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Quest Means Business

Gaza Health System Crumbles; Donald Trump Jr. Back On Stand; The Return Of David Cameron; New U.S. House Speaker Faces Budget Challenge; E.U.: 100 Civilians Massacred In Burkina Faso Village; Iceland: Earthquakes Decrease As Volcanic Threat Remain. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired November 13, 2023 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:28]

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Overwhelmed, stranded, and without electricity, Gaza's largest hospital can no longer function. Donald Trump

Jr. Calls his father "a real estate visionary" as he takes his stand in the -- in New York, this time for the defense. And Britain's new foreign

secretary is its former prime minister. David Cameron's remarkable return.

Live tonight from Dubai on Monday, November the 13th, I'm Richard Quest, and I mean business.

Good evening. The head of Gaza's largest hospital says conditions there are catastrophic. And he says there's no food or water for the patients inside

the Al-Shifa Hospital, let alone the 7,000 people who have taken shelter there.

The WHO, the World Health Organization, says the hospital has now been without power for three days. The operating rooms are out-of-service, as

our life support systems. The hospital director says premature babies have been wrapped in foil to keep them alive.

CNN's Nada Bashir reports that nearby hospitals are in similar straits. And a warning to you, the images are disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): These are the sounds of the final gasps from Gaza's collapsing healthcare system, medical staff in Gaza

City, working on the near relentless Israeli bombardment for over a month. But now, this chorus of frantic voices, seen here working under torchlight,

tells its own gut-wrenching story.

The Al-Quds Hospital, the second largest in Gaza has now collapsed. It is one of many hospitals in Gaza that are completely out of service, according

to officials. Those remaining, now on a cliff edge.

UNIDENTIFIED ISRAELI DOCTOR AT AL-SHIFA HOSPITAL (through translator): There was a direct injury in the head, internal bleeding. And we can't do

surgeries. No surgeries. No oxygen. No electricity.

We work manually. We are using a manual resuscitator. It is a clear injury, it needs urgent surgery, a life-saving one. He is less than a year old.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Remarkably, this baby survived. But his father, who was in the very same building on an Israeli

airstrike hit, did not. At Gaza's largest hospital, Al-Shifa, officials say three babies in the neonatal unit died after a generator powering

incubators was damaged in an Israeli strike.

CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment. The IDF regularly says it is targeting Hamas. But doctors here say the hospital is now

completely surrounded.

DR. MOHAMED KANDIL: The situation overall is difficult. According to our colleagues there, there is no water and no electricity. They cannot

communicate with each other. There is a lot of targeting around the hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Israeli military said Sunday it has sent 300 liters of fuel to the entrance of the Al-Shifa

Hospital, said to only be enough to power the hospital's generators for 30 minutes. But the IDF says Hamas blocked the hospital from receiving it.

Hospital officials, however, say staff were too afraid by surrounding Israeli tanks to collect the fuel. Inside the hospital, doctors are

overwhelmed, morgues now long beyond capacity. And with communications frequently cut off, contact between medical teams on the ground and with

the outside world is growing increasingly difficult.

Hospital officials say thousands of displaced civilians are still thought to be in the compound, taking shelter in what once was thought to be a

sanctuary in the midst of this seemingly unending nightmare.

(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE speaking in foreign language.)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We thought the hospital was a safe place, but it wasn't. If we had stayed another five minutes, we

would've been killed. They started to bomb us, and we ran away from Al- Shifa.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Israeli military says it is now enabling passage from three hospitals in northern Gaza. Israel's

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, telling CNN on Sunday that there is no reason why patients can't be evacuated from Al-Shifa. But doctors on the

ground say a near constant barrage of airstrikes has made it impossible for patients and staff to safely evacuate.

[15:05:03]

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE speaking in foreign language.)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This is another form of torture. We have about six kilometers to go. No less. She got a stroke that caused her

brain damage. She can't speak and is paralyzed.

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Israel says additional routes have been opened to allow civilians to evacuate southwards, but the United

Nations itself has raised doubts over the so-called safe zones outlined for Israel, warning that nowhere inside Gaza is safe for civilians anymore. And

for those too injured, too sick, evacuation is impossible, many doctors on the ground vowing to stay beside their patients no matter what.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: That issue, of course, is whether or not Hamas is using the hospitals as cover, hiding behind the patients, and those who are taking

refuge there.

Dana Bash spoke on Sunday to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He says Israel wants to get people out of the hospital, and he says Hamas is

using them for terrorism.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: We've called to evacuate all the patients from that hospital. And in fact, 100 or so have already been

evacuated. There's no reason why we can't just take the patients out of there, instead of letting Hamas use that as a command center for terrorism,

for the rockets that the fire against Israel, for the terror tunnels that they used to kill Israeli civilians.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: Officials in Washington also now say Hamas uses hospitals for cover. Smoke was seen rising in the area of the Al-Shifa after a clash on Friday.

And US officials say Hamas fighters regularly cluster in and around hospitals, and there's a command node beneath it.

Oren Liebermann is our correspondent. He's in Tel Aviv, joins me now.

Oren, at the end of the day, I suppose, whether or not there is Hamas under the hospital will raise the question, is the damage, the death, the

destruction, the loss of life worth it, you know, because the sheer amount of misery being caused is vast?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And before each Israeli action, there is essentially a cost-benefit analysis. Is the

military function of the strike or this operation worth the potential civilian casualties?

Now, Shifa Hospital has been something the Israeli military or the IDF has talked about for a long time as a central hub for Hamas underneath, using

what should be the sanctuary of a hospital above ground to essentially carry out and continue their operations. It was important that a US

official substantiate what Israel has said about the hospital, that it is used by Hamas.

Now, interestingly, Israel has decided to this point not to go in. We've heard essentially from the IDF itself, and from Palestinians in the

hospitals there and the officials there, that Israel is right outside. But that key question is here, do you risk going into the hospital? That's a

decision Israel has to make.

Go in at the risk of a tremendous loss of civilian life inside, at the ability to prove your point that this was used by Hamas. That's a decision

the IDF has to make. As Israel says, it's opening up corridors away from these hospitals for evacuation, but many Palestinians are simply too

frightened to take them.

QUEST: Okay. There's also people who are just simply too ill, or like, babies, simply -- requiring a level of medical specialty. I mean, even if,

I suppose, transportation was provided, the route south would do a lot of them in to start with. And I know Israel has offered to provide the

necessary medical support to evacuate some of them into Israel. How realistic is all of this?

LIEBERMANN: As of right now, from where we're standing, it doesn't look realistic at all to try to move some of the most vulnerable inside Shifa

Hospital to try to get them anywhere. First, you can't really move them to another Gaza hospital, because many of those have already shut down. And

Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest one day, has shut off all of its essential services.

Israel says it has offered and is in touch with directors at Shifa Hospital to get out either babies from the neonatal intensive care unit. Israel says

it's trying to look at options there to evacuate some of the pediatrics unit. But it's also clear that those in the hospital don't seem ready in

any way to take Israel up on this offer, partially because, at least, it seems from the fighting outside, the level of carnage and destruction they

have seen, the dead bodies that are also piling up at the hospital, according to Doctors Without Borders, that simply doesn't seem like a

viable option as the patients inside are dying, not as a result of the fighting, but as a result of the collapse in the medical system.

QUEST: Oren, if there's one thing that will turn the tide of public opinion not just in the rest of the world, but in Israel, I guess, it will be the

very thought of premature babies dying because the electricity failed.

[15:10:07]

Now, you said earlier that Israel, before the attacks, does cost-benefit analysis, in a sense. But this is now taking us -- look, war is horrible,

war is nasty, war is miserable. We all know that, but this is being played out in real-time with social media and cameras to boot.

LIEBERMANN: And Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen acknowledge that. He basically said, look, we have two to three weeks of heavy fighting before

the pressure builds up to the point where it begins to affect Israel's ability to operate, not operate militarily, but operate diplomatically.

Israel has the support of the US, has the support of Germany and so many other key countries from Israel's perspective, but it's also fully aware

that international pressure is coming.

And, Richard, it's worth remembering that May 2021, the last Israel-Hamas war, that effectively ended when President Joe Biden said, enough, it's

gotten to that point, it has to end. And that really limited Israel's ability to maneuver. Israel is well aware that that time may be coming.

QUEST: Oren's in Tel Aviv. Great reporting, sir.

Donald Trump Jr. told a New York court today that his father, in his words, is an artist with real estate. Now, Junior has just finished testifying.

He's the first defense witness in the several week civil fraud trial of Donald Trump.

A New York attorney general alleges the Trumps intentionally inflated their father's net worth to get cheaper loans. Trump Jr. was questioned by the

prosecution earlier this month, denying any involvement in preparing his father's financial statements. Eric Trump and the former president would

also to take the stand again.

Brynn Gingras is outside the courthouse in New York. I suppose, why is he back on the stand? I mean, bearing in mind when the -- he gave his evidence

for the prosecution, which, you know, cross-examined. So why back again? What is he saying this time that he didn't say last?

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN US NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, listen, when the cross -- I'm sorry, when the state attorneys questioned Donald Trump on the

stand two weeks ago, Richard, it was really, you know, short testimony. He had to answer sort of yes or no. There wasn't much leeway to get into any

details. So the defense calls him back as their first witness to give that sort of leverage and talk a little bit more broadly as they start to begin

their case, which we expect to last for a month.

Now listen, I'm turning ahead, because he actually just walked outside the courthouse, Don Jr. He is done testifying for the day. He's already did his

testimony on the stand and he's actually speaking to the cameras there behind me.

And the whole day, three hours on the stand for Don Jr., mainly, was talking about the portfolio of Trump properties. The defense attorneys went

through each and every property about the Trump's own and talked sort of glowingly about how they were transformed by the Trump family.

Don Jr. basically alluding to his father as an artist in the real estate industry, how he could see a property and make it into what it is today.

And so, really, this was to show that they believe that these values are of -- I mean, sorry, these properties, rather, are of high value.

They also talked about the fact that they pay millions of taxes in the properties' locations, but they employ hundreds of people. So they're

really trying to sort of paint this glowing picture of the Trump portfolio, not really getting into the nitty-gritty of those financial statements,

which is the heart of this case and what the states, rather, got into when Don Jr. was on the stand.

I want to say this though, Richard. When they wrapped up the testimony, Don Jr. was asked about the future of the Trump organization, and he said this,

"I guess a lot of that depends on what happens next November. Will probably be put on hold for a little while, and sued into oblivion for the

foreseeable future." So I can imagine that's pretty what he's talking about to the cameras there behind me.

But like you said, this is the first witness for the defense. We're expecting a full month of this. We expect Eric Trump to get back on the

stand, possibly even Donald Trump to come back to the stand, and then some expert witnesses within the real estate industry and also bankers as well -

- Richard.

QUEST: Brynn Gingras who's outside the courthouse in New York, I'm grateful. It's QUEST MEANS BUSINESS tonight.

When we return, well, he was the prime minister. And now, he's about to take one of the great offices of state. David Cameron makes a surprise

return to the top of UK politics. But how can a prime minister work in somebody else's cabinet? Well, we'll discuss all of that in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:17:14]

QUEST: David Cameron is back at the frontlines of UK politics. It was a surprising move, and the former prime minister has now been appointed as

Britain's foreign secretary. In doing so, he also had to be made a peer of the realm to sit in the House of Lords. So now, Lord Cameron said he gladly

accepted the offer from the current prime minister, Rishi Sunak.

It's taken a very strange turn in British politics, as Clare Sebastian reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A relaxed stroll that belied the drama of this moment. A shock return for a British prime

minister who's seven years earlier left Downing Street after Britain voted to leave the European Union.

DAVID CAMERON, THEN-BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve our country as prime minister over these last six years

and to serve as leader of my party for almost 11 years.

SEBASTIAN (voice over): David Cameron, who had led the campaign to remain in the EU, resigned from government after the 2016 Brexit referendum. Now,

he's back on the political stage as foreign secretary, tasked with managing the country's relationships abroad. His appointment coming amid a cabinet

reshuffle, which ousted hardline Home Secretary Suella Braverman, accused of finding social tensions and undermining the police ahead of a pro-

Palestinian demonstration in London this weekend. That proved the final straw.

(CROWD chanting in a rally.)

SUELLA BRAVERMAN, THEN-BRITISH HOME SECRETARY: It's the coalition of chaos. It's the Guardian-reading, tofu-eating wokerati, dare I say, the anti-

growth coalition.

SEBASTIAN (voice over): A tenure already marked by confrontational rhetoric towards migrants, protesters, even the homeless had sparked more rifts in

the already fractured conservative party, which has seen a recent revolving door of prime ministers, and an array of outrage, including a lobbying

scandal that embroiled both Cameron and the current prime minister, Rishi Sunak.

Amid plummeting approval ratings, Sunak had attempted to break with the past.

RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We've had 30 years of a political system, which incentivizes the easy decision, not the right one.

SEBASTIAN (voice over): And although Sunak and Cameron had publicly disagreed, not least on Brexit, Cameron attempted Monday to move beyond

that, saying he is ready to work together on, quote, "a daunting set of international challenges," including supporting Sunak's efforts in the war

in Ukraine, and the crisis in the Middle East.

SUNAK: Well, Prime Minister, thank you for your warm words and for welcoming me to Israel.

SEBASTIAN (voice over): So while some are welcoming the return of an experienced hand, others see it as more evidence Britain's ruling party is

heading on shaky ground towards another general election.

Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:20:03]

QUEST: The appointment of David Cameron to be foreign secretary is unusual for a variety of reasons. Firstly, he'll be the only secretary of state in

Rishi Sunak's government who is not a sitting MP. It is the convention that you sit in the House of Commons. You're an MP.

So to serve in government again, they had to send him to the upper house, the House of Lords. It means he's now Lord Cameron, and he can return to

government without having to face an election. They won't have to shoehorn him into the Commons. It also means he won't face questions from elected

MPs in the House of Commons.

David Gauke is a former conservative MP. He served as minister under David Cameron. He joins me now.

David, look, I don't doubt for a second Mr. Cameron, or Lord Cameron, I should say, Lord Cameron's qualities, abilities, competencies to do the

job. But I do question the proprietary. I mean, they've shoehorned him into the Lords. Is that really saying there's nobody else that could do the job?

DAVID GAUKE, FORMER BRITISH TREASURY MINISTER UNDER CAMERON: Well, it's certainly unusual, but it's not unprecedented. Of course, lots of have a

system whereby ministers are not within the legislature at all. But we have a system where by large ministers are members of the House of Commons.

But not that long ago, under the last labor government, Peter Mandelson was very powerful secretary of state in the House of lords. You have to go back

to 1982, when it was the last time the foreign secretary was in the House of Lords, Lord Carrington. And it was not a common -- Alec Douglas-Home, an

Exhibit-prime minister, did it in the early 1970s.

It's unusual, but, you know, he will still be accountable to other members of the House of Lords. He would still have to appear before select

committees of members of parliament, so there is some accountability. But yes, there's some controversy about that.

On the other hand .

QUEST: Right.

GAUKE: . you have got somebody right of experience.

QUEST: Yes, but it -- the critics, I mean, if you listen to what the opposition said today when it was announced, it's a sign of desperation.

Yesterday's man being brought back for tomorrow.

GAUKE: I'm not sure that it is. I mean, look, they're conservatives. I'm -- you know, I'm no longer a conservative MP or a member of the Conservative

Party. The conservatives face a really big uphill battle in the general election next year.

This is, I think, a bit of a change of strategy from Rishi Sunak. But it's -- his approach now is to say, look, we're going to deliver sensible

government. We're going to have grown-ups, serious people involved in this.

QUEST: Okay.

GAUKE: At the same time, as a very controversial Home secretary has been sacked, I think there's probably a better-quality cabinet than we've had

before.

QUEST: Yes, well, yes, except David Cameron has two very, very dark (inaudible). The first, of course, coalition government, which, I mean, the

UK doesn't really have a history or tradition of, and it wasn't arousing success in many people's views. Certainly, the Lib Dems. But importantly,

the referendum, the Brexit referendum, which there is a view that he should've never held a referendum when he couldn't guarantee the result.

So I do question whether or not Rishi Sunak has -- never mind brought back yesterday's man, but he's brought back somebody who is not exactly

respected for the very issue that forced him out of office.

GAUKE: I think on the first point, the coalition government it was -- given the results of the 2010 general election, it was David Cameron's

responsibility to try to make it work, and he did make it work and delivered stable government. I would say that was actually pretty good

period of government.

But on the Brexit referendum, yes, there'll be lots of people who will criticize David Cameron for calling it, and there's a long debate to be had

here. I think what he was trying to do was to sort of see off the issue. He thought he could win, and he got that judgment wrong. And he's paid a very

significant price for that. He resigned as .

QUEST: Right.

GAUKE: . prime minister, and that's damaged his reputation.

But I think you have to look at his career in the round, and he brings a great deal of expertise. He's a big figure in terms of international

affairs. And, you know, he's very well-placed to perform the role of foreign secretary.

QUEST: So, Suella Braverman, the former foreign secretary -- sorry, the former foreign home secretary, amongst other appointments, in a word, in a

sentence, we haven't seen the last of her in government -- well, in politics, have we?

[15:25:18]

GAUKE: Probably not, and she'll try to be as big a nuisance as possible for Rishi Sunak from the back benches. Whether it will happen or not, whether

she will prove to be that big a nuisance, I'm not so sure. She's done quite a lot to damage her reputation in recent weeks, including among some of her

natural supporters, but yes, is at risk for the prime minister settling.

QUEST: David, next year, when the election happens, we'll certainly be back with you to help us understand every nook and cranny as we make our way

through it. Thank you, sir. Grateful for your time tonight.

It is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS tonight. I'm in Dubai. Israel's war against Hamas is bound to have economic consequences. They will be widespread.

It comes at a time when Israel was doing extremely well and a startup nation and all that. But one of Israelis top tech entrepreneurs, Shlomo

Dovrat will be with me after the break to put it into perspective the wartime economy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: Hello. I'm Richard Quest. Together, we have a lot more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. One of Israel's biggest venture capitalists will join me to

discuss how the war is affecting the country's international standing. And the new U.S. House Speaker is facing his first major test as the government

shutdown looms. We will get to all of that but only after the news because this is CNN. And on this network, the news always comes first.

[15:30:25]

The European Union says roughly 100 civilians were killed during a massacre in a village in Burkina Faso. Military Junta sees power in the West African

country in July 2022. E.U. diplomats are calling on the transitional authorities to find out who was responsible.

In Iceland, the level of seismic activity is fallen, but not the risk of a volcanic eruption. According to the country's metrological office, 900

earthquakes hit the area from midnight to 1:00 local time. A decrease of 1000 for the day previously. More than 3000 residents have been urged to

evacuate the area.

U.S. airports are bracing for a record influx of passengers this Thanksgiving. The Transportation Security Administration expects the screen

nearly three million passengers on Sunday. After the holiday, the TSA say it will be the highest number of passengers passing through U.S. airports

in more than 20 years.

A new clinical trial is suggesting the popular weight drug loss -- the popular weight-loss drug, I beg your pardon, Wegovy could reduce the risk

of heart attacks. Researchers presented their findings at a medical conference this weekend. Shares in Novo Nordisk, the company that makes it

have been up as much as three percent.

U.S. Supreme Court is adopting a code of conduct in an attempt to bolster public confidence. The move follows months of news stories alleging that

some of the justices have been skirting ethics regulations. A brief statement signed by all the justices said the absence of a code has led to

the misunderstanding that the justices of this court, unlike all other jurists in the country, regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics

rules.

Israel's Foreign Minister says international pressure is growing for a ceasefire in Gaza and major protests have been taking place over the

weekend. The police in London now say there was 300,000 people that took part in a pro-Palestinian March. Some of the signs there read free

Palestine and stop the massacre.

A different sort of demonstration in Paris on Sunday. 100,000 people also are believed to have joined a march against anti-Semitism.

Shlomo Dovrat is a prominent Israeli tech entrepreneur. He appeared on our show back in March when we were talking about the judicial reforms in

Israel. And he criticized the Prime Minister Netanyahu's reforms after October the 7th attack. Dovrat called Israel strong, vibrant and united.

And he says this country was on the moral and right side of history. Shlomo drove Dovrat joins me now from Israel.

Good evening to you, sir. I'm grateful for your time.

(CROSSTALK)

SHLOMO DOVRAT, COFOUNDER AND GENERAL PARTNER AT VIOLA VENTURES: Richard.

QUEST: Thank you for taking the time. And before we get into the ability of Israel, to me, like in an economic sense, we have to start with the events

of the moment. And of course, I guess the issue is how you and others in Israel feel when you heat Palestinians saying, doctors saying that

premature babies are dying in hospital because the hospitals no longer have fuel and they're no longer able to provide life support.

DOVRAT: So, Richard, obviously, what is happening in Gaza is heartbreaking. It's -- when you can't -- you can't ignore, you know, pictures of babies

dying or children dead. And it's heartbreaking for everybody. But in Israel, we have just experienced the worst day in our history. Probably the

worst day in the history of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. On October 7th, 1400 Israelis were slaughtered, murdered, raped, babies were

burned.

I don't know if you know -- if you saw any of the videos or any of the pictures, but it is unbearable atrocities. 3000 militias or terrorist or

whatever the BBC wants to call them now have crossed the border into Israel. We had a ceasefire, by the way, on October 6th, and they went into

villages, they went into military camps, and they literally slaughtered 1400 people. And they also took hostage, 240 people including 38 children.

QUEST: Right.

DOVRAT: So yes, it is heartbreaking for us. But it is also something that Israel has no choice but to go and I think that we know with all the

differences that Israel had prior to this October 7th, Israel is now very united 99 percent.

[15:35:03]

Including Israeli Arabs who suffered huge losses as well are united that we can no longer leave with Hamas, a terrorist organization whose only goal is

to eliminate the Jewish people and to kill everybody. By the way, you mentioned the demonstration in London. When those Muslim demonstrator or

British demonstrators are calling for free Palestine from the river to the sea. Do they really understand what they're saying?

What they're really saying is no Jews between the river and the sea mean what? We are supposed to be all dead and just do nothing about it? So, I

think with all the political disputes we've had before, we're very determined that Hamas needs to be eliminated.

QUEST: OK. I hear what you say. You use the phrase that you had no choice or Israel had no choice bearing in mind. And I guess there will be an

argument that says all right, even if there are Hamas in that hospital, under that hospital, does that still justify what's being done to the

patients within?

DOVRAT: So, I'm not part of the military operation, obviously. But I -- to the best of my knowledge, Israel has not entered any hospital which has

patient. On the other hand, Israel has been shocked at -- including rockets. By the way, a few days ago, a house just three streets for me was

destroyed by a rocket that may have been shot from one of the hospitals in Gaza. We are being attacked.

Israel on October 7th has been attacked. We are defending ourselves. If the Hamas is choosing kids and hospitals and mosque and school as a way to

shield themselves from the Israeli going after them, then we have no choice. Israel, as far as I know has not entered a single hospital, has

allowed evacuation of older patients. And to the best of my knowledge, except the Shifa Hospital, all the other hospitals are now evicted in the

Shifa Hospital.

There are only few hundreds left after they were 50,000. So, Israel is not a Barbadian country. Unlike Hamas, we are a liberal democratic country who

upholds the moral justice. And I believe that Israel is doing all the necessary precaution to try and minimize those casualty. But as you said

yourself, Richard, war is nasty. And at this point, we have a vicious enemy. And there is no choice. We abide by international laws.

We consider every attack and every action. I used to be a military officer. I know how it works. You know, I think Israel is a very proud democracy who

really is abiding by all international warlords.

QUEST: Can I -- all right. So, if we -- if we move this forward, I mean, is there a risk here that, yes, the overwhelming force that Israel can bring

to bear suggests and probably means that -- I mean, you know, the country will prevail in its -- in its -- in its armed struggle, if you will. But

you risk sort of winning the war and losing the peace because now turning to your sort of role as an entrepreneur and as understanding the mechanisms

of the Israeli economy, what happens if Israel becomes a pariah state where people don't want to invest?

DOVRAT: I don't think there is any risk of that because I think Israel -- nobody in Israel or the vast majority of Israelis don't want to root Gaza.

We want to go in, we want to destroy Hamas. And then we won. Remember, in 2005, Israel left Gaza. Gaza is not an occupied territory. Gaza was ruled

by the Palestinian Authority which has a peace accord with Israel. And in 2007, just two years after we left, the Hamas overthrew violently their

own, you know, brothers, the Palestinian Authority and have created a monster.

They've built the terror tunnels in Gaza which is actually bigger than the subway system of New York. They've spent every -- actually, there is more

international aid put into Gaza than the Marshall Plan that was put into Europe. So, the future in Israel is to have a legitimate which is

internationally recognized legitimate country with legitimate borders. I hope and I pray and I am one of the people like many of us who have been

fighting for a two-state solution.

I think Hamas is the biggest enemy of the Palestinian people. Many of us, many of the people that have been slaughtered.

(CROSSTALK)

QUEST: Let me jump in here if I may.

DOVRAT: -- when this war is over -- Richard, if I may just finish. I think when this war is over, we need to work diligently on peace. We need to work

diligently on coexistence. I would love to see a Palestinian state, a peace-seeking Palestinian state. I believe that we do have the legitimacy.

I think we have the support of President Biden, you know, your Prime Minister Sunak, you know, Germany and many others. Everybody supports,

everybody recognizes that we need to eliminate Hamas.

[15:40:05]

Nevertheless, Israel has a huge responsibility to continue and strive for peace. This is why we will be internationally accepted and very legitimate

because of who we are.

QUEST: OK. Just to explain to viewers who may have heard me speaking over you. You and I are actually physically not that far away from each other.

I'm in Dubai and you're in in Tel Aviv. But the -- of course, the way the satellites work, it's taking a little bit longer to get from one to the

other. And back again, on this question of Israel's ability, the Central Bank is going to have to provide huge amounts of liquidity.

The market is already under pressure, the shekel has fallen. So, a wartime economy and for a country that had made its name as the startup nation, I

guess there's -- it's very difficult now to move forward in that sense because for the foreseeable future, you're going to be dealing with this.

DOVRAT: So, you know, Israel has entered this crisis in one of the best situation ever. Israel debt to GDP ratio is only 60 percent which is one of

the lowest in the OECD. Israel has a huge economical surplus. Israel has a huge -- over $200 billion of reserves. So, Israel economy is very strong

and very sound and I believe can sustain this crisis from a macroeconomic. I think the government will need to be fiscally responsible.

They will have to give up on some of their political agenda and make sure that all that -- all that deficit that we will definitely need will only be

used to the war. I think the biggest engine of growth in Israel has been the high-tech industry. High tech is a global business. It's not as

affected. It's actually 17 percent of GDP, by far the largest and the most important industry in the country.

And I believe the Israeli high tech will continue to thrive. And it's actually already is, you know, our day-to-day life is now -- we are moving

-- Israelis are very resilient. We moved back to work quite quickly. Yes, we do have sirens. We have to go to shelter once in a while. I hope we

don't have one, as you interview me now. But we are continuing to invest. We're continuing to deliver. We just had a big sign on NASDAQ saying we

deliver no matter what.

QUEST: All right. Can I ask you? Finally, because when we you and I spoke in Israel, we talked about the judicial reforms which you were very

forthright about against. You said in your recent blog when this is over, we will find out what happened, make the necessary adjustments and hold

those responsible accountable. Well, obviously, you know, you will expect me to say that -- you do hold the prime minister responsible.

But more nuanced than that. Do you think the preoccupation with the judicial reforms meant that everybody simply took their eye off the

security question?

DOVRAT: I really don't think that the military failure is a direct result of the political judicial reform of the political dispute. I think that

there was a conceptual policy. Wrong for many, many years that we were trying to accommodate the Hamas, we were trying to leave with the commerce.

This is predating. This is a probably 15-year-old. I think the military failure, the miserable, the, you know, incomprehensible military failure

of, you know, Israel is such a mighty country with an amazing superpower military but we simply failed in staying the guard.

All this has nothing to do with the judicial reform. However, I think the fact that country was divided, I think the fact that country was torn, I

think the fact that some of our international investor started to lose faith in the country and in the institution was very dangerous. I do

believe and I do -- and I'm very confident that after this when this war is over and if and when we are -- not if, when we win against Hamas, Israel

will be rebuilt.

I think we're more united than ever. I think that judicial reform is that - - I do think that the Israeli public will hold everybody. And I mean, everybody. The military, the political leadership who were responsible for

this terrible failure, they will -- we will hold them accountable. And then the Israel is a democracy and we will let the electorate decide who the

next leaders of this country are.

But I'm sure the next leaders of this country will be rebuilding the country. Will strengthen the institution and Israel will continue to

thrive.

QUEST: Shlomo, I'm grateful for your time tonight. As always, thank you, sir, for joining us from Israel.

[15:45:02]

QUEST MEANS BUSINESS continues. In the U.S., the government has until Friday to avert a shutdown. The brinksmanship over the new budget is making

life hard for the new Republican Speaker. In a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: UN Climate Summit, COP 28 and it'll begin here in Dubai later this month. A central part of the event is finding solutions for people who are

impacted by extreme weather like those in the Amazon basin. Experiencing one of the most severe droughts in more than a century. CNN's Eleni Giokos

looks at the communities affected and how one startup is trying to help.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): The Amazon River, it holds one-fifth of the world's freshwater. But now, the region is undergoing a

severe dry season and the basin has reached the lowest water levels in the past 120 years leading entire communities without access to drinking water.

DANIEL ILG, COFOUNDER, AGUA CAMELO: As the river are so dry, the water is more sandy, the water is dirty, the water is really hot and the bacterias

and protozoans they develop way faster in this -- in this ambient.

GIOKOS (voiceover): Daniel Ilg, cofounded startup Agua Camelo in 2020.

ILG: We develop and implement different type of projects with the objectives of providing safe drinking water for different communities in

situation of vulnerability.

GIOKOS (voiceover): Made with two components. A backpack that can be taken to any dirty water source.

ILG: That can support up to 50 liters per time with contaminated water.

GIOKOS (voiceover): And a filter.

ILG: This filter here can eliminate all type of bacteria, protozoa and suspended particles.

GIOKOS (voiceover): This kit has been designed for individual households with the current drought in the Amazon, Agua Camelo has been organizing

multiple trips to the region.

ILG: So, installed in these communities, attending around 900,000 indigenous people, and this is just the start.

GIOKOS (voiceover): The communities that Daniel supports are among an estimated 3-1/2 billion people living in areas of high vulnerability to

climate change.

COP 28 in the United Arab Emirates will look at the first people to severely suffer from the impacts of climate change also known as frontline

communities.

[15:50:10]

ANNA MARIA CARCAMO, LEGAL ANALYST, CLIMATE POLICY INITIATIVE: They are impacted in different ways by -- both by the actions that lead to the

climate crisis such as the extraction of fossil fuels or deforestation. And then the impacts on the climate crisis themselves. Drought, floods. It's

important that climate change discussions consider the particular impacts that those communities are facing in terms of their health and in terms of

their safety.

GIOKOS (voiceover): Daniel expects discussions in the United Arab Emirates will start to have an impact back home.

ILG: People have been suffering from the lack of access of water for decades. And has to have a connection between all different areas of the

population. With private sector, with public sector with innovation companies such as us. So, we have to bring the awareness so we can keep

staying here and in here in this world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: The new U.S. House Speaker is now being put to the test. To tell you about today's House vote that could mark the start of major troubles for

speaker like Johnson.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: Moments from now in the United States, the new Speaker of the House will face a major test. The Rules Committee is set to vote on Mike

Johnson's proposal to avoid a government shutdown. He has only four days before legal funding runs out. His biggest obstacle could be, well, once

again his own Republican Party. Members such as Chip Roy have already condemned the speaker's proposal.

It is a dangerous political territory for the speaker. A budget fight is of course, what ultimately led to his predecessor Kevin McCarthy being ousted.

Annie Grayer is in Washington and joins me now. I mean, could they -- could they do it again? I mean, those who are -- those who are opposing the

budget of Speaker Johnson know that they are -- what the territory is if you like.

ANNIE GRAYER, CNN REPORTER: Well, we're certainly in unclear territory, what the fate of this bill is.

[15:55:04]

I mean, there are eight Republicans including Chip Roy as you mentioned who are against Speaker Mike Johnson's government funding proposal. But the

question is, will Democrats come in and support this government funding bill? Right now, Democrats are taking a kind of non-committal approach

here. Because while they like that this bill does not have the deep spending cuts that some members on the far right wanted, you know, they're

confused by this two-step approach that Johnson is taking here where some of the governments can be funded until January 19th and the rest will be

funded until February 2nd.

So, the clock is ticking here. And it's kind of an open question as to what's going to happen and if this bill will be able to pass the House.

QUEST: Now that, of course, you'll recall well, that it was the fact that the Democrats -- that McCarthy ended up going to the Democrats to get some

of his proposals through that eventually led to his ouster. So, if -- in the case of Johnson, if he has to rely on Democrats to get his proposals

through, is that the kiss of death to his -- to his speakership?

GRAYER: Look, I think after three weeks of protracted speakers fight that ultimately led to Mike Johnson being elected, that really exposed the

divisions in the Republican conference. And I don't think Republicans want to go through that again. And -- so Speaker Johnson is getting a little

more leeway here than his predecessor Kevin McCarthy did. But what we're absolutely seeing is that the fight over government funding playing out now

is mirroring exactly what happened with Kevin McCarthy leading up to that September 30th deadline.

And so, what what's the big takeaway here is Republicans are divided on how to fund the government and those divisions are not going away. Will it lead

to Mike Johnson's ousting? It doesn't seem like there's appetite for it at this point.

QUEST: All right. Grateful to have you with us. Thank you very much. We'll talk more as the proposal goes through. What doesn't as the case may be.

It's QUEST MEANS BUSINESS tonight from Dubai. I'll have a profitable moment after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: Tonight's profitable moment. Well, well, well, back they come. David Cameron returning to frontline politics. I didn't know what to make of it

when I saw it. It was either a gesture of desperation by Rishi Sunak to bring back a former Prime Minister into one of the great offices of state

or a sign of genius to bring back someone so competent as David Cameron.

But the reality is, it's all sorts of parliamentary shenanigans to get it back in through. Put him in the House of Lords, make him Lord Cameron, he

won't have to answer questions from M.P.s. It's all a bit strange and a bit rubbish. It's not illegal. It's not against the rules. It's just

unconventional and therefore you have to ask whether this was the best way forward for the Prime Minister.

But that is government's very unpopular and he's facing an election next year, so I guess in those situations if you're a politician which I am not,

you do whatever you can.

[16:00:08]

And that's QUEST MEANS BUSINESS for tonight. I'm Richard Quest in Dubai. Whatever you're up to in the hours ahead, of course, I hope it's

profitable.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END