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One World with Zain Asher
Israeli Hostages Inside Gaza Now Expected To Receive Potentially Life-Saving Medicine As Part Of A Deal Brokered By France And Qatar; CNN's Paula Hancocks Presents A Timeline Of Events Starting With October 7th Hamas Terror Attacks; Families Of Hostages Held By Hamas Appeal To The U.S. Government For More Efforts In Bringing Home Their Loved Ones; Princess Of Wales Kate Middleton Recovers From Abdominal Surgery; King Charles Goes To Hospital Next Week To Undergo A Corrective Procedure For An Enlarged Prostate. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired January 17, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:23]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Hello, welcome to "One World". I'm Zain Asher coming to you live from New York.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: And live from a somewhat balmy Davos, the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, I'm Bianna Golodryga, where
world leaders have been speaking out about the situation in Israel and Gaza.
ASHER: And I'll have the very latest on all things U.S. presidential politics as a courtroom in New York takes center stage on the campaign
trail. We begin though with some top news.
Israeli hostages who have languished inside Gaza for more than three months are now expected to receive potentially life-saving medicine as part of a
deal brokered by France and Qatar.
The agreement also includes more humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians. It is important to note that the Qatari ministry is saying that
it is unclear. They don't know yet when the medicine and aid are expected to reach Gaza but this is the first breakthrough agreement between Israel
and Hamas since the collapse of that humanitarian truce more than a month ago.
At least 45 hostages are said to be in urgent need of medication in Gaza. Nic Robertson joins us live now from northern Israel with the latest here.
Nic, what more do we know?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, two of the hostages are being held are children. Not clear with the medicines for
them. And some of the over a hundred hostages that are being held that are still alive, at least, are elderly, some into their 60s, 70s, and beyond.
So, there's concern that some of those will have been and are understood to have been on important, ongoing medical treatments that require regular
medicine that they haven't been getting. So, there's been a huge amount of pressure on the Israeli government, not just to get the hostages back, but
to make sure that the medicines can get through to them. That has been a real push and drive by the families.
They also, of course, want the International Committee for the Red Cross to be able to get to see the hostages. That would also be a minimum. But it
does appear that the Qataris have been able to not only make this deal happen so far, get the medicine for these 40 plus people, and get it close
to putting it in the hands of those hostages.
I'm in northern Israel at the moment, and I just have heard a very loud detonation coming from the border area there. I'll just say that because we
heard fighter jets overhead, and that's a little bit uncommon, but there's been a little bit of uptick in interaction across the northern border of
Israel over today. But that, there's the fighter jet right now.
But that aside, it's been very important for the families of the hostages to make sure that their loved ones get the medical treatment that they are
missing at the moment. But as part of the deal, the Qataris were under pressure from Hamas to get something in return. And what they got in return
was a commitment to allow more medicine and food and humanitarian sustenance to get into Gaza for all the people there.
As we know, U.N. officials are describing the situation in Gaza for some people there as literally close to starvation and medical facilities close
to collapse. Less than half the hospitals in Gaza are working. The daily death toll continues to climb -- every day. And this, of course, is
something that Hamas wanted as a quid pro quo for letting this medicine through. But as you say, it's not clear yet that the medicine has actually
made it to the hostages themselves. And getting that information may be really tough because the International Committee for the Red Cross, the
sort of global standard for prisoners, they haven't been able to see the hostages yet.
ASHER: And Nic, since you obviously are in northern Israel and you were just sort of talking about some of the noise you were hearing overhead, we
do know that Israel has carried out intense strikes -- intense strikes in southern Lebanon. Obviously, there are so many fears just in terms of an
escalation on the northern border there. Just give us more context in terms of how much things have escalated over the past week or so.
ROBERTSON: I think that there is that sort of sense of escalation and there was another detonation I think I heard there in the distance. There is a
sense that the tempo has picked up. There was bad weather and the sort of number of Hezbollah strikes into Israel and the number of Israeli strikes
at Hezbollah positions inside Lebanon had dropped off.
[12:05:00]
But with the better weather yesterday and today, it does seem to have picked up again. And indeed, Hezbollah were firing a number of missiles
into the north of Israel today, another heavy detonation.
So, in that sense, the tempo is picking up. But there's also a sort of a background to that. There's that military sense that the military tempo is
picking up. But there's a real pressure from the people of this region, 80,000 people from the border region, which is a vital part of Israel's
economy producing a lot of its fruit, 80 percent of its eggs, for example.
That area of 80,000 people have been forced into evacuation. They would like to go back, but they're very concerned about what they've seen happen
in Gaza and fear that Hezbollah could come across the northern border here. And the Israeli government is saying that Hezbollah has to adhere to the
U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 after the conflict in 2006, where Hezbollah was supposed to pull its troops back about 30 kilometers north of
the border. That hasn't happened.
And indeed, we were shown houses today and shown positions literally right on the border, where civilian houses inside of Lebanon, according to
Israeli officials, are being used by Hezbollah to launch rockets at Israeli houses. And we were shown an Israeli house today that had been hit by one
of those rockets where an elderly woman and her son were killed just a few days ago.
ASHER: Yeah, as you touched upon, I think this is an important fact that the economy in northern Israel has really been tested as people have really
fled that area by the tens of thousands. Nic Robertson, live for us there. Thank you so much.
All right, the Israel-Hamas war is having ripple effects elsewhere in the region as well. Iran is stepping up attacks, launching missiles and drones
to strike Sunni militants inside Pakistan that it considers to be terrorists. Officials there say that Chuzh's attacks killed two children in
the southwestern province of Balochistan.
Pakistan's foreign ministry is warning Iran of serious consequences and has recalled its ambassador from Iran. Iran's foreign minister speaking at the
World Economic Forum in Davos defended Tehran's actions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOSSEIN AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: None of the nationals of the friendly and the brotherly country of Pakistan were targeted by the
missiles and drones of Iran. It only targeted Iranian terrorists on the soil of Pakistan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: And the latest strike comes just one day after Iran launched missiles into northern Iraq and northern Syria, as well. CNN's Paula
Hancocks has a timeline of events starting with the Hamas terror attacks, of course, on October 7th.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: To understand the very real fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East, it's useful to take a
closer look at the axis of resistance, the proxies and allies of Iran stretching from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. Now, this latest regional
tension was sparked by the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7th and Israel's subsequent war in Gaza.
The U.S. says that Hamas is funded, equipped and sometimes trained by Iran, although Tehran claimed it was not involved in the October 7th attack. Then
Iran's other proxies became involved.
October 8th, Hezbollah in Lebanon, one of the most powerful forces in the region, boasting some 100,000 fighters and links with the Lebanese
government. They fired missiles across the border into northern Israel, which Israel's military responded to. Now, this first raised concerns of a
wider conflict.
Next, on the 19th of October, the Houthi rebels in Yemen started with missile launches first against Israel. Then they changed their focus to
target commercial vessels in the Red Sea, causing global chaos in the shipping industry. U.S. and U.K. strikes against targets in Yemen have not
stopped these continued attacks.
In Iraq, there are a number of Iranian-backed militia groups that are increasingly active since the war in Gaza, targeting U.S. troops in the
country on a near daily basis. Operating under an umbrella group, the Islamic resistance in Iraq, they're united in ideology, but they are
splintered in operations, making them more challenging to target.
Finally, Syria. Iran is believed to have deployed as many as 80,000 men to support the leader Bashar al-Assad in Syria's civil war from 2011. It is
unclear how many of those men remain. After October 7th, U.S. troops have also come under drone and missile attacks here in Syria as well, with
injuries to some U.S. service members.
When it comes to all of these countries, all roads lead to Iran, which itself engaged in attacks in Iraq and Syria this week, including the
largest and most complex missile operation according to Iranian state media, reaching some 1200 kilometers or more than 740 miles, putting Israel
within its reach.
[12:10:00]
There is little to suggest at this point that Iran does actually want direct conflict with Israel or the United States, but the sheer number and
reach of its proxies engaging the U.S. and its allies inevitably sparks fears of an unintentional wider conflict. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right, let's bring in CNN Military Analyst and Retired General Wesley Clark to talk about all of this. He joins us live now from Little
Rock, Arkansas. Thank you so much for being with us.
As Paula Hancock said in her piece just there, I'm not sure if you heard it, but all roads at this point lead to Iran. Iran is launching attacks in
Western Pakistan, in Northern Iraq, in Syria, as well. How do these attacks fit into the wider fears about possible major escalation across the Middle
East right now?
WESLEY CLARK, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, I think Iran is striving to cement its role as a leader in the region. It's seeking regional hegemony.
And when the United States and Israel are there and Israel's waging this campaign against Hamas, then Iran feels the need to strike back and assert
itself.
Right now, we don't believe that Iran wants a wider war, but it's certainly flirting with one. And certainly, there are the actions of the Houthis in
particular in Yemen are quite concerning.
ASHER: Yeah, I mean, I'm glad you brought up Houthi militants there, because obviously they are another Iran proxy. And when you think about the
fact that they are showing no signs of slowing down when it comes to attacking international shipping interests in the Red Sea.
And that is despite some of the sort of strikes we've seen from the U.S. and the U.K. targeting Houthi areas in Yemen. Despite that, they've proven
to be an extremely resilient, militarily resilient group over the years. Why is that?
CLARK: Well, they've got a favorable terrain. It's a tough place to get to and they've toughened themselves over the years. I mean it's been fought
over for sixty -- seventy years -- eighty years. The Egyptians were in there in the 1960s fighting. So, there's always been conflict there.
But really, we don't have to fight the Houthis. What we have to do is take away their capability to interfere with shipping and that's a different
mission. And so, we've done the first really significant strike. We're following up. I'm sure we're building the target packages so we can go in
and we're watching them.
We've got our eyes and ears open over the region. And I'm sure we're going to go back in much more forcefully on the next seven strikes. That's the
way to deal with it. It's not about deterrence of the Houthis. It's about taking out their capabilities.
ASHER: Right, so you can sort of limit their capabilities militarily, but also we just got word that the Biden administration is now going to be
labeling the Houthis as specially designated global terrorists. That's another way for looking at this sort of political means, this sort of
limiting their capabilities, as well. However, that decision is certainly fraught with some degree of risk, especially when you consider the
humanitarian crisis that is facing ordinary civilians in Yemen.
CLARK: That's right. And we've had our severe humanitarian crisis for several years, brought on by the fighting that the Saudis did with the
Yemenis. But we have got to go after the assets that affect the shipping. So, putting the terrorist designation on, that helps us restrict financial
flows. We have got to also restrict the shipping flows.
Now, we've got publicly acknowledged we have got one DAO that was carrying missile parts and ammunition from Iran into Yemen. So, we've got to do more
of that at-sea interception. We've got to trace those vessels from their origin in Iran.
And we've got to take them down, along with the assets that are on-shore in Yemen. If we do that, we're not interfering with the humanitarian issues
there. That can continue. What we need to do is take out the capabilities they have to interfere with the maritime activities going around Aden.
ASHER: All right, General Wesley Clark, thank you so -- I can see behind you that you're in an airport. It looks as though you're in an airport. So,
I appreciate you joining us despite your clearly very busy schedule. General Wesley Clark, live for us there.
CLARK: Thank you.
ASHER: Thank you so much.
CLARK: Thank you so much.
ASHER: And I want to hand things back to my colleague, Bianna Golodryga in Davos. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: That was lot of multi-tasking by the General. Not only answering your sharp questions, but also --
ASHER: And the plane's overhead behind him.
GOLODRYGA: -- he's on camera and in an airport, of all places.
[12:15:00]
ASHER: Yes, exactly.
GOLODRYGA: Well, coming up from Davos, major health updates on two British Royals. Kate Williams, CNN's Royal Historian, will join us from London up
next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: -- on Capitol Hill asking for continued support to bring their loved ones home. You are looking at Jon Polin, whose son Hersch was one of
those hostages taken on October 7th. Let's listen in.
(LIVE COVERAGE BEGINS)
JON POLIN, SON HERSCH TAKEN BY HAMAS: After having his left arm, his dominant arm blown off. And I'll show -- this is the last picture I have of
Hirsch. That bone sticking out is where his left arm used to be. For 103 days, my wife, Rachel, and I have received minimal information on Hersch.
We don't even know if he's alive.
There are still 136 hostages, including eight Americans, two of whom we now know have been killed, being held by Hamas. It is believed that close to 30
of the hostages are no longer alive.
We know the kinds of condition the hostages are being held in. Many have been gravely injured, like Hersch. They're suffering abuse, sexual
violence, starvation, and dehydration. Many need medical care. Hersch is in dire need of medical care.
It is unconscionable that hostages like Hersch were taken severely injured and have not received medical attention from international aid
organizations, including the ICRC, which receives over $600 million a year in funding from the United States government and whose citizens in this
conflict have seen no benefit from those funds.
In 103 days of captivity, while war leaders work toward a deal to secure the hostage release, international aid organizations must be permitted to
offer medical care to the hostages. The announcement now that medicines will be brought in to some hostages after 103 days is not enough.
Hersch is far more than a hostage. He's an avid traveler known for his curiosity and his wanderlust. An American citizen born in California,
raised in Virginia. He had a ticket for December 27th to spend a year traveling the world. He could be your brother, your son, your nephew, your
loved one.
Many senators in this room have been to Israel since October 7th. They've witnessed the devastation brought by Hamas attacks. I applaud the
bipartisan efforts that we're seeing today and the efforts of the Biden administration to date. But we need to do more.
After 103 days of our loved ones in captivity, it's clear we are failing. A hundred and three days is 103 days too many and we are running out of time.
The hostages are running out of time.
I've briefly shared Hersh's story here to raise awareness for him and the other 135 hostages, including five living Americans, we hope. But it's day
103 and we must be beyond the state of awareness. This is an emergency that requires action. And as Americans, we expect the United States, the
greatest superpower in the history of the world, to use its full power to secure the hostages' release. This includes making sure that all partners
in the region make this a top priority.
[12:20:00]
And that includes those who maintain close ties with Hamas. Every minute that goes by is one minute closer to death for our loved ones. I implore
you. Bring all of the hostages home now.
UNKNOWN: We'll now hear from Yarden Gonen, sister of Romy.
YARDEN GONEN, SISTER OF HOSTAGE HELD IN GAZA: Hi everyone, and thank you so much for being here and making this happen. On October 7th, I woke up to
the sound of Siri calling my sister's name at 6:40 A.M. At first, I ignored the phone call, but within a second, I got myself together and answered.
Romy, my little sister, is calling me so early in the morning while she's in a music festival? I suddenly understood that something must not be okay.
My name is Yarden Gonen, and just as a side note, like Senator Schumer said, Gonen in Hebrew is protect. And my little sister, Romy, only 23 years
old, went to the Nova Music Festival. Instead of having the time of her life, celebrating love, peace, freedom, and friendship, she was the victim
of unimaginable hate, torture, and pure evil. After she saw her best friend murdered in front of her eyes, she was forcefully kidnapped by Hamas
terrorists into Gaza. That was 103 days ago. Let that sink in.
Holomi, our private sunshine, the heart of our family, the one who connects us all together is at the hands of merciless terrorists. Back to that early
October 7th. Romy, is everything is okay? I answered her, actually, no, she answered. I need your help. There are a lot of missiles being fired. I'm
scared to death. And this is an open air festival. There is no shelter to go to. One hundred three days, no daylight. Have you gotten to the car?
Yes, she answered. But we're stuck in a traffic jam. For one moment, I was thankful she had reached to her car, hearing her friend Gaya, who was next
to her speaking to her father on the phone. A second later, Romy said, Gaya, why are these people running towards us? Why are those people
screaming? Trying to understand the situation, I told her to open up the window. And together, we heard shooting around them and shouts of, get out
of the car. There are terrorists. Run for your lives.
One hundred and three days ago. No daylight. No fresh water. Out of breath, she's panting and tells me, we're hiding inside a bush. Okay, are you with
Gaya? Don't leave her no matter what. I told her, while hearing enormous and non-stop shooting around them. Are you guys okay? Can you see them? Can
they see you? Are there any police around you? Yes, she whispered. There are one policeman here.
Okay, good, amazing. Stay with Gaya, don't leave her no matter what. And Romy told me, it's not okay. There is only one policeman, and there are too
many. But don't worry, I'm with Gaya. She's lowering her voice. Who else is with you? I asked. Do you feel safe? Do you see them? Be quiet, please.
They will hear you. She answered. So, I froze.
One hundred and three days, no daylight, no fresh water, no food. Ben came to rescue us, she called me to say. And we got 10 minutes of hope. Ben
picked her --Gaya, and another man, name of fear, from the area, trying to rescue them from the hands of the terrorists. Ten minutes of grace. That's
all they have had. And then Romy called my mother. Mom, we were ambushed. They were shooting at us. Ben is most likely dead. Gaya was shot and she's
not responding. Ophir is wounded badly.
[12:25:00]
I was shot on my arm. If no one will come quickly, I'll be dead. The entire conversation was 40 minutes. A phone call that ended with my sister. My
beautiful, amazing, gentle, caring, and loving little sister being kidnapped into Gaza by cruel terrorists after she saw her best friend
murdered in front of her eyes. One hundred and three days, no daylight, no fresh water, no food, no air.
My sister has asthma and chronic sinusitis. She needs her inhaler in order to breathe properly. We can only imagine how she's struggling, gasping for
air wherever she's held underground. Can you grasp the feeling of fighting to breathe? Such a basic need.
One hundred and three days, no privacy. Can you imagine sleeping, going to the bathroom, changing your clothes when someone is watching you every
move. It's not only that you're in control of someone else in your daily basic needs, it's also the fear from every move, every breath, every word
could be the one that will lead to another sexual abuse, to another threat on your life, another rape.
As a woman -- women, we understand the feeling of insecurity when we walk alone at night. When someone is walking behind us. They fear they could gag
your mouth, drag you into a quiet corner, and do whatever they want, where no one can hear you. Imagine how it feels like, not in your own street of
your hometown, but in the hands of terrorists for 103 days.
We don't need to imagine anymore. We have too many testimonies from the hostages that -- was released. One hundred and three days of horrible pain
in her body, of her bleeding gunshot wound, of her paralyzed hand barely moving her fingers, suffering from every movement. Do you think anyone over
there cares for her pain?
I miss my little sister so, so much. I miss her laugh. I miss her smile. I miss the way she's lighting up the room when she enters. I miss hearing her
troubles. I miss helping her when she needs advice. I miss her hugs. I miss her crushing on my couch. I miss our Sundays when we go dancing together. I
miss her presence in my life.
Gaya, Ben, Ophir and another 1300 will never get those moments again. But my Romy has a chance to win her life back. My little sister, the best human
being on Earth, is still alive and she needs our help. What can she do to help herself? I'm asking you. Nothing. She's trapped in this situation for
103 days. What can we do to help her? Everything.
You have the power, the mandate, and the leverage to prevent any more harm, to stop this barbaric cruelty of the Hamas terror organization, to help
with the release of all those innocent people that got trapped into this horror.
I'd like to end my remarks with this. You are all lawmakers of the most powerful country in the world, a beacon of democracy, a defender of civil
and human rights. Please, with this great power comes great responsibility. I ask you, please do everything you can to get our hostages home where they
deserve to be. This is a violation of international law, basic human rights, and quite simply a win for global terrorism if we don't get them
back now.
On a personal note, you all represent many Americans from all different walks of life. You're also fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters to
someone. I think everyone can agree, both on this Committee and across this great nation, that if it was their sister in the dark tunnel, subjected to
abuse and brutality at the hands of pure evil, they would do anything in their power to bring their sisters back.
[12:30:00]
One hundred and three days. They're running out of time. We are running out of time. But we are not running out of hope. Please bring Romy and another
135 human beings home. Thank you.
UNKNOWN: When you hear what the hostages have gone through and are going through, we can and must do more. We'll now hear from Orna Neutra, mother
of Omer.
ORNA NEUTRA, MOTHER OF HOSTAGE TAKEN BY HAMAS: My name is Orna Neutra. I'm the mother of Omer Neutra, a New Yorker, an Israeli-American abducted on
October 7th and has been held hostage in Gaza since with no sign of life. We are at day 103 since our son Omer was captured by Hamas and the world
continues to spin.
Omer, 22 years old, is described by his friends as warm-hearted and caring, fun, the goofy guy that brings people together and always sees the good in
them. Everyone is better in his presence. To me, he's my boy and my heart is broken as I think about what he's been going through. There's a huge
hole in our family and with on all the communities he's formed around him in his young life.
The same is true for a Edan Alexander, whose parents are here with us today. Edan is deeply missed by his younger sister and brother and the
community in Tanafly, New Jersey who anxiously wait for his return.
It is also true for the Khen family. Ruby Khen, the father of Itai, is with us here now. Itai is a Boy Scout, an NBA fan, a mentor to young kids who
are lost without him. It has been over a month since we met with President Biden, who showed much compassion and encouraged us to keep up the hope.
We're trying really hard to keep up hope.
But at no point in our lives so far have hope and prayer of themselves without action ever yielded results. So, we do what we know. We travel the
world, we met with leaders and people of influence, we've spoken in huge rallies and on the media more times than one could ever imagine. We speak
in the name of those who cannot speak for themselves.
A week ago today, we stood on the border with Gaza, so close to Omer. We screamed his name through youth speakers, hoping that in some way, somehow,
he might hear us and know that we're fighting for him. We asked him to stay strong. We shouted that we're coming for him. We told him that we loved
him. And we urged him not to lose hope.
But so far, we have failed our son. We and the whole civilized world have failed the 136 remaining hostages, among them children, women, men,
injured, elderly people. They are all still held in Gaza at gunpoint, in an endless underground maze of tunnels.
We know that the IDF has found cages that were used to hold hostages. We've heard about torture and abuse. No human being should be held captive
underground in those hostile conditions for one day, let alone over 100 days. I still find it hard to believe that this is our reality.
Just a regular anonymous family from Long Island, I've been asked whether this was my son's dream to join the IDF. No. Omer dreams of becoming a
doctor one day. It is no one's dream to have to protect their country from heinous attacks, such as the one Israel suffered on October 7th.
[12:35:00]
It was my son's sense of duty and love for his family that put him in that position. He, nor anyone else had anticipated the insanity that ensued on
that day and every day since. Our sons have so much yet to give to the world. We must do everything possible to bring them back. Any deal put
forward must include them all.
These boys could be your boys. They must be brought home. They cannot be treated as a last priority. They cannot be overlooked. We're grateful to
all the leaders supporting us, but after 103 days, they must do more. Whether it's Israel, the U.S., Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, other global
leaders must do everything to get them out now. Their lives depend on it.
(LIVE COVERAGE ENDS)
GOLODRYGA: All right, we've been listening to the gut-wrenching testimony of three of the 136 family members that are going on day 103 now without
their loved ones. We heard from the parents just now of Omer Neutra, his mother Orna, talking about her son.
Before that, we heard from Yarden Gonen, the sister of Romy. And before Yarden, we heard from Jon Polin, the father of Hersch Goldberg Polin who's
23 years old. The other two are 23 and 22 years old, pleading before members of Congress on Capitol Hill to do more to ensure the rescue and
release of their loved ones. They're expected there in D.C. to go to the White House tomorrow. There's a delegation of these family members in New
York, as well.
And right here in Davos, I actually spoke earlier today with Hersh's mother, Rachel Goldberg-Polin. In that interview, you'll see tomorrow, she
and her husband splitting and dividing their time, making sure that world leaders, whether it's here in Davos or in Washington, D.C., do everything
they can to ensure that their loved ones are released in this coming, of course, on the day that it appears there is news about an agreement to
provide millets to provide aid, health support and medicine to some 40 of the hostages in exchange for aid for Palestinian civilians in Gaza, as
well. We will be following these developments. For now, we're going to go to break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:41:20]
ASHER: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher. Donald Trump is in a New York courtroom right now before he heads back to New Hampshire.
Earlier, the woman he assaulted, E. Jean Carroll, testified in the second damages trial against the former president. She told the court she is there
to get Trump, to stop telling lies about her.
E. Jean had already sued and won a sexual battery civil case against Trump, but this week's case is about defamation and how much in damages he must
pay. CNN's Katelyn Polantz joins us live now from New York. So, we had E. Jean Carroll on the stand today basically saying that Donald Trump didn't
just say that she was lying. He completely shattered her reputation. He threatened her. And as President, he essentially used the world's biggest
microphone to do it.
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AN JUSTICE REPORTER: That's right. Zain, this is the scene in that Manhattan courtroom. So we -- I am not there. But
there are many reporters who are in that room. There are no cameras. But E. Jean Carroll, she is still in the witness box.
She is still testifying and she is still speaking about the harm that she has felt by the things that Donald Trump said about her saying that it was
false that he had sexually assaulted her, that in fact, for this jury is the truth in this case.
And she also is speaking about how it has affected her, how her life has turned from being just a journalist, someone known as a writer to someone
she said that is now known as a liar, a fraud, a whack job. She also spoke in the witness stand, testified about violent messages she was receiving at
the same time that Donald Trump was speaking about her publicly and trying to refute the accusations she was making about him.
And so, all of this is in this courtroom at the same time that a jury, as they're watching E. Jean Carroll and they're listening to her story and her
testimony about the effect of Donald Trump and his words, they're also seeing the former president in that same way.
He's sitting just a few feet from E. Jean Carroll at the defense table, and he's shaking his head, according to the reports we're getting from our
reporters. He's also complaining to his attorneys, saying that what E. Jean Carroll is saying is false, and at one point the judge had to tell him to
keep his voice down a little so that the jury would not be hearing what he was saying to his counsel.
ASHER: Yeah, I mean, she was terrified. She talked about times when she actually thought that she was going to get shot. That's how scared she was
of some of the violent messages she was receiving. Katelyn Polantz, live for us there. Thank you so much.
All right. I want to hand back to my colleague, Bianna Golodryga, with more on the World Economic Forum in Davos. Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Zain, thank you. It was a powerful message from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken today when he addressed the World
Economic Forum here in Davos, Switzerland earlier. Blinken spoke of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and his own personal emotional response to the
situation there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: What we're seeing every single day in Gaza is gut wrenching. And the suffering we're seeing among innocent
men, women and children breaks my heart. The question is, what is to be done? We've made judgments about how we thought we could be most effective
in trying to shape this in ways to get more humanitarian assistance to people, to get better protections and minimize civilian casualties.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Blinken also addressed the region's uncertain future with a note of optimism, saying that there are opportunities that we have not seen
before.
[12:45:00]
Well, I want to bring in CNN Political and Global Affairs Analyst Barak Ravid here with me in Davos. It's your first time in Davos. A lot going on
here. And let me pick up on something else that the secretary of state said, because he said Israel needs to help a reformed Palestinian
government instead of actively opposing it.
Now, he was speaking to the audience here in Davos, but that was really a message to one person and that was Bibi Netanyahu.
BARAK RAVID, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: No doubt -- no doubt this was a message to Netanyahu. It wasn't some sort of a theoretical thing
or something for the future. He's talking about now because there are several decisions Netanyahu or that the U.S. wants Netanyahu to take.
First, immediately to release the Palestinian tax money that the Israeli government is holding. Second, to allow Palestinian workers from the West
Bank to go into Israel to work in order to alleviate the economic crisis in the West Bank that could lead to an explosion on the ground.
And third, and maybe most important, on the day after the war, the U.S. wants Netanyahu to agree that the Palestinian Authority will have a role in
future Gaza, something Netanyahu does not agree. So, all in all, Blinken is telling Bibi, you have a choice to make. Okay?
You can say no to everything but then, don't come to us and ask us to help you with getting normalization with Saudi Arabia. If you want a peace
agreement with Saudi Arabia, all of those things for the Palestinians are part and parcel of this deal.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, they've offered the carrot for a while now. Now, the stick really is coming out large. Also today, also here in Davos, the foreign
minister of Iran is coming after the multiple airstrikes that we saw in Pakistan, in Syria, and Iraq, and confirming that Iran will continue with
these types of strikes.
Obviously, this in retaliation to the ISIS strike in Iran last month but notably he's mentioning Israel and all of this saying that this were in
Mossad facilities that were struck in Iraq. How's Israel responding?
RAVID: Okay, yeah. actually, I think it's the second time the Iranians claim such a thing that they attack targets in Kurdistan and then they say
that it's a Mossad base at least as far as I know from Israeli officials it wasn't the case the last time it wasn't the case this time around.
And I think what was interesting with what he said is that he was trying to basically tell you, Iraqi government, don't get mad at us because Israel is
our enemy and your enemy too, so we basically did you a favor. That was sort of what he was saying.
But I think there was even a more interesting message. Because the Iranian Foreign Minister was asked, you know, about the escalation we see in the
region, Gaza, of course, but also Lebanon and Yemen. And he said something very interesting that from his talks with Nasrallah, the leader of
Hezbollah and others in the region, he says that once there's a ceasefire in Gaza, all the other flashpoints will come down. I'm not sure that's true
but that's the message that the Iranians wanted to give here in Davos.
GOLODRYGA: So, flexing their muscle and showing that they can indeed saber- rattle not only with their proxies but themselves with these airstrikes but also making clear that they know how to de-escalate when the time comes, as
well.
RAVID: Or at least they say that they know. Whether they know or not we will see when there's a ceasefire in Gaza and then we'll see if the
Iranians can really tell their proxies okay now we're stopping this.
GOLODRYGA: Finally, one of the most important issues here are the 136 remaining hostages. As we noted there's a delegation here in Davos, there's
one in Washington D.C. and in New York all in a coordinated effort to put more pressure on getting these hostages released and on getting medicine
and aid into those hostages right now and this coming on the day that there appears to be a deal in place. How is the Israeli government responding to
this news?
RAVID: So, I think the Israeli government just confirmed an hour ago that those -- this medicine -- that this deal was achieved to get the medicine
into Gaza. Some of the medicine will go to the hostages, at least in theory. Some of it will go to Palestinian civilians.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was here yesterday. He saw the Qatari Prime Minister -- discussed the hostage issue. Tomorrow, Sullivan
will meet in the White House with the families of the hostages. I think, you know, there's a lot of talk about a deal, but we're still not there.
Because the main decision government will have to take before any deal or to make any deal possible is whether it is ready that at the end of the
implementation of such deal there will be a ceasefire in Gaza this is a condition that Hamas is unwilling to compromise on and that any mediator
including by the way I think the Biden administration also tells the Israelis, listen this is something you have to do so you need to decide
whether you take it or not.
GOLODRYGA: Among these hostages, six Americans, as well. Unbelievable. One hundred and three days later. Barak Ravid, it was great to have you,
especially here in beautiful Davos.
RAVID: Thank you, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: Welcome. Thank you. Zain, I'm going to toss it back to you. That is it for me in Davos, Switzerland this week. And Zain will pick things up
right after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:51:39]
ASHER: All right, we're following two major developments with the royal family right now. Catherine, the Princess of Wales, is recovering from
abdominal surgery. Kensington Palace says that the surgery was successful and that she'll remain in hospital for 10 to 14 days.
And that King Charles will actually go to hospital next week to undergo a corrective procedure for an enlarged prostate. Buckingham Palace says the
king's condition is benign and that his engagements will be postponed for a short time while he recovers.
Let's get the latest on both of these two strands. I want to bring in CNN's World Historian, Kate Williams. Kate, thank you so much for being with us.
I want to start with Kate Middleton, or Princess of Wales, Catherine. What are we learning about her prognosis, if anything, her diagnosis at all?
KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL HISTORIAN: Well, yes, and it has been a surprise. Catherine's been looking in great health as normal. She looked fantastic
when we last saw her on the royal engagement when she was out on Christmas Day with the other royals.
We understood she had a low key birthday on the ninth of January, her 42nd birthday. And now this news today that she's gone into the London clinic,
had abdominal surgery yesterday and will be there for 10 to 14 days. And then we don't expect to see her back working as a royal again until Easter,
which is quite a long recovery period.
And the Royals have also said that Prince William will be stepping back from engagements at the moment to look after the children and in the
immediate period after Kate's operation. So, he will also be away from engagements as will Kate.
And it does certainly seem as this is a very, quite a serious operation. Buckingham Palace have made clear it's not cancerous, it is benign, but
it's clearly something that has a long recovery period. And we all wish the Princess, the best of recovery. It's obviously going to be quite a long
road.
ASHER: And when you think about King Charles, I mean it is interesting that his office has chosen to release his diagnosis, relatively benign, enlarged
prostate, whereas the Princess of Wales has chosen to keep her medical condition private, as is her right, by the way. Why the difference in the
two approaches?
WILLIAMS: Yes, well, the Princess of Wales people have been saying to me, do we think we'll find out what it is that she has suffered from? I don't
believe that's the case. I think she will keep it private. The statement said it was going to be private. It may be in a year or so that she does an
event for perhaps the charity that has some engagement with people who've undergone the same condition and then she may speak about it.
But I think not at the moment. And they've said very clearly Kensington Palace that they won't be giving updates unless there's any clear news that
otherwise we should expect she's on her road to recovery. But the King has said that he wished to talk openly about his condition to encourage other
men experiencing the same symptoms to also get checked.
Many men, as Buckingham Palace said, do suffer from enlarged prostate. It is a benign symptom and we do expect, I mean there are various treatments,
but we expect to see the King back on his feet within three to four weeks. So, engagements such as the Royal Tour to Canada in May should go ahead as
planned.
And I think this is a very different strategy to what we saw under the Queen, in which we didn't see very much health news being really given to
us. I think here, the King really thinks that it's something that he can do to encourage other men to go forth and get checked, but I think really his
condition is quite mild, is quite minor. I shouldn't think he'll be in hospital for more than a day or so.
[12:55:00]
But Kate's does seem very much more serious and one that is, despite the fact that we know she's such a healthy person. She's only been in hospital
for her children and about morning sickness but it will be a long -- a much longer road.
ASHER: How rare is it just to see two senior royals essentially out of commission for quite a significant period of time. I mean, obviously, it's
probably three actually, because Prince William wants to help his wife recover, as well.
WILLIAMS: It is three. Yes, we haven't heard that Queen Camilla will also be stepping back. I think it's because it is quite a light operation with
Charles. But yes, we do expect for the forthcoming weeks not to have the King, not to have the Princess of Wales, not to have the Prince of Wales,
not to have William or Kate.
So, this is really a very different slimmed down royal family that we're going to be seeing in January and February. Really, the Queen only doing
engagements in January and the King maybe getting back on his feet in early February. And we won't expect to see Kate for quite a long time.
Now, you know, Royals tend not to stay in hospital. They tend to stay in hospital the shortest amount of time that they can. I think we'll all
remember Kate was in and out of hospital having babies very fast. But now I think it's something that she doesn't need to recover fully from.
ASHER: Kate Williams, we do have to leave it there. We are out of time. Kate, thank you so much for being with us. That does it for this hour of
"One World". I'm Zain Asher. Amanpour is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
