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One World with Zain Asher
Trump on Social Media: Middle East Allies would Welcome the Opportunity to Enter Gaza, "Straighten Out Hamas"; Witkoff: It was an "Emotional Moment" Meeting with Released Hostages; U.S. Delegation in Israel Amid Fragile Gaza Ceasefire; Vance, Witkoff & Kushner in Israel to Bolster Ceasefire Deal; Colombia's President Tries to Ease Tensions with U.S.; Springer "Dinger" Launches Blue Jays into World Series. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired October 21, 2025 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: All right, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is expected to hold a news conference in Israel soon.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST, ONE WORLD: "One World" starts right now. Vance is in Israel trying to shore up the fragile ceasefire in Gaza after deadly
attacks that killed both Israelis and Palestinians over the weekend.
ASHER: Plus, for the first time in Japanese history, a woman becomes prime minister.
GOLODRYGA: And an escalating diplomatic feud between the U.S. and Colombia, we'll look at what's behind the rise in tensions? Hello, everyone. Live
from New York. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. You are watching "One World". We are standing by for the U.S. Vice President to hold a news conference in Israel, along with
key Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. We're going to bring that to you live as soon as it happens. Sources are telling CNN that Trump
Administration officials are increasingly concerned the fragile ceasefire in Gaza could fall apart.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, J.D. Vance, joined by his wife, Usha, arrived in Israel earlier Tuesday to shore up the U.S. brokered agreement after a burst of
deadly violence there over the weekend.
ASHER: Earlier, the U.S. Envoys met several recently freed hostages in Tel Aviv. Some of the hostages gave them gifts to present to the American
President.
GOLODRYGA: Meanwhile, Israel has identified the body of the 13th deceased hostage to be returned. The remains of Sergeant Major Tal Haimi were handed
over on Monday, leaving 15 more deceased hostages still to be returned. The 41-year-old father of four was killed while defending a Kibbutz during the
October 7th terror attacks.
ASHER: As the U.S. redoubles its efforts to cement the Gaza ceasefire and push it into a second phase, a key mediator is accusing Israel of
continuing to violate the deal. Qatar's ruler says that Israel is making the Enclave unlivable for human life.
GOLODRYGA: Trucks are dropping off food into Gaza, but the U.N. World Food Programme says supplies are still far below what's needed. This after a
two-year conflict that reduced much of Gaza to rubble.
ASHER: CNN's Paula Hancocks is in Abu Dhabi for us. Let's begin our coverage with Kevin Liptak, who's joining us outside the White House. So,
Kevin, just in terms of what J.D. Vance's mission is here as he arrives in Israel. It's really about stabilizing this very clearly fragile ceasefire,
as we saw over the weekend.
And also starting negotiations on long term issues that could really lead to a permanent end to the war. Walk us through it.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah, and I think when you talk to administration officials, it was clear that this was always a
fragile ceasefire. They did expect there to be some hurdles along the way. But the view inside the administration right now is that everything that
they possibly can do to try and hold it together must be done.
And that's why you see this delegation on the ground there, starting with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and joined by J.D. Vance today. The word
that one U.S. official described to me as their mission was Bibi sitting essentially ensuring that Netanyahu upholds his commitments to this deal
and doesn't use what's been happening in the strip over the weekend as a pretext for essentially abandoning the whole thing.
This is clearly a major priority for President Trump. He was just in the Middle East about a week ago, proclaiming nothing less than peace in the
Middle East. And so, keeping this in place and keeping this deal intact is of the utmost importance. And I think for Vance, the goal is essentially to
show U.S. support and show that the U.S. is going to be sort of behind all of the players in this and in particular, Israel.
The U.S. as part of this deal is essentially the guarantor of Israel's commitment to pulling back from its positions in Gaza, to upholding what
it's committed to. And so, I think that's what you'll see and hear from him in this press conference. President Trump, for his part, has been talking
mostly about Hamas.
You know, we heard from him yesterday saying that if Hamas doesn't sort of lay down their arms, that he would, quote, eradicate them. And then we just
heard from the president this morning on Truth Social claiming that numerous, quote, great allies in the Middle East had informed him that they
would welcome the opportunity to go into Gaza.
He says, and quote, straighten out Hamas. If Hamas continues to act badly, you know who those countries are? The president doesn't say. And I think
there are a lot of questions about whether any country in the region wants anything to do with boots on the ground in Gaza at the moment, given the
instability, given the prospects that Israel could potentially resume the war.
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No one wants their troops to be in harm's way. So, I think it's a lot of questions about what the president is saying here. He goes on to say that
he's told these countries and Israel, quote, not yet, that there is still hope that Hamas will do what is right. If they do not an end to Hamas will
be fast, furious and brutal.
And so, you hear the president talking about the idea that the U.S., or that these countries could potentially resume the fighting in Gaza after
this truce has been brokered. I think the hope, certainly for Witkoff, Kushner and Vance is that their mission in Israel today will essentially
prevent all of that, that that won't be necessary.
And so, I think a lot will be determined, I think, over the next 24 or 48 hours, to see whether this mission was successful. But certainly, a lot of
people holding their breath in the administration today to see how all of this plays out.
GOLODRYGA: And I would imagine Paula Hancocks that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were really emboldened with some of the emotional scenes that we
saw earlier today as the Envoy and top advisor to President Trump were reunited with so many of those hostage family members who they promised
they would never give up on and would see that their loved ones came home, and they delivered on that promise.
They are really seen as heroes in Israel. They met for the first time, so many of these hostages. It was just remarkable for us to even see Omri
Moran there. We've covered him for so long, meeting Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and they know their mission now isn't over.
They've got to see the ceasefire through. There are still hostage remains in Gaza, and they are very concerned that some of the fighting that we saw
over the weekend could be a preview of what's to come in the next few weeks?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, absolutely. I mean, no one was under the illusion that this was going to be easy, that this was going to
be smooth. There was always the expectation that there would be these outbreaks of violence. It's exactly what we saw on Sunday, which resulted
in the loss of life on both sides.
But it was short lived violence, as far as we understand at this point, there was obviously a lot of work behind the scenes to try and pull both
sides back to what they had agreed to, and then they both reaffirmed their commitment to this ceasefire agreement. But of course, it is very early
days when we're talking about this 20-point plan that the U.S. President put back -- put together.
Phase A for example, we are still in that phase that we have not seen all of the remains of the deceased hostages being returned to Israel. That was
intended to be done within 72 hours. We have heard from Hamas that they say they need specialized equipment, that they need significant efforts to try
and locate the remains of those 15 that have not yet been returned back to Israel.
In fact, we've even heard from Israeli intelligence that they doubt they may be able to find all of the remains of those hostages still in Gaza. And
on the other side, there are accusations that Israel is not keeping its side of the deal. We've heard from Qatar's Leader just today saying that
they believe that Israel is violating the ceasefire, saying that they condemn the violations.
And it also the efforts to turn the Gaza Strip into a place unlivable for human life. And that really gets to the crux of another part, a key part of
this Phase A that there was intended to be a flood of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. It was supposed to be 600 trucks of humanitarian aid every
single day.
We have heard across the board, from the United Nations, from humanitarian aid groups, also from the media office within Gaza as well. But that is
simply not happening, that we're not seeing the flood of humanitarian aid that was promised, it is still more of a trickle.
So, at the same time as both sides blaming the other for violating the ceasefire, we can pinpoint a number of events which would lay credence to
both of their claims. It is expected in these early days, and that is why you are seeing such senior players in this arriving in Israel.
ASHER: All right, Paula Hancocks and Kevin Liptak live for us there. Thank you both so much.
GOLODRYGA: All right, to help us understand what is happening in these talks, we want to welcome in someone with deep experience in all of these
types of negotiations. Aaron David Miller is a Former Middle East Negotiator who worked for many years in the U.S. State Department. He's
currently a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
[11:10:00]
Aaron, it's good to see you, and I just want to give you a heads up that we have been told there is about a one-minute warning now until we hear from
J.D. Vance. So, we will interrupt the conversation and take his remarks and then obviously come back to you after he's done speaking.
But as we wait for him, I do want to ask you about what I found was really a literal split screen when I was reading the news this morning. And this
sort of piggybacks on what President Trump said in talking about the stabilization force as a day after, in terms of control over the Enclave
and at least a temporary powering body in there once Hamas leaves.
So, "The New York Times" has a headline that says, nations hesitate to send troops to Gaza, fearing clashes with Hamas. "The Wall Street Journal"
Editorial Board, though, says no more ceasefire excuses for Hamas, the Arab stabilization force needs to move fast to disarm the terrorists. Which
headline do you think speaks more realistically to the issue at hand right in here?
AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: I think at times, if this is a moment, the times, I think probably had it
more accurate. It's just very difficult to believe that Arabic speakers, Muslim security forces from Arab or Muslim countries have a CENTCOM was
reportedly in Baku talking to the Azeris about their contributing. Very difficult to imagine a deployment.
GOLODRYGA: All right, Aaron the Vice President.
ASHER: I don't care.
GOLODRYGA: The vice president just started speaking. We'll come back to you right after.
J.D. VANCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I expected that they were this is a very, very tough situation. You have two people, two enemies who fought a very
tough conflict against each other. You have a terrorist organization on one hand, that murdered a lot of innocent people. You've got an Israeli army
that was defending itself on the other that has learned a lot over the past couple of years.
And of course, you have an innocent civilian population in Gaza that's caught in the middle. But here at the Civilian Military Cooperation Center,
which we are announcing the opening of you have Israelis and Americans working hand-in-hand to try to begin the plan to rebuild Gaza, to implement
a long- term peace, and actually ensure that you have security forces on the ground in Gaza not composed of Americans who can keep the peace over
the long term.
So, we've got a lot of work left to do. This is going to take a very, very long time, but I think Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Admiral Cooper
behind me, have done an incredible job. I want to say just a couple of quick things, and I want to turn it over to turn it over to Steve Witkoff.
Number one, the Israeli government has been remarkably helpful in this. I want to thank them. Thank our Israeli partners and all the folks,
particularly who are working hand-in-hand with their American friends here at the CMCC.
And number two, I want to say that there is this weird attitude I've sensed in the American media, in the Western media, where there's almost this
desire to root for failure, that every time something bad happens, that every time that there's an act of violence, there's this inclination to
say, oh, this is the end of the ceasefire. This is the end of the peace plan. It's not the end.
It is, in fact, exactly how this is going to have to happen when you have people who hate each other, who have been fighting against each other for a
very long time? We are doing very well. We are in a very good place. We're going to have to keep working on it, but I think we have the team to do
exactly that.
So, with all thanks to our partners, both in Israel but all across the Gulf Arab states, Indonesia, the Turks, we are doing an amazing thing here, and
I'm particularly proud of the American troops working at the command center who are coordinating this effort and making it possible. So, with that, I
want to thank Ambassador Steve Witkoff and turn it over to him to say a few things, and after everybody said a few words, we'll take some questions.
Thank you, guys.
STEVE WITKOFF, U.S. MIDEAST ENVOY: Thank you very much, Mr. Vice President. We're really proud of what's happened here. It's an amazing effort. It's a
great coordination between our partners. We have a great team. Signing this deal up was a challenge in and of itself, but the implementation, that's
where it really is going to be the most important.
And I think we are exceeding where we thought we would be at this time. I think the Vice President has come out here. He sees that the Secretary of
State will be out here. I can't tell you what a privilege it is to work with the team that we have with Jared, who is extraordinary, the President,
of course, and the Vice President, and Admiral Cooper.
I would also say this, we're learning so much here. This CCCM that we are - - CMCC that we're setting up now. This is going to be used in other conflicts as we figure out all the intricacies of how to modulate a peace
deal go from war to peace.
[11:15:00]
Lastly in the closing I want to speak about the morning that me and Jared had. We met with 10 hostages and their families. And it was really an
emotional moment. And I felt -- I felt blessed to be in that room, lots of tears, lots of people really, really grateful to President Trump for
getting their children home.
And you, of course, Mr. Vice President, and I want to -- I want to observe that I didn't see any victims in that room. I saw strong people who have
come out under very difficult circumstances. Their families are reunited, and they are so grateful. And it was just my privilege as an American to be
there. Thank you.
VANCE: Thank you. Jared?
JARED KUSHNER, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S SON-IN-LAW: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Vice President, thank you, Steve. First of all, we really appreciate your visit
here. It's given a great boost of energy to everyone here, and your support through this whole effort has been really tremendous.
What you see here today is really the opening of the CMCC. This has been something that's been envisioned by CENTCOM. Admiral Cooper will speak
about that in a bit. But we always knew that the deal that we were working on would kind of have two phases to it. The first phase was obviously
getting the live hostages out.
We're currently making progress on the hostages, the bodies that are still there. I think almost half are out now, and we had very good meetings with
the Israelis. I know the vice president is here to put a lot of effort into that today, to hopefully make sure we can complete that mission in phase
two.
At the same time the humanitarian aid, there's actually been surprisingly strong coordination between the United Nations and Israel, which is
something that we've been able to help synthesize, get each other to air their concerns and to find out how we can do it better, so that the aid
reaches the people in Gaza and doesn't go into the wrong hands there.
Finally, I'll say that there has already been a lot of efforts over the last years by really concerned people think about what happens next in
Gaza? And there's a lot of great things happening here. More will be released in the coming days, but the most important thing here is to figure
out how you really get a good deconfliction Coordination Center.
This really has been a startup. There's been a lot that's been done. It's amazing to think it's only been a week, but I actually with the pace of
work and the commitment of everybody, I think in a week from now, you'll see even more progress. I want to echo what the vice president said about
how a lot of people are getting a little hysterical about different incursions, one way or the other.
But what we are seeing is that things are going in accordance. Both sides are transitioning from two years of very intense warfare to now a peacetime
posture, and really, thanks to Admiral Cooper, CENTCOM and the CMCC to try to build that de-confliction mechanism in order to make sure that we can
get to a proper de-escalation.
We have some flags that we put up here. This is not fully representative of the countries that are here. It's happening very rapidly that people are
agreeing to come on board, agreeing to help. People really want to be a part of this, and it's just happening very, very quickly.
So, we'll try to continue to give the updates as it progresses, but really just thank you to the entire team here who's made all this possible. It's
been a lot of sleepless nights around the clock effort, and it's really been great coordination, because everyone believes that it is possible to
create something better in Gaza, and we have to believe it. We have to work hard for it. And if we all work hard to do that, then I do believe a great
outcome is possible.
VANCE: Admiral?
ADMIRAL BRAD COOPER, U.S. NAVY: Well, Mr. Vice President, thank you for joining us here today at the CMCC. Consistent with our Commander in Chief's
Direction, this facility will be the hub for the delivery of everything that goes into Gaza as we look to the future, delivering on the Commander
in Chief's commitments.
200 of America's sons and daughters who wear the cloth of the nation have stepped up and are serving here. I just couldn't be prouder, and I know
that you are as well. Thank you so much.
VANCE: Great. Thanks, Admiral. And gentlemen, we'll take a few questions now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to ask about the Turkish role. It's very concerning for Israelis. Turkey, obviously, has been a supporter of Hamas.
What role will they have, and will they have troops that will be on the ground here or in the Gaza Strip? Thank you.
VANCE: Well, I think first of all, what troops are on the ground in Israel is going to be a question the Israelis have to agree to, and I'm sure that
Prime Minister Netanyahu will have opinions about that. But we think everybody has a role to play here. Some of that's going to be financial,
some of that's going to be in reconstruction, some of that's just in communication with the various parties to ensure that this de-confliction
process actually works and is implemented.
We're not going to force anything on our Israeli friends when it comes to foreign troops on their soil. But we do think that there's a constructive
role for the Turks to play, and frankly, they've already played a very constructive role. We're very grateful for that. And you asked, they've
supported Hamas in the past.
No one who is a party to this conflict, can look in the past and not point at something that they don't like or that they disagree with?
[11:20:00]
Everybody who's been involved in this conflict can point at one other person one of these flags can point at another flag and say, we hate that
person for various reasons. The way that we're going to get to peace is to focus on the future, which is what the President of the United States has
asked us to do. And we think everybody here is very willing to do that, and is very eager to engage in that effort, ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Inaudible) -- to negotiate. What do you think the likelihood that it will last long term? If you have to put in numbers how
much percentage?
VANCE: Well, Jared is the investor. I'm not going to give you a percentage, but look what we've seen the past week gives me great optimism the
ceasefire is going to hold. And if we get from where we were a week ago to a long term, durable peace between Israel and Gaza, there are going to be
hills and valleys. There are going to be moments where it looks like things aren't going particularly well.
But given that, and given the history of conflict, I think that everybody should be proud of where we are today. It's going to require constant
effort. It's going to require constant monitoring and supervision. That's part of the reason that Admiral Cooper and his team is here, is to mediate
these disputes, to mediate these disagreements as they come up.
But look, right now, I feel very optimistic. Can I say with 100 percent certainty that it's going to work? No, but you do difficult things by only
doing what's 100 percent certain you do difficult things by trying and that's what the President of the United States has asked us to do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible). First of all, thank you for brokering the ceasefire deal. Two questions for you. Hamas was supposed to bring back all
the hostages within 72 hours. There are still deceased hostages are still in Gaza. Will you put a deadline for Hamas to bring back all these
hostages?
And second thing, President Trump tweeted about this today, Hamas killing their own people in Gaza, Palestinians who worked for Israel. What is your
warning to Hamas about that?
VANCE: Yes, so Steve, I'm going to follow up here, but let me say just a couple of words about the deceased hostages. I mean, one of the stations
that I met with, one of the groups that's working on this that I met with earlier, they actually have a photo of the 15 deceased hostages who are
still in Gaza. It is a focus of everybody here to get those bodies back home to their families so that they can have a proper burial.
Now, that said, this is difficult. This is not going to happen overnight. Some of these hostages are buried under thousands of pounds of rubble. Some
of the hostages nobody even knows where they are. That doesn't mean we shouldn't work to get them, and that doesn't mean we don't have confidence
that we will. It's just a reason to counsel in favor of a little bit of patience.
This is going to take a little bit of time. And look, our warning to Hamas is very straightforward. The terms of the 20-point plan that the president
put out there is very clear. It's supported not just by Israel, by all of our Gulf Arab friends. It's that Hamas has to disarm.
It's that Hamas has to actually behave itself, and that Hamas, while all the fighters can be given some sort of clemency. They're not going to be
able to kill each other, and they're not going to be able to kill their fellow Palestinians.
Now, again, that's going to take a little bit of time. We're talking about how to set up the security and humanitarian apparatus to put all this in
place? But right now, where I stand, I feel confident that we're going to be in a place where this peace lasts, where it's durable, and if Hamas
doesn't cooperate, then, as the President of the United States has said, Hamas is going to be obliterated. Steve, you want to add anything about the
hostages?
WITKOFF: (Inaudible)
VANCE: OK, great. Ma'am?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- USA Today, just to follow up on what you were just saying, how much time does Hamas have to lay down its arms before the
United States either takes dramatic action or authorizes allies to do so.
VANCE: Well, look, the president actually put out a truth this morning that I thought was very instructive. We know that Hamas has to comply with the
deal, and if Hamas doesn't comply with the deal, very bad things are going to happen. But I'm not going to do what the President of the United States
has thus far refused to do, which is put an explicit deadline on it.
Because a lot of this stuff is difficult. A lot of this stuff is unpredictable. You basically have two regions in Gaza, one of which is
relatively safe, I wouldn't say very safe, and one of which is incredibly dangerous. And part of ensuring that we get to a durable peace is to
broaden the scope of the area that's safe.
And the international security force is a big part of that. We don't yet have the international security set up. That's something we're working
towards. We have a number of volunteers who want to participate in that international security force.
So, my point is, I don't think it's actually advisable for us to say this has to be done in a week, because a lot of this work is very hard. It's
never been done before, and in order for us to give it a chance to succeed, we've got to be a little bit flexible. I think what you're seeing from our
Gulf Arab friends, certainly from our Israeli friends, is a certain amount of impatience with Hamas.
But we're going to keep on working at this process, and we're going to keep on trying to bring the deceased hostages' home, but also make sure that all
Gazans are able to live in a prosperous and safe place. Yes.
[11:25:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, the White House indicated that actually there is a plan to start rebuilding Gaza, the parts of Gaza, which is still under
Israeli control. Is it so indeed? And can you tell us a little bit about this plan? How is -- how is it going to work?
VANCE: Yeah, Jared, you want to say a few words about that. OK. KUSHNER: So, first of all, no reconstruction -- a no reconstruction funds will be going into areas that Hamas still controls. And as far as the
demilitarization goes, once the ISF is up, there needs to be a security force that they can feel safe from that in order for it to be the
transition to be complete. So that needs to happen.
There are considerations being happening now in the area that the IDF controls, as long as that can be secured, to start the construction as a
new Gaza, in order to give the Palestinians living in Gaza a place to go, a place to get jobs, a place to live. So that's one of the many things being
considered right now.
Again, there's been several work streams that have occurred over the last years. Those are all being synthesized and updated here at the center, and
then they'll go before President Trump and the board of peace to get recommendations on what to build, how to phase it. But that's definitely
something now that's being very strongly considered.
VANCE: Great. Sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible).
VANCE: Oh, sorry. Why don't we do the guy in the back of it will do you in the blue jacket? Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Vice President --
VANCE: Could you speak up?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, I would try. So, thank you so much, Mr. Vice President. And my question is, from the level of cooperation that you just
saw today here in this place, how you see the, let's say, future of normalization in Israel, in the region, if you see, like a cooperation,
growing cooperation between Israel and other Gulf states that we don't see from the outside?
VANCE: Yeah. Well, you know, I think Steve put it best, which is that this model, I think, could serve for a foundation for normalization, not just in
the Middle East, but across the world. Because what we're taking again is a long term, protracted conflict of two enemies who really don't like each
other, and we're actually creating a model that can lead towards sustainable peace.
Now we know that a lot of our Gulf Arab friends would like to have normalized relations with Israel. We know that getting this peace on a
sustainable pathway, is sort of the critical first step of that. But look, I feel very optimistic about where we are. Knock on wood. You never know
how this stuff is going to go.
But given what I've seen, given the incredible talent and effort that's going in to the reconstruction of Gaza, to the long-term security of the
Gazans in that territory, I feel very good about where we are. And again, if we get this right, I really do think it's going to be a domino that
leads to a lot of further peace all across the region. Sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible).
VANCE: Well, so on the first question, no, my visit had nothing to do with events in the past 48 hours. We had actually tried to plan this visit,
frankly, months ago, and now we thought this would be a good time to do it. It ended up working out. As you know, sometimes calendars are difficult,
especially when you're the Vice President of the United States.
But I wanted to come. I wanted to check in on things. I wanted to, you know, talk to the troops who are working very hard to coordinate this
massive relief effort. And I wanted to just see how things were going and put some eyes on it, so I could call the President of the United States.
And actually, you know, it's one thing to read about it. It's one thing to talk with Jared and Steve on the phone about what's going on, on the
ground. It's another thing to actually shake somebody's hand, to look them in the eye and understand what are the challenges? What are the things they
need from me?
I mean, I heard from relatively junior troops, very simple things that would make their lives easier, that I'm going to take back to Washington
and hopefully help them with. That's why you do a visit like this, not because of anything that's happening on the ground.
On your question about, what is the ultimate, you know, authority in Gaza look like? I don't know the answer to that question. And I think so cool
what's so amazing about what these guys have done is that we're creating a governance structure that is very flexible to what happens on the ground in
the future.
We need to reconstitute Gaza. We need to reconstruct Gaza. We need to make sure that both the Palestinians living in Gaza, but also the Israelis, are
able to live in some measure of security and stability. We're doing all those things simultaneously.
And then I think once we've got to a point where both the Gazans and our Israeli friends can have some measure of security, then we'll worry about
what the long-term governance of Gaza is. Let's focus on security, rebuilding, giving people some food and medicine. If we get to the point
where we're arguing exactly what the governance structure in Gaza is long term, then we should pat ourselves on the back.
That's a very good problem to have, but I won't anticipate that problem before we actually have it. I'll take a couple more and then we'll get
moving. Ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Inaudible).
VANCE: Could you speak up?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're from "The Associated Press". Could you give a bit more details about the International Security Force which countries are
going to be part of this? Are these troops in Gaza? And also, about the disarmament plan or decommission plan?
[11:30:00]
Are there incentives for Hamas to do that in a timely fashion? Any details?
VANCE: The incentives are that unless Hamas disarms in accordance with the agreement, very bad things are going to happen, right? And also, the
incentive is that if they disarm, there is a better future for everybody on the other side of it. But in terms of the international security force,
Steve and Jared Admiral Cooper are working on that very issue right now.
Remember, this peace deal was struck under the president's leadership, literally a week ago. The hostages were turned, what, six days ago, five
days ago. So, we're in the phase now where we're actually starting to get conceptualize what that international security force would look like.
I think it's important for Americans to know a couple of things. Number one, there are not going to be American boots on the ground in Gaza. The
President of the United States has made that very clear. All of our military leadership has made that very clear.
What we can do is provide some useful coordination. How do you take you know, the Gulf Arab states, plus Israel, plus -- you know, plus the Turks
plus the Indonesians? How do you actually get those folks to work together in a way that actually produces long term peace?
The only real mediators are the United States of America, and so that's the role that we're going to play. I think the American people should be proud
of they should know that there are going to be no American boots on the ground in Gaza, sir in the back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like to ask about a different threat. We see Iran re- arming again, trying to build again their nuclear weapon. Could we expect in Israel to see the U.S. Army attacking again in Iran?
VANCE: Could you ask the very last part?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could we expect the U.S. army to attack again in Iran like you did in the last time in for --
VANCE: Well, I'm not going to make any announcements here today. The President of the United States has been very clear about our policy with
regards to Iran. It's that he actually wants Iran to be prosperous. He wants to have good relations with the Iranians, but they cannot have a
nuclear weapon.
And so, we're going to keep on using and exhausting every diplomatic means possible to try to ensure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon. That's
our focus, and that will remain our focus for the indefinite future. Let me just leave it. Leave us with one final thought here.
So, I've been to Israel once in my entire life. I came for about 36 hours, and as a Christian, I think the world's Christians will know that this
country, that this region of the world, means a great deal to me. And at some point, today, I hope to go, or at some point in the next couple of
days, I should say, I hope to go to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which Christians believe is the site that Jesus Christ was crucified in.
And I know that Christians have many titles for Jesus Christ, and one of them is the Prince of Peace. And I'd ask all people of faith, in
particular, my fellow Christians, to pray that the Prince of Peace can continue to work a miracle in this region of the world. I think that we
have made incredible strides over the past week.
We're going to have to make a lot more. But I think with your prayers, with God's providence, and with a very good team behind me, I think we're going
to get it done. Thank you all. Take care.
GOLODRYGA: All right, we've just been listening to Vice President Vance along with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Admiral Cooper there
speaking at the Civil Military Coordination Center in Israel in Kiryat. We got answering some questions from reporters and also laying out the current
situation as it stands about a little over a week since the ceasefire has gone into place.
I want to bring back Aaron David Miller again, Former Middle East Negotiator, worked for many years in the U.S. State Department. Aaron so
going back to our first question about not only how Hamas will disarm and whether they will but who will have oversight and who will be the
controlling body at least temporarily in Gaza for the foreseeable future?
And we had discussed just the feasibility of foreign military specifically from Arab and Muslim countries, on the streets there in Gaza, patrolling
the likelihood of that happening. The vice president making it clear that things are still being worked out. It's very early days here.
They do say that they are optimistic, and they laid out a few of the groundworks and also some of the specific details as to how they envision
progress and what that looks like in the weeks to come. What stood out to you?
MILLER: Actually, I was impressed by the refreshing nature of the realism that all three of them displayed. I think they absolutely again, it's the
Monday morning after any peace conference. I've had this feeling. I've been to a lot of big conferences that didn't produce the morning after
negotiators, those in charge, look at one another and say, what do we do now? I think it's quite clear they are aware of the Galactic challenges
that they face.
[11:35:00]
And I found that to be quite refreshing. It's clear that there are concepts very, very long on concepts, but very short on the deeds. And I was saying
that Admiral Cooper was in Baku recently, several days ago, talking to the Azeris about whether they would contribute. And I think the fundamental
problem here is going to be, can you build the airplane and fly it at the same time?
It seems to me, no Arab or Muslim peacekeepers, whatever the rules of engagement, are going to deploy into a free fire zone in Gaza. That means,
to some degree, reaching understandings with the two combatants. Number one, Hamas, which is not going to give up its light weapons, to be sure,
and the Israelis, who are still deployed in 53 percent of Gaza.
Unless they can reach understandings, it seems to me, we're talking weeks, if not months, before any sort of international stabilization force, not
security force. It's called the International Stabilization Force is deployed, and I just think Muslim and Arab security forces are going to be
reluctant to enter a situation where Israelis may be killing Palestinians.
They may be forced security forces may be forced to kill Palestinians or to preside or to hold Israel's coat while the Israelis carry out attacks
against Palestinians, which invariably are going to involve civilian casualties. So, I think that was -- that was one takeaway that we're
talking weeks, if not months, before we're going to be able to see real, tangible metrics as to whether or not any of this is working.
ASHER: And in terms of that stabilization force, I mean, as you point out, they don't actually necessarily know exactly what their mission is. Hence,
part of the reluctance, and also, they don't want to be seen. Don't want to be seen as occupiers either.
One of the other questions is this issue of deadlines. I think one of the reporters in the room asked J.D. Vance and Jared Kushner about possibly
imposing some kind of deadline for Hamas to relocate other remains of Israeli hostages, and also this idea of disarming Hamas, whether that
should be -- whether a deadline should be put up against that as well?
It makes sense to me not to have a deadline when it comes to locating the remains, because obviously, as J.D. Vance pointed out, we don't necessarily
know where some of these remains are. Obviously, Gaza has been destroyed by two years of war, some of the remains may be under rubble, and it's very,
very difficult to locate them. But when it comes to no deadline for disarming Hamas, what do you make of that?
MILLER: Look you know, we're approaching the 30th Anniversary of Rabin's Assassination. And one of the things Prime Minister Rabin would say over
and over and over to us is there are no sacred dates. He understood how difficult this is. His experience was -- which involved the Oslo Peace
Process and the Israeli Jordanian Peace Treaty.
I think when you're dealing with the situation, the more deadlines that are laid out there publicly the war deadlines that are not respected, the less
credibility this process is going to have. We're talking about a conflict. And I think Vice President Vance was, I think, right on point, frankly,
when he said, we're talking about a comp -- a conflict, my words now.
But his point between two combatants, Israel and the current Israeli government that are pledged to one another's mutual destruction. There is
no confidence in trust, to say the least. And there are no direct negotiations. This is not Israel and Kissinger negotiating or Jimmy Carter
negotiating a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.
Or even the Americans, when we were working on this problem, negotiating between Yasser Arafat and Ehud Barak at Camp David in July of 2000. This is
a conflict between an established state and a movement, regardless of what you think of the policies of the current Israeli government, most extreme
and right wing in Israel's history.
Hamas is an organization which on October 7th, willfully and indiscriminately killed civilians engaged in mutilation, sexual predation,
took 250 plus hostages, killed -- willfully killed an American, and roughly 40 to 50 of those hostages died in captivity. It's very, very hard for any
American President to strike a balance in a negotiation that somehow splits the difference. So, the issue of deadlines here, I think they've adopted,
at least for the moment, the right approach.
[11:40:00]
Injecting urgency without results into this professed urgency publicly without the capacity to deliver, will empty whatever credibility this
process has right now. One additional point, I found it very interesting that the vice president essentially supported the Hamas narrative on why
they cannot return the bodies of the 28 hostages, 15 of whom they still keep.
He referred to hostages buried under rubble. He referred to the fact that Hamas may not know where the hostages are. I think that gives you some
sense, despite all this talk about obliteration, this president has been the first since Hamas was created as an organization to open up a direct
channel to the external leadership.
He did it in March. Adam Buller had three meetings the hostage negotiator. He did it to get to this deal when he authorized Witkoff and maybe Kushner,
I don't know if he was in the meeting to meet with Khalil Haya, who is probably the key external part of the Hamas leadership outside of Gaza.
And I would bet you, despite all the talk about obliteration, that you're going to end up with an administration, if it wants this to work, that's
going to have to open a direct channel with Hamas, because the president is the adhesive, the glue that holds this thing together. It's not self-
implementing. And if Trump doesn't write and book bigfoot it, it's going to fail.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, it's important to note that two of those hostages whose remains are still in Gaza are Israeli American citizens. And that is an
important point you make that the vice president's reiterating comments from the president that maybe they can't locate the bodies interesting,
because Israeli intelligence suggests that they know where the majority of these bodies are. Aaron David Miller, thank you so much. We'll be right
back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Welcome back to "One World". I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: It appears that Colombia's President is trying to repair a growing rift with Donald Trump.
GOLODRYGA: Gustavo Petro met with the top U.S. official in Colombia Monday evening to try to cool down some of the heated rhetoric that has been
flying back and forth.
[11:45:00]
Over the weekend Trump blasted Petro for not doing more to stop the illegal drug trade and threatened to slap stiff tariffs on Colombian goods. Petro
responded by recalling his ambassador to the U.S. on Monday.
ASHER: Now neighboring Venezuela is weighing in. President Nicolas Maduro says that Venezuela and Colombia are brothers and would support each other
in the event of a U.S. attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT: Who knows that we are one in the same Siamese brothers, and whatever happens with Colombia happens with
Venezuela, and whatever happens with Venezuela happens with Colombia as a military officer from the Colombian Armed Forces wrote to me two weeks ago,
if they touch Venezuela, they touch Colombia. We are one homeland at heart, and I don't say what I'm saying lightly. I know what I'm saying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: With more on the escalating tensions between the U.S. and South America we welcome Elizabeth Dickinson, she's a Senior Analyst for the
Andes Region at the International Crisis Group. Elizabeth, thank you so much for being with us.
And obviously we know that just in terms of Colombia's President Gustav Petro and Donald Trump, they don't necessarily see eye to eye. Petros, of
course, Colombia's first leftist president, and now he's had a bit of a back and forth, a few spots of Donald Trump, especially in terms of
rejecting U.S. military flights to accept deported migrants to the country.
On top of that, I do want to talk about this idea of aid. This idea that Donald Trump is now limiting aid to Colombia. Just talk to us about what
the economic ramifications of that will be to ordinary Colombians?
ELIZABETH DICKINSON, SENIOR ANALYST, ANDES REGION, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: So, I think really the implications of this decision, if it's
followed through with could be really catastrophic for Colombia. Colombia is a very strong U.S. partner, and for decades, has had a deep and profound
cooperation with United States, particularly in the security sector and precisely in fact, on countering drug trafficking.
The U.S. and Colombian militaries work hand in hand on a day-to-day basis. This U.S. funding supports everything from, for example, communication
systems, helicopter maintenance, fuel for operations, intelligence sharing and so really the -- should that relationship be cut, we would see a
significant drop in the capacity of the Colombian forces to act on Counter Narcotics goals.
And just to underline here that Colombia is far and away the best, most capable and agile partner that the United States has had, historically
precisely in countering organized crime.
GOLODRYGA: Right. So, you talk about the impact of withholding aid to Colombians. But you also have said, in terms of how this affects U.S.
national interests, you called it befuddling and profoundly unwise for Washington to alienate Colombia right now. What is the strategic cost of
doing that at this moment, when we are seeing more and more hawkish behavior and rhetoric vis-a-vis neighboring Venezuela.
DICKINSON: So, the United States has invested for really three decades in professionalizing training and supplying the Colombian military to be its
strongest partner. So, when the U.S. has policy goals in Latin America, Colombia is where that story begins. And so really, the laws of that
relationship would have a devastating impact on U.S. stated policy goals.
Just as one example, roughly 80 percent of the intelligence that the United States is using to seize drugs in the Caribbean comes from their Colombian
partners. So, if that sort of tap was turned off, it's not just Colombia that suffers. It would be the United States.
And precisely at a moment when tensions in the region are very high, Colombia, of course, being the neighboring country to Venezuela, it seems
very logical to alienate your strongest ally at a moment when tensions with Venezuela are at a recent high.
ASHER: I want to talk about the American strikes on vessels, on boats in the Caribbean. Gustav Petro has come out and said that those strikes, not
only they have killed not only are they unjustifiable more broadly, but they've also killed ordinary civilians, including fishermen. What sort of
recourse? What legal recourse does Colombia have in terms of accountability here internationally?
DICKINSON: So, Colombia has promised to bring this to international institutions. It's really not clear what that means as of yet. But we are
looking at a situation where the U.S. administration has not provided really any evidence that those who have been attacked have been connected
to drug trafficking at all, let alone combatants that would be eligible for this type of extra judicial killing without justification.
You know, again, just to underline this is all very puzzling, because if the objective truly is Counter Narcotics, the U.S. and Colombia have been
working to seize drugs for decades together, very successfully, and capturing those individuals who might have been involved. Of course, when
you capture someone, then you have the possibility to speak to them, understand what's the network behind this.
[11:50:00]
Really dismantle the organization. These strikes really leave because they leave no witnesses. They also leave no leads going forward. And so, we're
hitting the tip of the spear, perhaps. But really the harder work of untangling these organized criminal organizations. This isn't a policy that
achieves that.
GOLODRYGA: So, Petro says that he is fighting drug trafficking just in a different way. Can you explain what he's doing that's so different that
would irk the White House to such an extent?
DICKINSON: We think the main dispute here is really about coca crops. Coca is the raw material that's used to produce cocaine, and the levels of coca
crops in Colombia have been expanding, really, for almost a decade. So, this began before the Petro Administration, and is continuing.
And the Petro Administration has pushed back on the sort of classic idea that the best policy here is eradication. Eradication today in Colombia
involves soldiers or policemen going to coca fields and manually ripping up crops with their hands. This is extremely costly and very ineffective.
So, to give you an example, in order to do these operations, the security forces have to create a perimeter, very expensive. They need air support in
case they come under attack during the operation. They might eradicate one two hectares in a go, the replanting rates for those hectares are probably
80 percent.
So, you spend thousands and thousands of dollars to rip up one or two hectares of coca, putting personnel at risk and endangered, really, to have
80 percent of the coca replanted within a matter of weeks. So, I think the Columbia's argument is that this is simply not the best way to focus
instead, the security focus has been on interdictions.
Colombian security forces have seen record levels of cocaine in the last two years. We're talking peaks that have never been reached even over the
last 25 years of the history of the war on drugs here in Colombia, and also looking at investigations that would unravel things like the finances of
these organizations getting to the core of those who are truly benefiting from the drug trade.
ASHER: All right. Elizabeth Dickinson, so good to have your perspective. Thank you so much for that. We'll be right back with more after the short
break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right, the Toronto Blue Jays are headed to the World Series. George Springer's dramatic three run homer for his team up 4-3 ahead of the
Seattle Marinas in the seventh inning of the game seven of baseball's American League Championship Series. He is a very happy man, right Bianna?
[11:55:00]
GOLODRYGA: Zain had a very late night watching this game to the end, but it paid off. Big Toronto Blue Jays fan. Well, Toronto Stevens held on, and the
Jays are through to face the reigning --
ASHER: -- no one can tell serious.
GOLODRYGA: Los Angeles, Dodgers for MLB's ultimate prize. The sad news is, Seattle has never won a championship. So, this just for Mariners fans,
we're thinking of you. Game 1 of the best of seven series takes place on Friday in Toronto.
And finally, this hour, Eight Short Stories by "To Kill a Mockingbird" Author Harper Lee are being published posthumously today. The new
collection is titled "The Land of Sweet Forever". The stories were found in the writers' New York apartment after she died, and give fans a chance to
discover how Lee's distinct voice developed in her formative years.
ASHER: How special is that? For a long time, Mockingbird was thought to be her only major work, but shortly before her death goes that a watchman was
published, seen as an earlier version of the famous novel.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Well, do stay with us. We'll have more "One World" after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
