11/09/23 11/09/23 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> a living nightmare. i nightmare where people have been suffocating under persistent barred meant -- bombardment.

amy: the top human rights official of the united nations has called for far more humanitarian aid to be allowed into gaza as he accuses israel and hamas of committing war crimes. we will speak to the palestinian red society about the humanitarian crisis in gaza and then we speak with a palestinian-american poet and physician, fady joudah. dozens of his family members have been killed in gaza over the past month. plus, we will look at last night's republican debate which donald trump skipped again. >> i'm sick of hearing the media, sick of hearing other people blame israel just for defending itself. we will stand with israel in word and deed and public and in private. >> the last thing we need to do is to tell israel what to do. the only thing we should be doing is supporting them and eliminating hamas. amy: all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman.

tens of thousands of palestinians scrambled to flee northern gaza on foot wednesday after israel's military gave them a four-hour window to leave. israeli officials say some 100,000 civilians remain in northern gaza, down from more than a million a month ago. human rights groups say many seniors, pregnant people, parents of young children, and people with disabilities have been unable to heed israel's mass evacuation orders. this is ahmed mohammed, whose neighborhood near the al-shati refugee camp came under intense israeli bombardment. >> may allah protect us. those without resources will have to stay where they are. it is as if they have sentenced us to death. amy: the u.n. agency for palestinian refugees, unrwa, says 70% of gaza's residents are displaced. supermarkets have been swept clean of food and other essentials. israeli assaults have destroyed

about a dozen of gaza's bakeries. with no clean drinking water, palestinians have been forced to bathe in the mediterranean sea, where a total shutdown of gaza's wastewater treatment plants has forced the daily release of huge quantities of untreated sewage . the world health organization warned wednesday of the spread of disease. it says since early october, there is been a sixteen-fold increase in cases of diarrhea, most of them children under five. gaza's health ministry says one palestinian child is being killed every 10 minutes. 4324 children have been confirmed killed in 33 days of relentless bombardment. another 1350 children are missing and presumed buried under the rubble. more than 10,500 gazans have -- palestinians in gaza have been killed. on wednesday, the united nations high commissioner for human rights volker türk traveled to the egyptian side of the rafah border crossing to gaza where he accused both israel and hamas of committing war crimes.

>> this is the gateway to a hellish nightmare. i can't even fathom to think what they're going through the other side. and i see in front of me come the lifeline that would bring relief and humanitarian assistance, which until now has not been enough. woefully inadequate. amy: to see our interview with volker turk as well as the head of the new york office of the high commissioner for human rights who resigned in protest over israel's assault on gaza, go to democracynow.org. in the occupied west bank, the palestinian health ministry says an overnight israeli military assault on the jenin refugee camp has killed eight people and wounded at least 14 others. since early october, daily --

>> more than 60 media organizations were destroyed. dozens of journalists families were killed. houses were bombed. more than 22 broadcasting channels in the broadcast strip stopped working completely in addition to the greater crime which is the killing of journalists themselves. more than 40 journalists and workers and media institutions were killed in israeli bombardment. amy: cia director william burns is headed to qatar today where indirect talks are underway aimed at a deal that would see hamas release hostages in exchange for a three-day ceasefire in gaza. the talks reportedly revolve around the release of 12 hostages, half of them u.s. citizens. last month, qatar was reportedly closing in on a deal to release 50 hostages that fell apart when israel launched its ground invasion of gaza. hamas has claimed more than 20 hostages have been killed by

israel's bombardment. it's believed hamas is holding more than people captive. 240 israel's supreme court has banned anti-war protests after residents of arab-majority towns in northern israel applied for permits to call publicly for a ceasefire. israel's high court of justice sided with police who said protests would divert critical resources. on wednesday, israel's knesset amended to the counter-terrorism law introducing a new criminal offense, the "consumption of terrorist materials." violators face up to one year's imprisonment. human rights groups have compared the amendment to thought policing and warn that even passively downloading material produced by hamas could land people in prison. more than 300 ukrainian scholars, artists, and activists have signed a letter expressing solidarity with palestinians in gaza. they write -- "palestinians have the right to self-determination and resistance against israel's occupation, just like ukrainians have the right to resist russian invasion."

the letter stands in contrast to the stance taken by ukraine's president volodymyr zelenskyy, who had been planning to go to israel today to show support for israel's assault on gaza but canceled those plans after news of his travel plans leaked. in belgium, the deputy prime minister petra de sutter called wednesday for the european union to immediately suspend its association agreement with israel and called on belgium's government to take meaningful action to stop the violence. >> it is time for sanctions against israel. the rayna bombs is inhumane. while war crimes are being committed in gaza, israel ignores the international demand for a cease-fire. amy: in 2020, petra de sutter made history as the first transgender minister in europe. here in the united states, dozens of jewish peace activists led a peaceful sit-in protest at the office of earl blumenauer

wednesday calling on the democratic congressmember to support a lasting ceasefire in gaza. on capitol hill, more than 100 congressional staffers staged a walkout demanding their bosses back a ceasefire in gaza. also on wednesday, over 1000 employees of the u.s. agency for international development, usaid, signed a letter backing a ceasefire. they added -- "humanitarian assistance efforts and life-saving aid are largely rendered moot in situations of escalating and indiscriminate bombing and violence." in sudan, thousands have been forced to flee west darfur as the rapid support forces militia makes major advances in the region, seizing cities from the sudanese army. cnn reports the rsf is killing and torturing various ethnic groups. fighting between the country's military and the rsf broke out on april 15 in khartoum and has since spread. at least 10,000 civilians have been killed and many more injured. the u.n. says 4.5 million have been internally displaced, while

over 1.2 million have fled the sudan, many of them crossing into chad. >> they told me my brother was killed and we do not know where he is. i, my mother, and my sister's children came to chad. we don't do where my father is. they burned everything and took everything. we did not bring anything with us, only god and are close. amy: the u.n. warns the conflict could soon engulf south sudan and the disputed abyei region. sudan's health system is stretched to breaking point as four-out-of-five health facilities have stopped functioning in some areas. cholera, measles, dengue, and malaria are quickly spreading, as is malnutrition. the warring parties met for talks in saudi arabia this week where they agreed to help facilitate humanitarian aid access but did not agree to a ceasefire. the european union's climate monitoring agency says 2023 is on track to be the hottest year in at least 125,000 years.

october shattered the previous record set for the month set in with surface temperatures 2019 soaring to 0.85 degrees celsius above historical averages. on wednesday, a united nations report found that the world's top fossil fuel producers still plan to produce ?more than? double the amount of fossil fuels in 2030 than what would be consistent with limiting global heating to 1.5 degrees celsius. in somalia, historic rainfall and flooding has killed at least 29 people and displaced over 300,000. the flooding has also destroyed vital livestock and farmland. this is a displaced person describing the scene at one of the camps that has been set up to house fleeing residents. >> it is raining on this for the for day. lying in the rain killed two elderly women. our make sure -- our makeshift shelters were blown away. we request the aid agencies urgently help us. this right is a disaster.

amy: the downpours come after a protracted drought in the horn of africa that killed an estimated 43,000 people in somalia last year. the climate crisis is increasing unpredictable cycles of extreme weather. democracy now! will be broadcasting from the u.n. climate summit in december. in texas, an explosion at a chemical plant in san jacinto county triggered a massive fire, sending plumes of black smoke into the sky. authorities ordered a nearby school to evacuate and others in the vicinity to shelter in place. the plant belongs to sound resource solutions, a maker of solvents for glue and paint remover. the chemicals processed at the plant are highly toxic and have been linked to cancer, among other serious health issues. texas democratic state senator roland gutierrez said -- "unfortunately, chemical explosions are commonplace in texas. for decades, politicians like ted cruz have rolled back environmental protections and safety standards. now our families, workers, and communities are left to deal with the fallout."

five candidates vying for the republican parties 2024 presidential nomination squared off in miami, florida, for the third debate. in one of the most heated exchanges, tim scott pressed former south carolina governor nikki haley to commit to support a federal ban on abortions after 15 weeks. she countered she would "support anything that would pass congress." donald trump skipped the debate in miami and instead hosted a rally nearby in south florida where he mocked other candidates, praised the door but as the leader of turkey and confused john woon with xi jinping. pres. trump: kim jong-un leads 1.4 billion people and there is no doubt who the bosses and they want me to say he is not in an telogen man. amy: trump also said hungary orders on russia and ukraine, which it doesn't. we will have more on the debate later in the broadcast.

the minnesota supreme court is rejecting a bid to block trump from the state republican primary ballot next month. there are similar efforts underway in colorado and michigan to our trump from running under the insurrection -- to bar trump from running under the insurrection provision of the 14th amendment. sag-aftra and hollywood studios have reached a tentative agreement, ending the record-breaking 118-day strike. the deal includes an increase in minimum wages of 7%, a streaming participation bonus, higher pension and health contributions, and protections against artificial intelligence. this is los angeles sag-aftra member emily kincaid, who highlighted the sacrifices made by union members to reach the historic agreement. >> we have a lot of our strikers on the line who have been close to eviction and have had their only meal of the day be while they are striking. it has not been easy but we all have come together for singular purpose and we have all helped each other and we wanted to keep

going until we got the deal we deserve. amy: in bangladesh, clashes between protesting garment workers and police led to the death of at least one worker wednesday, while several others were wounded. workers in the garment manufacturing hub of gazipur, on the outskirts of the capital dhaka, have been protesting for weeks to demand livable wages. on tuesday, authorities announced an increase in the monthly minimum wage to $113, up from $75. but workers, who are asking for a minimum of $208 a month, rejected the offer. this is rahima begum. >> have you seen the price of potatoes and onions in the market? the new hike will not compensate for the deficit of our needs. it should be raised farther. we have to pay rent, food, and children education. the market economy is on fire. how can we go on like this? amy: bangladesh has some 3500 factories employing about 4 million garment workers, most of them women. they are making clothes for fast

fashion brands in the u.s. and europe, including h&m and gap, and sell to major chains like walmart. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. nermeen: and i'm nermeen shaikh. welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. israel and the united states are continuing to reject calls for a ceasefire in gaza as the death toll from israel's bombardment tops 10,500, including over 4000 palestinian children. tens of thousands of palestinians have evacuated on foot as israelis attempt to seize control of the area. 70% of gaza's population. many palestinians here israel will never allow them to return to their homes. on wednesday, the top human rights official at the united nations volker turk traveled to the egyptian side of the rafah

border crossing where he accused both israel and hamas of committing war crimes. >> rafah crossing has been the symbolic lifeline for the last month for the 2.3 million in gaza. a lifeline has been outrageously thin. these are the gate to a living nightmare. a nightmare were people have been suffocating under the consistent bombarding, tracking for water, food, electricity, fuel. on the other cited this gate is gaza. already described as the world's biggest open-air prison before october 7. under 66 year occupation and 16 your blockade by israel. the atrocities perpetrated on october 7 were heinous.

they were war crimes and continue holding hostages. the collective punishment by israel of the palestinian civilians is also a war crime as is unlawful, forcible evacuation of civilians. amy: in gaza city, israeli air strikes have hit areas near al-shifa hospital, gaza's largest hospital. meanwhile, most operations at al quds hospital have been halted due to dwindling fuel supplies and daily attacks by israel on the area around the hospital. most roads around the hospital have been destroyed. the hospital is run by the palestine red crescent society, which is part of the international red cross. we go now to ramallah, where we are joined by nebal farsakh, a spokesperson for the palestine red crescent society. thank you so much for being with us. if you could start off by talking about the state of the hospitals in gaza right now and what hospitals are you being

told that you must have evacuated and what is the response of the palestinian red crescent? >> thank you for having me. the situation now of hospitals is dire. almost 18 hospitals have gone out of service either due to bombardment or because of they are running out of fuel and medical supplies. many of the hospitals are under extreme difficult situations. they have extreme shortages of medical supply and medicine as well as running out of fuel. for example, al-quds hospital yesterday, we had to reduce all services and patients to the extent the main generator in the hospital had been turned off and now you're only using the small generator.

the hospital surgical ward has been shut down as well as the oxygen generator has also been shut down and now we are using oxygen cylinders. according to the information, we are only now and 24 hours we will be completely shutting down because we will be running out of fuel. basically up to this moment, none of the eight has been allowed to get into al-quds hospital. this is the fourth day and al-quds hospital has been under intense bombardment. all roads that lead to al-quds hospital are closed because of the bombardment. the roads are closed. our emergency medical services team are also inside the hospital so they are unable to go out of the hospital to arrive the wounded people. they can see from where they are in the hospital that there are many wounded people very close to the hospital but

unfortunately, they feel helpless because of the intense bombardment and so much danger. they either can't go out to arrive those wounded people and save their lives and the area where the hospital is located now became so much dangerous as highlighted come all roads are closed so nobody can get into al-quds hospital. unfortunately, none of the eight has been allowed to get into al-quds hospital. two days ago, we were waiting for aid to come in. however, the convoy was targeted by israeli occupation forces. they were unable to deliver aid to al-quds hospital. so the situation is not only the fuel, we are barely having food or water for our staff and patients. and for over 14,000 civilians were currently sheltering inside the hospital. because of the continuous bombardment, all the windows

have been -- the glass. they are literally open. at nighttime, it became so much cold, even for families who are sleeping on the ground. you can't imagine the picture of children feeling so much cold and don't even have a blanket to warm them up. so now we are in urgent need for everything, blankets, food and water. those children have a very minimum amount of food. we barely have even food for the staff or the patients. this is the third day all gaza city and the north is out of bread because all bakeries have already run out of fuel. so none of gazans who are currently in gaza and the north are able to get any piece of bread. almost 500,000 civilians who are

sheltering in a school and hospitals in the area where israel forced the people to evacuate. it is not easy to say "evacuate" because intense bombardment are taking place all over. it is not safe to evacuate, taking into consideration many people have to do that on foot under intense bombardment. there is no transportation. there is complete destruction of the road and infrastructure. a convoy was targeted while he was on its way from the south to the north, so how will be safer civilians to evacuate to the south? nermeen: if you could respond to the fact israel has said either evacuate from al-quds hospital or the palestinian red crescent is responsible for any deaths? and you have said oxygen

generators have now been shut off, you're relying on oxygen cylinders, that fuel is running out. how will this go if you don't have access to fuel? what do you fear will happen to these patients were dependent on oxygen, not to mention all of the other medical supplies that are dwindling if not entirely run out? >> we have announced repeatedly that we have around 500 patients inside the hospital. many of them are connected to life-support machines. they are in the intensive care unit. we have babies in incubators. evacuating them means killing them. take into consideration already intense bombardments are taking place, so there will not be even anyway to evacuate the staff along with 14,000 civilians who are currently taking shelter

because they have nowhere to go to. hospitals, health care personnel, health care facilities should be protected under international humanitarian law. there will be no justification for israel targeting al-quds hospital, even it has been announced evacuation orders against hospitals are impossible to implement. they constitute -- doctors, nurses, health care workers should not put an option to choose either to lose your life or risk your life or turned back -- turn your back to your patients and just go away. this is not acceptable. and this situation, to be under intense bombardment, constant fear and panic of losing your life, is also unacceptable. as i said, for at least a week, not two weeks almost, intense

bombardments are taking place in a very close area of the hospital will stop to the extent that most of the buildings in the surrounding area of the hospital have been damaged. airstrikes are taking place even 15 meters away from the hospital. it has resulted in at least 16 people injured during these bombardments to the extent a patient in the intensive care unit was also injured. this should not be acceptable. i can't describe the situation now inside the hospital and i'm talking about 14,000 civilians, most of them children and women, just sleeping on the ground. there are internally displaced people who have no other option. this is the last choice for them. they are just seeking shelter to a place they thought they would be safe. unfortunately, this is not the case because israel -- it looks

like it is over and above the international humanitarian law. unfortunately, we have completely run out of all of solutions. we have been calling for three weeks for the international community to intervene immediately, to send aid to gaza and including -- we have warned repeatedly, we are running out of fuel. we have already run out of fuel. we managed to get some fuel from gas stations who had some left over. unfortunately, because of the continuance of blockades on gaza , it is now an impossible mission to find one liter of gas , one liter of fuel in gaza and the north. we have already reduced all of our operations, all of our services in order just to manage

to take care of those patients who are now inside the hospital. although we have taken all of these measures, we are only for 24 hours. at that point, the hospitals, small generator -- the hospital's small generator will shut down and the lives of those connected to life-support machines will lose their lives. we even can't imagine the situation we will be in as a humanitarian organization. amy: your response to israel saying if you don't evacuate al-quds, your organization, the palestinian red crescent, is responsible for any deaths? >> as i said, international humanitarian law is clear. hospitals, health care workers, health care facilities should not be a target.

an attack -- if an attack happens on al-quds hospital, this will be the responsibility of israel, the responsibility of the international community who are to this moment failed to stand up for humanity, failed to pressure eu to ensure the protection m. 22 paramedics were injured. at least eight ambulances went out of service due to these really bombardment and targeting four ambulances. this also should be stopped. health care workers, health care personnel, health care facilities, and hospitals come along with civilians -- they should be protected.

unfortunately, 70% of the victims, thousands of people killed in gaza, our children, women, and elderly people. this war crime should be stopped. nermeen: if you could talk specifically about the situation of children come over 4000 killed, countless others thought to be under the rubble. apart from that, there is a new acronym that has been in use in gaza hospitals, wcnsf -- wounded child, no surviving family. if you could say something about that, whether you are witnessing that, how much you're witnessing it in hospitals there, al-quds included? >> unfortunately because of the intense bombardment taking place on residential buildings, houses, without even any prior warning that has resulted to

wiping out whole families and unfortunately many children who are survivors now, they don't even have any family members. we have saved a 12-year-old girl. she was under the rubble for almost 30 hours. unfortunately, she has lost all of her family. and now she's is currently sheltering inside the hospital. our support team tries as much as they can to support her but no words can describe the traumatized situation that this girl, along with other children in gaza, are living because of the intense bombardment. even though those who did not lose anyone simply being under intense bombardment, day and

night, hearing strong bombardments with complete darkness because of the cut of electricity is just so horrifying and panic. among those children who are living in a situation that no child in this world we wish to be living. amy: nebal farsakh, thank you for spending this time with us, spokesperson for the the red crescent society. coming up, we will speak to the palestinian-american poet and physician fady joudah. israel has killed dozens of his family members in gaza in the past month. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with nermeen shaikh. nermeen: as we continue to look at israel's bombardment of gaza, we are joint in houston, texas, by fady joudah. he is an award-winning

palestinian-american writer and poet as well as a physician. he has translated several collections of poetry from arabic into english, including work by the renowned palestinian poet mahmoud darwish. dozens of his family members have been killed in gaza since october 7. his recent piece for lithub is titled "a palestinian meditation in a time of annihilation." welcome to democracy now! first of all, our condolences on the loss of your family members. if you could say a little bit about those family members and how you and your family here in the u.s. are keeping in touch with people who remain in gaza? >> thank you. we have had more than 50 or 60 people in our extended family killed by israeli airstrikes. some of them are in-laws of one

of my cousins. others are different families. others were also killed by the dozens in one strike. one particular story is of a woman i knew since i was a child in riyadh, saudi arabia. her brother's grandkids were killed because israel bombed a house next to them and one of the walls of their house fell off on them. they were sleeping and it killed the three grandchildren and the parents. only the grandfather survives. so this is also a different spectrum of what we hear about

the children being the only survivors in entire families. there are also stories of elderly people who have survived 1948, the nakba, the war of 1967, and they are the only ones surviving or who have survived their families. we tried to keep in touch with some family members through social media or whatsapp or what have you, but there's no guarantee that there is regular access or regular communication. you can send a message and maybe get a response the next day. in the beginning of the war, we could get a few phone calls in. but the stuff now is just very

difficult to access. the situation is unspeakable and will remain unspeakable i think for generations and decades. has been a culmination of the palestinian experience for a hundred years, since the british mandate in the beginning of settler colonialism with zionist immigration into palestine. it is really beyond words to describe what it means to be a palestinian in this moment. the accumulation of multigenerational trauma and memories that activates in each one of us. previous members -- memories we have tried overcome with hope and a flair for life and for freedom only to find that there is always some horrific episode

that reminds us that we are on this earth, in this time liable to be massacred and lied about. amy: speaking of which, we are speaking to fady joudah, an award-winning palestinian-american writer and poet and physician. as you speak to us from houston, we have spoken to so many palestinians in gaza, in the west bank as well. but you are here in the united states and united states is so important when it comes to how israel deals with palestine because of the amount of aid to the tune of billions of dollars a year from and asking for much more. can you talk about how the media here covers this issue? >> well, it is how the media doesn't cover it.

i have written in the piece and have written another piece before there is a collective psychosis in the mainstream language of u.s. media and administration that is bizarre to the point of boasting palestinians their erasure decade after decade. when we say israel has a right to defend itself, we are also saying that palestinian lives are not equal to any other lives that we deem superior to them. i think we have not repeatedly asked the question in american media and culture, do you believe palestinian lives are equal to israeli lives and jewish lives? there are many jewish people among them who believe the answer is yes. but there are many more who have not even entertained the question honestly. i think the importance of the question is to go beyond the

moral lipservice reflex of saying, "of course, yes," because to say yes means you have to believe in the equal humidity of palestinians as a political condition for freedom. when we hear about all the stuff from blinken or biden, it is really a language that says we believe the palestinians have rights and we decide they have equal rights. we will put it on the back burner, always on the back burner. and what i say is that we have reached a point where the murder and destruction of palestinian lives has reached a point every time it reaches, it goes up higher, escalates in what is permissible about destroying palestinian lives. we are not just talking about the numbers of the dead. we are talking about 2 million people who are living a life

worse than death. and they have to overcome that. and the trauma that is unspeakable -- i do not expect the u.s. media and mainstream media or politics to even care about this. the ghosting continues. yesterday in "the washington post," they published a racist cartoon in which they took down because there was an immediate lashing out at the racist cartoon. it is unimaginable to think -- and it should not be imaginable to think this would be directed at jewish lives or israeli lives, but it is permissible to dehumanize palestinians until it has become part of the accepted feeling within the american psyche or consciousness on the whole. everyone i think on the whole,

except pockets here and there, is really complicit in the permissibility of the destruction of palestinian lives that has reached an unprecedented level in our 100 years of being massacred, displaced, dehumanized. nermeen: i want to ask you about a what you raise in this beautiful essay you have written "a palestinian meditation in a time of annihilation." in the essay, you cite a renowned poet, very important colonial thinker who wrote a discourse on colonialism. you say "neither america nor europe seem able or willing to solve their colonial addiction other civilizational motif. israel is a translation of that failure, a prized western

desire. but israel has agency in mechanize in this desire." could you elaborate on that." >> i think for some of us who know or don't know that the establishment of the state of israel in 1948 was a response to the zionist in europe by the jewish people in europe who had suffered a lot of oppression. to overcome that repression, they chose to side with the colonial aspect, the domineering aspect of the culture that dominated them and export that as a mode for success and triumph into a palestine without much recognition of the racism involved in dehumanizing what they call the arab population of

palestine. since then, it is been in the interest of the west and the u.s. to prop up israel as an outpost, so to speak, for further domination of the middle east for various reasons. but the problem is this kind of propping up has really gone mad at this point. and i think we have reached a moment, and others have said it, where the degree of colonial viciousness that exists now in israeli society and is supported by the west, it sends us back to 19th century barbarism, really. colonial barbarism. and obviously, israel is in

interested in effecting this kind of behavior within the u.s. through major lobby influences and also cultural influences. as i said, -- or let me say it this way. it would be an amazing achievement if zionists in the u.s. and outside it would actually say to a single palestinian, "i am sorry." just once. this is not happen in 100 years. it is happen on an individual level. i've jewish friends and colleagues who have sent it. because we are all human and there is no monolithic collective anywhere. but i think that one of the things we need to do is to begin to shift the language that speaks of the palestinian and to

allow for more palestinian presence in the american consciousness. beyond death and dying. it seems to me palestinians in the west are only alive when they are dying. and that is abhorrent and unacceptable. that is part of a settler colonial mentality that only humanizes its subjects when they are limp, here dying, completely helpless, obedient -- amy: fady joudah, thank you for spending this time with us, palestinian american writer,

poet, translator, and physician, speaking to us from houston. dozens of his family members have been killed in gaza since october 7. we will link to your recent piece for lithub "a palestinian , meditation in a time of annihilation." coming out, we will look at last that's republican debate which donald trump skipped again. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with nermeen shaikh. nermeen: on wednesday night, the republican party held its third presidential debate in miami. former president donald trump refused to take part and opted to hold a nearby rally. five republicans were on stage. florida governor ron desantis, former south carolina governor nikki haley, former new jersey governor chris christie, south carolina senator tim scott and biotech investor vivek ramaswamy . the debate began with a question

about israel. this is lester holt. >> as president of the united states, what would you be urging israeli prime minister yet yahoo! to be doing at the moment? >> i would be telling him to finish the job once and for all with the butcher hamas. they are terrorists. there massacring this of people. they would wipe every jew off the globe if they could. he could not live with that threat right by his country. that hamas should unconditionally surrender. i'm sick of hearing the media and other people blame israel just for defending itself. we will stand with israel in word and in public and in private. >> ambassador haley, what would you be urging prime minister netanyahu to do? a humanitarian cause? >> the first thing i said was, "finish them." i worked on this every day when

i was at the united nations. we have to remember that they have to, one, eliminate hamas. two, support israel with whatever they need. three, make sure we bring our hostages home. we need to be very clear i'd to know there would be no hamas i withoutran, no hezbollah without iran, and there would not be the irani and militias that -- romney militias that are trying to hit our military men and women if it had not been for iran. who is funding iran? china and russia. there is an unholy alliance. we need to be clear i'd. the last thing we need to do is tell israel what to do. the only thing we should be doing is supporting them and eliminating hamas. it is not that israel needs america. america needs israel. they are the tip of the spear when it comes to this islamic terrorism and we need to make sure we have their backs in that

process. >> mr. ramaswamy, any daylight between you and the candidates on what you tell the prime minister? >> i would go one step further. it was based on the idea day don't want to depend on anybody else's sympathy or direction in defending themselves. i would tell bb, israel has the right and responsibility to defend itself. i would tell him to smoke those terrorists on his southern border and tell a mess president of the united states, i will be smoking the terrorists on our side of the border. amy: that was bound tech investor vivek ramaswamy at last that's republican debate. before that, nikki haley and ron desantis. we're joined now by matt duss, executive vice-president at the center for international policy. he is the former foreign policy adviser to senator bernie sanders. start with your overall response

to this debate and particularly the beginning not israel and gaza. >> how do i start? i have to confess i did not watch the entire debate because i felt the intelligence being su from my bodycked. i think my iq dropped several points. these people don't understand foreign policy. this is knuckle dragging hawkish miss to feed their base. i think it is an embarrassment. it is inhumane to talk about foreign policy this way as thousands of palestinians are being massacred in gaza. it will not keep israel safe and certainly not keep the united states safe. that is what i have to say about that. nermeen: if you could elaborate on some of the things that they said, not just the candidates just about gaza but also about

the rest of the world? there was some kind of consensus at least on social media that if any of these people are elected, the u.s. will effectively be at war with several countries, including china, russia, iran, and so on. if you could talk about that? >> that's right. you heard nikki haley just now basically sketching out the new axis of evil -- china, russia, iran --that she as president, clearly, she won't be the nominee, but she could potentially be a vice presidential nominee under trump who will of course be the candidate. but she is proposing to lead the u.s. into yet another global war on terror after the previous 20-year war on terror this administration has been trying to wind down with some success but also failures. their approach to the gaza war has frankly been atrocious.

that is what we saw. there was really no policy. i think you just saw signaling and rhetoric that was frankly barbaric. i think it is very concerning this is the state of the debate in one of the country's. two major parties. amy: i want to go to an excerpt from bernie sanders who was interviewed by dana bash. >> i want to clarify one thing, senator. you support a humanitarian cause in gaza post-up some of your fellow progressives say there should be a full on cease-fire which would require an agreement on both sides to halt the fighting. do you support a cease-fire? if not, why not? >> i don't know how you can have a cease-fire -- permanent cease-fire with an organization like hamas, which is dedicated to turmoil and chaos and destroying the state of israel. i think what the arab countries in the region understand that hamas has got to go.

amy: that clip was later shared by aipac. matt, you worked for senator sanders. she pushed him on a cease-fire and he said he was for a pause that would not go so far as a cease-fire. your thoughts? >> i think the senator has been one of the strongest voices for cessation of violence, for stopping the bombing. these are the words he used in his speech on the floor of the senate a couple of weeks ago. he has been one of the strongest voices in the country raising the issue of the palestinians who are dying and even before october 7, he was one of the strongest voices pressing the u.s. government to address the humanitarian crisis in gaza. i understand some of my colleagues on the left have been pushing to use the word "cease-fire." i get that. i think with the senator said about the challenges of a cease-fire being negotiated with an organization like hamas are valid. where my focus is and where i

would encourage people to focus is on stopping the bombing. i humanitarian posit something the biden administration has already called for, said they supported. they need to get her diplomatic weight behind it. they are not using the leverage our country has with israel to stop the bombing and that is where i think the focus should be. nermeen: i want to ask about the house of representatives voted tuesday to censure michigan democrat rashida tlaib, the only palestinian-american member of congress. 22 democrats joined republicans and backing the resolution. she addressed colleagues on the house or tuesday. >> trying to bully or sensor me won't work because this movement for a cease-fire is much bigger than one person. it is growing every single day. there millions of people across our country who oppose netanyahu's extremism and are done watching our government support collective punishment and these have bombs that no

flesh to the bone. there done watching our government supporting cutting off food, water, electricity, medical care to blades of people with nowhere to go. like me, they don't believe the answer to war crimes is more war crimes. amy: that was rashida tlaib. your response, matt duss? and in general, how this fits into the silencing of the proposed invoices in the u.s.? >> i thought the censure was shameful. when one considers the crazy things that members of congress say all the time, just wild stuff. i used to work in congress. i would hear it all the time. the idea that this comment from this member of congress is worthy of censure, that 22 democrats would join in censuring their colleague -- the one palestinian in commerce at a time when thousands of palestinians are being killed? i think it is shameful.

amy: more than 300 ukrainian scholars, artists, activists have signed a letter expressing solidarity with palestinians in gaza. they write -- president zelenskyy was going to israel but when the plans leaked, he canceled those plans. your response? >> i think that is right. as ukrainian american, i stand in solidarity with people under occupation. the palestinians are facing a much more powerful neighbor, the israelis, he was are trying to do to palestinians what russia is trying to do to ukraine, which is snuffed them out as an existing nation. putin does not see ukraine as a legitimate state. netanyahu feels the same way about palestinians.

his governing partners feel the same way about palestinians. certainly and resisting occupation, the palestinians as ukrainians need to follow international law. there should not be an attack on civilians. the attacks were terrorism. israel has the right and responsibility to respond and defend its people but again, the parallel here is between two peoples facing occupation, two peoples trying to secure their own rights and self-determination. that is not to say the two situations are identical in all senses but i do appreciate the sentiments expressed in that letter. amy: matt duss, thank you for being with us executive , vice-president at the center for international policy. former foreign policy adviser to senator bernie sanders. as we wrap up, we want to wish a very happy birthday to diana parra! congratulations to our crew member matt ealy and welcome to

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