey -- has pled not guilty to

charges in federal court.

He was arraigned at just about 10 minutes ago. More on that as we get it.

Day three of talks to end the war in Gaza are underway in Egypt amid reports of progress over the first two days. But at this point, it is

unclear if negotiators can persuade Israel and Hamas to make compromises needed on both sides to reach a deal.

Talks could be getting a jump start with the arrival of U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and president Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, now

attending what is described as an expanded meeting. Egyptian media report Israel's chief negotiator Ron Dermer is also there now.

These talks have raised hopes in Gaza for an end to the war and in Israel for a release of the hostages. But the fighting goes on, with another eight

Palestinians killed and dozens more injured in Gaza over the past day, according to health officials there. Nic Robertson back with us this hour.

Nic, you are in Cairo, keeping a close eye on what is going on there in Sharm el-Sheikh between Kushner and Witkoff from the American side,

Israel's Ron Dermer, the Qatari prime minister and foreign minister and the Turkish intelligence chief, all in Sharm el-Sheikh.

[10:15:00]

That is a show of force there.

And suggests what, do you believe, about where these talks stand at this point?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, I think it is clearly maximum pressure on Hamas that there are things that they're not going to

get that they want. But also it's within the wit of some of those in the room to make the concessions to get Hamas on board.

What we're hearing and what Hamas is putting out publicly is that they want president Trump to guarantee that Israel won't go back to war if they hand

over all the hostages, because they've always viewed them as leverage. Without those, Hamas has nothing to bargain with, if you will. So there's

that.

Now president Trump hasn't gone that route before. And that was something that I understood was an issue back in July. They're also asking this

question has come up before as well for a very important Palestinian figure to be released prisoner, Marwan Barghouti, not Hamas Fatah (ph).

And that's been a red line for Israel because it's such a unifying and potential real leadership figure for the Palestinians. That's been a red

line for the Israelis before.

How do these people in the room deal with those questions?

They can certainly go some distance.

But can Ron Dermer really cross a line that prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been unwilling to do before and could be -- bring the

political downfall of Benjamin Netanyahu back at home?

It seems unlikely. So there must be, one assumes, because the momentum is there and they are in the room, that there are other things that they can

bring to the table. Hamas has been told it must get rid of its weapons.

OK, maybe you build that into the mechanism of how that happens; decommissioning that, they have no political future. That seems so unlikely

from Hamas' perspective, an organization that's built itself up, evolved to where it is over more than 40 years. And that seems unlikely.

But the fact these people are in the room means that this is perhaps the best chance so far. And certainly, from a regional perspective, the way

that Israel was perceived to escalate the conflict in the region by striking at Hamas residents inside of Qatar, really has focused minds.

But can it deliver?

And that's where we're at.

ANDERSON: I want to focus in on Hamas demanding that Israel release Marwan Barghouti, the prominent Palestinian leader who has been imprisoned for two

decades.

I spoke to his son in August when video surfaced of far-right minister Ben- Gvir taunting Barghouti in jail. At the time, mediators were also trying to push toward a ceasefire deal and Barghouti's name was in the mix. Listen to

his son's thoughts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARAB BARGHOUTI, SON OF MARWAN BARGHOUTI: Yes. Yes, we are very positive that my father will be released. And we think that it's time. I want

everyone to understand that my father represents a really positive force toward the stability of the region.

He's someone who, like the reason why he is the most popular leader is because, first of all, he is a unifying figure. And we Palestinians really

need unity. And I could argue that unity will contribute into the security of and the stability of the region.

The second thing is that his political vision aligns perfectly with the international community, which is the two-state solution, which it has

supported for decades now. And also people in Palestine, we appreciate and really value the leaders that actually sacrifice for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Nic, just explain Barghouti's significance as the possible leader of a Palestinian state and why Israel is opposed.

ROBERTSON: Look, he potentially is a unifying figure; brings consensus that would certainly require compromise across all Palestinian factions and

political groups to rally behind him.

But prime minister Netanyahu, in a way, has thrived because Palestinian political front has been fractured. You know, Hamas has thrived in Gaza at

the expense of Fatah. Barghouti is from Fatah.

The fact that Israel is united to a degree, although that unity right now, because of the war, is really in question. But Israel has always had this

united vision of itself and its own survival.

If Barghouti were released and brought a unity to the Palestinian position and cause, that would be much more problematic for prime minister

Netanyahu, many of those in his government.

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It's something that that would almost be an anathema into the way that it's handled the Palestinians before; having them divided less of a threat,

easier to deal with.

There would certainly be the expectation from the region as well that, if Barghouti offers that unity, then this is perhaps part of the pathway that

everyone talks about to realizing Palestinian statehood, although many people just don't believe that that can happen.

But that, again, is something that prime minister Netanyahu has said that he is diametrically opposed to, that there should not be a Palestinian

state. So Barghouti, in a way, represents the worst would -- could represent the worst of Netanyahu's fears.

Someone who can unite the Palestinian cause as the Israeli cause is having greater difficulty remaining united than it has done previously. And, of

course, people blame prime minister Netanyahu that the optics for the war emerging in the first place was because he was he was sowing disunity among

Israelis.

ANDERSON: Good to have you in Cairo, Nic, monitoring those talks in Sharm el-Sheikh.

Let's bring in Jeremy Diamond now.

Ron Dermer, Benjamin Netanyahu's key advisor, is now in what is being called this expanded meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh. Just break down what the

Israeli position is for us as we understand it at present and the -- what we don't know if there's a red line at this point.

But this issue of who these prisoners will be, who are included in this exchange, very specifically Marwan Barghouti.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, specifically as it relates to Marwan Barghouti, I think the chances are quite low that the

Israelis agree to actually release him for many of the reasons that Nic just laid out.

And in addition to that, a spokesman for Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far right national security minister in Israel, said that Ben-Gvir had received

assurances from Netanyahu that there would be no release of what he called symbolic prisoners from Israeli prisons. And Marwan Barghouti is certainly

at the very top of the list of those symbolic prisoners.

And, of course, there is the issue that Nic mentioned of, you know, the way in which he could potentially unite the Palestinian cause, unify it in a

way that would, you know, pose a threat to Netanyahu and his right wing allies vision of preventing a Palestinian state from ever coming into

existence.

Now beyond the issue of prisoners, which, as I understand, is the issue that is being dealt with right now, with Hamas presenting their list of the

-- of the prisoners that they would like to see released. And Israel then set to respond.

You know, the reason why Ron Dermer is there, the reason why he is -- has been put in charge of this delegation is because he has Benjamin

Netanyahu's closest advisor.

And at the end of the day, many of these issues in terms of, you know, the red lines that may need to be crossed or how firm to stand on certain

issues, these are all going to be political decisions very closely tied to the Israeli prime minister's own strategic decision making going forward.

And so Ron Dermer can certainly speak for the prime minister and be in direct communication with him about those various red lines.

You know, one of the issues that's clearly surfacing in these negotiations is the withdrawal lines for the Israeli military during the first stage of

this agreement.

As those 48 hostages would be released, the map that the United States has presented with Israel's agreement represents some of the deepest lines of

Israeli control that have ever been presented.

And Hamas is certainly in the process of seeking changes to that map. And so we'll see whether the Israelis are going to be willing to show some

flexibility on that issue.

You know, I can tell you that, from the Israeli point of view, they want to see these negotiations wrapped up as quickly as possible.

And we have seen this effort from both Israel and the United States to really put as much pressure as possible on this situation, to make it clear

that that these talks cannot last for weeks, that they want them done in a matter of days. And we just don't know yet whether that will be the case.

But I can certainly tell you that the amount of muscle, diplomatic muscle that the United States is putting behind this, signaling to all the players

in the region that this is the time to end the war, this is the time to bring all of the hostages back.

That is certainly, you know, the number one factor here in pushing things along, perhaps to a successful conclusion.

ANDERSON: Yes. Fascinating. All right. Good to have you. You're reporting from Tel Aviv there and Cairo.

Well, away from the politics and diplomacy, the people of Gaza are in a day-to-day struggle to stay alive. Here at CNN, we want to bring you some

of their stories as we look at the impact this war has had on families up and down the territory.

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ANDERSON (voice-over): This is Mahmoud Nabil Faraj (ph), before the war. And in July, he told CNN, quite simply, these are the hardest days we've

ever lived. Before the war, he owned a grocery store. Now his family survive on one meal a day. He and his wife often skipping even that so

their kids can eat.

And this is Mohammed Matar, a graphic designer. He says he and his family always used to have enough to eat and drink. Now he, too, skips meals so

that his son can eat in the morning before going to kindergarten.

Despite this sacrifice, both his kids, aged 2 and 4, are suffering from malnutrition. And Mohammed has so little energy he can no longer carry a

bucket of water up a flight of stairs.

And to read more about their stories and other Gazans living throughout this war, do head to the website, cnn.com.

I'm back after this.

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ANDERSON: Well, we've got breaking news as the James Comey arraignment comes to a close today. What we understand is that James Comey plans to ask

the judge to throw out charges, claiming that these charges were, and I quote him, "brought by president Trump."

We are getting a little bit more about what happened in an arraignment, which was, of course, in a federal courthouse and therefore without cameras

inside. Let me bring back CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams.

Elliot, what do you make of what we are hearing?

WILLIAMS: I am wholly unsurprised by Jim Comey moving to dismiss the indictment on those grounds. And we could have anticipated it; one, based

on his own statements, he put out an internet, you know, like an Instagram video soon after the charges, indicating that he planned to fight and

contest this all the way.

But, two, it's quite obvious to many of us who observe the law that the president's own statements have complicated this prosecution for the

government. The simple fact is the president is on the record on social media saying how much he wants Jim Comey to be prosecuted.

Identifying the attorney general of the United States, Pam Bondi, by name, and not even in these last few weeks, President Trump has issued critical

statements of Jim Comey for years, at this point, calling him a "dirty cop" and other such names. And so it's really not surprising.

Now the basis that Jim Comey will have for throwing out the indictment is on the -- that he was selectively prosecuted; that other individuals who

might have committed the same offense would not have been charged with crimes but for the bias or malice that led to his prosecution.

And again, like I said, Becky, the mere fact of all these statements that the president has made has really made it a strong case for Comey to at

least ask the court to throw it out, even if the court doesn't agree to it.

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ANDERSON: Well, prosecutors do not request Comey's detention or any special conditions of release. We are looking at live pictures from outside

that courthouse in Alexandria in Virginia.

What do you make of the federal prosecution team so far as experience is concerned?

The other question, I think is worth asking, is what do you make of the defense and the judge in this case?

Let's start with the prosecution team here.

WILLIAMS: Well, the prosecution is facing some personnel challenges. They're -- the office that is bringing the case, it's like, as I mentioned

earlier in the program, the Eastern District of Virginia. It's a very prestigious prosecutor's office just outside of Washington, D.C.

It handles -- because the Pentagon is there. And so it ends up handling a lot of complex national security questions and military issues that come

their way.

But -- and many exceptionally skilled prosecutors are -- the problem is that the rank-and-file career prosecutors in the office had serious

concerns about this prosecution and put in memoranda to the leadership of the office, saying that they just did not think that the evidence was there

to sustain a conviction of anybody in the case.

So they felt strongly about it. And I understand that the office has had a really hard time finding people who are willing to try the case. And we do

know now, Becky, that they've gone to -- outside of the district to find other prosecutors.

They've brought in prosecutors from a neighboring state, North Carolina, to bring the case, because they simply just don't have personnel who are

willing to do it. They don't want to risk their own professional integrity by bringing a prosecution that's just not great or supported by law.

So, yes. So, you know, it's -- oh, and last point about the prosecution, Lindsey Halligan, the head of the office, who was just put in that role a

few weeks ago because the person before was terminated from the role or asked to leave the role because he didn't want to bring this case.

So the Trump administration is doing everything they can to install people who will bring this prosecution almost with a personal fervor to get it

done. And that's leading to staffing complications in the office.

ANDERSON: Michael Nachmanoff, the judge overseeing James Comey's case, just a snippet of information here, this is a guy who is a black belt in

karate and in a type of karate, which, you know, if you're good at it, which he obviously is, means you have to be incredibly patient and

incredibly calm, apparently.

What do you know about him?

WILLIAMS: Well, he's got an exceptional career as a litigator and jurist. He was a partner at a small law firm for quite some time before going on

and being a public defender. So he's worked in criminal defense for quite some time.

He also has been a judge since 2015. He was first put on the bench by President Obama. So this is -- you know, the idea of high profile and

difficult litigation would be nothing new to the judge.

He's a respected jurist and someone who, even if put on the bench by President Obama, which is the kind of thing that president Trump will

certainly complain about. But this is someone with truly unimpeachable credentials as a lawyer, litigator, defense attorney but also judge.

ANDERSON: It is a type of karate known as shotokan fudokan karate. Emphasizes the need to remain calm under pressure.

We love a factoid on this show.

It's good to have you, Elliot. And look, the gathered reporters and cameramen there outside the court in Alexandria in Virginia. We are

expecting to hear from the prosecution and defense teams, one assumes. And so, you know, we'll get our viewers more on that as and when we get it.

It's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.

You are, folks, watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Turkiye's president says Donald Trump asked him to help get Hamas on board with the Gaza peace talks. Up

next, expert insight on what looks like Turkiye's growing strategic role. More on that after this.

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[10:35:00]

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ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Your headlines this hour.

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ANDERSON (voice-over): And former FBI director James Comey has pleaded not guilty to federal charges related to past testimony that he gave in

Congress. Comey vowed to fight the charges, which were brought by the U.S. Department of Justice on the orders of president Trump. The judge set his

trial date for January the 5th.

Flights are being delayed across the U.S. right now amid a shortage of air traffic controllers. A number of staff have been calling out sick since the

government shutdown began last week, despite being considered essential employees. Their union denies it is coordinated action.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and president Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner are in Egypt. They are attending what is being called an

expanded meeting aimed at ending the war in Gaza. Sources talking about progress on the third day of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas.

ANDERSON: Well, Turkiye playing a strategic role in these talks. And for more insight, I'm joined now by Asli Aydintasbas, who's director of the

Turkiye Project and foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institute.

It's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. Turkiye's intelligence chief is among those mediating these talks.

What is Turkiye's role here?

ASLI AYDINTASBAS, DIRECTOR, TURKIYE PROJECT, AND FOREIGN POLICY FELLOW, BROOKINGS INSTITUTE: Yes, Becky, it's great to be here. And this is

unprecedented. You're right. Ibrahim Kalin is in Sharm el-Sheikh now. He has been involved over the past week in trying to get Hamas to agree to the

terms trump has laid out.

I think Turkiye's weight here is important. It's a country that has stood by the Palestinian cause but clearly wants to be on Team Trump. In other

words, Turkiye is stepping in to ask Hamas to take a leap of faith at a plan -- at a plan that does not necessarily guarantee Israeli full

withdrawal immediately.

And in return, is clearly thinking that it is able to get more of its say in regional matters, take part in Gaza's future but also have an

opportunity for a reset with the Trump administration.

It's no secret that this follows a meeting between Erdogan and Trump at the White House, which took place after Erdogan's six years of absence from

Washington,

so throughout the Biden administration. The -- Washington held Erdogan at arm's length. Now things seem to be changing and changing fast.

ANDERSON: As we understand it, Turkish President Erdogan himself said Donald Trump asked his team to convince Hamas to back the Gaza plan. But

this is what he said about the talks. Stand by.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, PRESIDENT OF TURKEY (through translator): Placing the entire burden of peace on Hamas and the Palestinians is neither a fair,

correct nor realistic approach. Currently, the greatest obstacle before the path leading to peace is Israel's attacks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:40:07]

ANDERSON: Very briefly, just how much, pressure does Turkiye have when it comes to Hamas and Israel at this point?

AYDINTASBAS: Look, Erdogan has to balance the domestic audience, which has really, really taken a very strong anti-Israeli stand. And his relations

with Trump. So he's doing that by putting the onus largely on Israel.

But make no mistake, Turkiye is there to get Hamas to convince and to fortify the Trump administration's effort. Erdogan, I think, sees that bill

gain is bigger than the reputational risks he's taking on this issue, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yes, it's good to have you. You know, I see -- I see Mr. Collins' presence there as hugely significant and potentially very

consequential. Good to have you. Thank you very much.

That's it from us. "MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST" is up next.

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