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announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news" ♪ >> this is bbc world news america. america's top diplomat says the u.s. and its arab allies agree on the need for an immediate sustained cease-fire in gaza. u.s. republicans outlined plans to invite israeli prime minister bennett to netanyahu to address congress amid disagreements in washington over some for israel -- over support for israel. and in a landmark loss, the u.s. department of justice accuses apple of illegally monopolizing the smartphone market. ♪

welcome to world news america. start in the middle east. u.s. secretary of state antony blinken says there is consensus between the u.s. and arab leaders on the need for an immediate cease-fire in gaza. mr. blinken's in cairo on his latest middle east tour for talks to shipboard -- to shore up support on a cease-fire. the top diplomat says israel needs to do more to allow humanitarian aid into gaza, where he said the entire population faces significant levels of food insecurity. the ua and also called for a cease-fire on thursday. the u.n. has issued a draft resolution to the security council for the first time calling for an immediate cease-fire tied to the release of hostages. the security council is expected to vote on the u.s. draft resolution on friday. we will take a listen to what mr. blinken had to say. >> there is a clear consensus around a number of shared priorities. first, the need for an immediate, sustained cease-fire

with the release of hostages. that would create space to surge more humanitarian assistance, to relieve the suffering of many people, and to build something more enduring. negotiators continue to work, the gaps are narrowing, and we continue to push for an agreement. it is still difficult work to get there, but i continue to believe it is possible. anchor: our correspondent in jerusalem gave us his analysis. reporter: the wheels of diplomacy still very much in motion with antony blinken talking about how he believes an agreement is possible to end this war, even if it will be difficult, in his words. also talking about how there is progress in talking with regional actors about who and what can run gaza and reconstruct in gaza after the silence. israel is sending a delegation back to dope off friday, led by

mossad -- to doha friday, led by mossad. suggesting there is possibly some progress on the cease-fire proposals, even if we do not expect an imminent breakthrough. mr. blinken is also saying the u.s. is circulating a draft you in security council calling for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire linked to the release of the hostages by hamas. the fact that the u.s. has vetoed three previous resolutions calling for a cessation of hostilities suggests the u.s. is hardening its language and getting increasingly exasperated by israel and the conduct of the war in gaza. the resolution the u.s. is circulating is still very much linked to the release of the hostages and demanding the hostages be released as part of the cease-fire deal. the exasperation with israel would grow if the u.s. military does indeed in -- if

the israeli military does indeed invade rafa, which netanyahu has said he would do so to destroy hamas. but that would be in defiance of dire international warnings over the fate of the 1.5 million civilians sheltering there. blinken says a u.s. incursion into rafa would be a grave mistake. anchor: for the latest on those resolutions, i spoke with the former qatari director of fence operations. >> secretary of state antony blinken said today he is hopeful on the cease-fire talks and that the negotiations are moving closer. what are you hearing on where things stand? >> we are seeing what secretary blinken is seeing echoes what the qatari's have been seeing this past week, especially in the press conference held a couple of days ago, that things look positive. they are hopeful.

the qataris have mentioned they are hoping for a cease-fire agreement over two weeks from now. however, things are looking positive. anchor: on the question of reaching an agreement where hostages would also be released, the speaker of the house in the u.s., mike johnson, said today, open vote as negotiate -- sent today,"we urge qatar and egypt to immediately use their leverage to secure the release of hostages on reasonable terms." what can qatar and egypt do where several attempts to reach an agreement up to now have failed? >> we have to understand that negotiators and sponsors of those negotiations are only that, sponsors and negotiators. they are not the parties concerned. the qataris have pushed hard and have been successful, so this is not imaginary.

the qataris have proven they have achieved the goals of helping to release hostages. the qataris continue to urge both sides to release hostages and be more flexible, and for the israelis to be more cooperative and halt kinetic operations to help negotiations, and to save lives in gaza as well. i think things are moving forward. the qataris have been proven as a successful partner. i think things are moving forward positively. >> could you help us understand where the points of contention are now? have hamas or the israelis soft into their red in negotiations? -- softened their redlines in negotiations? >> they keep things close to their vest, but what we have been able to read from a lot of statements they have made is

that a lot of it makes sense once you understand the mechanism of the negotiations. it has been difficult when it comes to the actual mechanics of negotiations, the negotiations from the israeli and hamas have to go back to whether the prime minister in israel or to the hamas in gaza right now, with everything going on. this back-and-forth of not having the final seat as negotiating parties have led to delays and in some cases, when the israelis went back, they could not get the answer they wanted. these are technical issues they are working on right now with qatar. qatar has announced the technical phase has started. there is an operations center set up to make sure that if it there is any snag, they can resolve it in the meantime. anchor: we have to leave it there, but thank you for giving your perspective on this today.

fighting continues in gaza, where israeli forces say they have killed 50 palestinian gunmen around al-shifa hospital in gaza city. confrontation has flared up in and around the complex. some of the latest pictures show displaced palestinians walking along a central road in gaza as they flee from the fighting around the hospital. in the u.s., political differences over support for israel continue to play out on capitol hill. mike johnson says he will extend an invitation to netanyahu to address the conflict in gaza. it comes at a after israeli leaders spoke to senate republicans by video link but did not address democrats. chuck schumer has now signaled he will not stand in the way of inviting mr. netanyahu, saying israel has no stronger ally than the united states. stir schumer said, "i will always welcome the opportunity to welcome the prime minister to speak to congress in a

bipartisan way." with this follows a controversial speech when the city majority leader criticized netanyahu as an obstacle to peace and urged new relations in israel. chris murphy is standing by for us tonight on capitol hill. senator, really good to have you back. would you welcome prime minister netanyahu speaking to both houses of congress? sen. murphy: of course. it is important to have the israeli leader here, incredibly important to have him speaking to both parties. i don't think we were happy to see him talking only to republicans this week. obviously there is disagreement right now about the policies that netanyahu is pushing. it is not in the united states' interest for so many civilians to be killed. it is not in the united states' interest to have israel giving up on palestinian states.

yes, we have open disagreements with netanyahu, but we should not be hesitant to bring to the united states congress even foreign leaders we occasionally disagree with. i think it is important for foreign leaders to be speaking to both parties, not only one party. >> what would you want to hear from the prime minister in an address to both parties? >> i guess what i am most worried about is that this current strategy in gaza does not seem to actually be the objective. if we are trying to destroy the military capability of terrorists like hamas to attack israel or the united states, i don't know that this current operation is doing the job. the cavalierness about civilian casualties, the refusal to allow aid at a significant level is creating bulletin material for

terrorist groups that have designs against israel and the united states. similar to what happened afghanistan, when we were too cavalier about civilian casualties during our campaign there. i would like to hear a lot of things from the prime minister when he comes to congress, but i would certainly like to hear him explain how this campaign is going to guarantee the long-term security of israel and the united states. i don't know that right now he has the evidence to back that claim up. anchor: you have been very vocal about calling for the need for a pause to fighting. we talked about this in november, even. a group of democratic senators urged president biden to stop providing weapons to israel until it lifts conditions on sitting sending military support to israeli. would you support that? sen. murphy: there are multiple

letters being sent from congress each day because this is so important. the president issued a referendum a few weeks ago saying that if any recipient of usaid, including israel, does not meet basic international and domestic humanitarian rule of law standards, then they cannot be the recipient of aid. the president is going to have to make a decision as to whether israel's restriction of aid into gaza is in accordance with that national security memorandum. i think israel is going to have to make big commitments this week in order to meet the letter of the law in that memorandum. this will be a decision israel makes. israel has the opportunity over the next day or two to let new adn, and we are eager to see if they can live up to the conditions that the president, in consultation with congresspeople, has said. anchor: you are urging the biden administration to establish the

framework of a u.s. recognition of a non-militarized palestinian state. last month, u.s. lawmakers backed netanyahu's rejection of a unilateral rejection of a palestinian state. you said at the time that such recognition would grant a huge unprecedented reward to terrorism. senator, what is your response to that? sen. murphy: it is the only valid path forward for a jewish state in the middle east to be side-by-side with a palestinian state. if you are not making a commitment to a palestinian state, then either you are going to be in a long-term apartheid state in which palestinians are denied basic rights inside israel, or ultimately you may not have a jewish state in the middle east any longer. to me, if you care about the longer-term viability of the

israeli state, you have to be for a palestinian state. it is confusing to me as to why this has become such a difficult, controversial issue, given the reality on the ground that i think mandates a two state future. anchor: senator chris murphy, thank you so much for joining us. sen. murphy: thank you. anchor: the u.s. has filed a landmark lawsuit against apple, closing -- accusing the tech giant of monopolizing the smartphone market and crushing competition. it is the third time apple has been sued by the u.s. justice department since 2009. apple says they will fight the lawsuit vigorously in court. here is michelle fleury. >> more than a billion people around the world own an iphone. for many of them, the appeal lies in how easy it is to use features like imessage, apple pay, and the apple watch. but a lawsuit filed by the u.s.

justice department and 16 other states accuses the company of blocking rivals from accessing hardware and software features on its iphone to support its dominance in the smartphone market. >> apple charges as much as nearly $1600 for an iphone. but as our complaint alleges, apple has maintained monopoly power in the smartphone market not simply by staying ahead of the competition on the merits, but by violating federal antitrust law. consumers should not have to pay higher prices because companies break the law. michelle: apple denies the accusations, saying in a statement, this lawsuit presents who we are and the principles that set apple products apart. if successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from apple. we believe this lawsuit is wrong on the facts and law, and we defend against it.

representatives for the tech giant tell me that when microsoft was sued in the 90's, it controlled 95% of the world market. apple only has 20% of the global smartphone market and about 60% domestically. so, where is the monopoly, they are asking. the challenge to the business model comes as regulators are increasing their scrutiny of tech companies. and the department of justice, if it were to succeed, and we are still a long way from that, has not ruled out the possibility of asking for apple to be broken up. >> with me now is the attorney general of the state of new jersey, one of the plaintiffs in this lawsuit. very good to have you with us. why do you consider this to be unfair practices by apple and not just the signs of a company that has products and software that are very successful? >> is attorney general garland said today, just being a large company does not violate our laws, but when you use your

market size and dominance to exclude other commercial behavior, stifle innovation, and ultimately hurt consumers, that is where you cross the line to violating our laws, as we allege apple has done. anchor: many iphone users say they are happy that apple has this integrated ecosystem, that it provides more safety as well. is that unfair monopoly behavior? >> seven in 10 people who have smart phones are iphone users, because apple has made it so difficult to leave their platform in a lot of respects. when you stifle innovation and prevent competition, use your market power to do that, you prevent innovation that can benefit consumers. the same way apple was able to become a major player in the market after microsoft -- there was a similar lawsuit against microsoft in the 1990's. apple took microsoft's playbook and is doing the same thing a few decades later. anchor: apple says the lawsuit,

quote, threatens who we are, and a four successful, would, quote, hinder the type of technology people expect from apple. that turns the tables, saying this lawsuit would hinder innovation. how do you respond? a.g. platkin: if you look at every major company that has been sued across the country on antitrust laws, for antitrust law violations throughout our history, whether it be microsoft in the 1990's over the airlines, they all probably said similar things. we know apple is a big company and a lot of people do like their products, we are not saying they cannot exist, but they have to follow the law, and no matter how big or powerful they are, we do not hold you to a different standard because you may be bigger than some of the other players. >> are you worried other companies could look at this and see that it would stifle their own and ovation? --stifle their own innovation? a.g. platkin: we believe apple right now is stifling their own innovation. it was the same thing that allowed apple to grow, have the

itunes store come on the microsoft platform, the ipod and iphone growing into significant players in the market. apple in 2024 is now preventing the apples of the 1990's from growing against the new and emerging companies we could have today. >> if this lawsuit would be successful, how would it change things? a.g. platkin: think about how people who use an iphone cannot access third-party apps. they cannot have super apps where you can do multiple things on a single lab. people are paying today over $1500 for an iphone. if you adjust the 2007 cost of an iphone by inflation, it would only be 450 dollars. people are paying a significant amount for these products because apple has been able to control the market in a way that discourages innovation and prevents competitors from coming in. anchor: if a lawsuit were to be successful, you are saying the cost would come down significantly? >> we know apple is extracting

significant rents from people who develop products for their platform. they charge 30% of all app store purchases. they charge financial institutions extraordinary fees for the apps on their platforms. and they are preventing things like lab-based apps used on other platforms that do not require expensive hardware, just so that you have to go out and buy an expensive iphone. the experience would be better and consumers would ultimately pay less. anchor: the department to justice and states have brought to -- brought two suits against google. states at the fcc brought an antitrust case against amazon. why are we seeing this wave against activity? a.g. platkin: countries have gained significant larger and have more significant market presence in a way that has resulted in unlawfully excluding certain activity and stifling innovation. you are seeing that certainly in the tech sector. as the chief law enforcement officer in a state of 9.3

million people, my job is to keep our residents safe and protect their well-being, and that includes their economic well-being. anchor: the u.s. normally wins the cases it brings. are you confident the department of justice and the states that are a party to this will win? a.g. platkin: we would not bring this case if we were not prepared to win it. on behalf of 16 bipartisan states and the department of justice, we are prepared for that fight. anchor: interesting conversation. the attorney general of the state of new jersey, thank you for joining us. a.g. platkin: thank you for having me. anchor: russia launched dozens of missiles on ukraine's capital overnight, injuring 17 people, including a child. it was the biggest attack on kyiv in weeks. debris cascaded on to and people. security video capture to the impact on the ground, shattering glass. -- captured the impact on the

ground, shattering glass. we have more on the strikes. reporter: this is the aftermath of yet another russian missile attack on ukraine's capital. 31 missiles launched overnight. the biggest barrage of missiles that have launched for some time here. ukraine's air defenses managed to shoot all of them down, but when they do that, debris falls to the ground and often causes a lot of damage, a lot of destruction. you can see the crater that caused this spot and also the damage to the houses and businesses all around here. there are people who have come back to try to salvage whatever they can from their homes, from their flats, and also from shops and medical clinics. in this building here, people are emotional that they have lost everything. we have no idea what russia was targeting in this particular attack. all we know is that civilians have clearly suffered as a result. this is the result of vladimir putin's more that he launched an

has now vowed to go on prosecuting as he has just secured another six years in the kremlin. for all of his aggressive, militaristic talk, for ukraine, this is the result -- more casualties, more destruction, more devastation. anchor: eu leaders are currently gathered in brussels to consider taking frozen russian assets and sing that money to buy more arms for ukraine. the european commission estimates this could generate up to 3 billion euros per year for ukraine, about $3.26 billion. this comes as a one-time $60 billion aid package requested by u.s. president biden for ukraine months ago is still being held up in congress. finally, their wartime mission was top-secret for decades. known as the ghost army, special units in the u.s. military used in label vehicles at hollywood level special-effects to fool

german forces about allied war plans. now, nearly 80 years after world war ii ended, surviving members of the group are being honored for the clever ruses they used to say tens of thousands of lives. three veterans, including two men over 100 years old, were awarded congress's highest honor in an event on capitol hill on thursday. congratulations to them. just a reminder of our top story , u.s. secretary of state antony blinken is in cairo, speaking with negotiators there on trying to negotiate a cease-fire between the warring parties in gaza. he said he is hopeful that there has been some progress on those negotiations, that he believes they are coming closer to that goal, but he also said israel needs to do more to allow humanitarian aid into gaza. this has been a main sticking point for the u.s., where we have seen the biden administration as well sharpen its language over the last few days. one more point to remember,

house speaker mike johnson has said he would extend an invitation to the israeli leader benjamin netanyahu to speak to at least the house of representatives, perhaps both houses of congress. that is our show. thank announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. bdo. accountants and advisors. cunard is a proud supporter of public television. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff bennett is away. on the “newshour” tonight, the justice department and 16 state attorneys general sue apple for maintaining a monopoly. with a vote to avoid a govent