>> hi everyone, this is al jazeera america. i'm john seigenthaler. >> the answer. >> the result, section of the plane broke off. it which the airplane broke in the air. >> the new report about the downing of flight mh 17. what it says about the disaster. >> this violence has got to

stop. >> the violence between israel and the palestinians. we'll have a live report from jerusalem. >> indicted. >> the confederate flag supporters charged with making terrorist threats at a group of blacks at a birthday party. our special coverage, beyond the rhetoric, what issues really matter to you? >> we begin with the crash of malaysian flight mh 17 that went down over the ukraine. the dutch safety board said that

it's confident that a russia russian-made missile shot down the plane, killing all 298 on board. >> dutch investigators painstakingly reconstructed the jumbo jet. they ran computer simulations. all showing that a russian-made surface to air missile took down th the malaysian plane. >> the section of the airplane broke off, after which the airplane broke up in the air. the tail section probably crashed before the center section. >> they found that the missile was fired from eastern ukraine. a russian back separatists were battling the ukrainian government but stopped short of blaming the separatists. in moscow the report's conclusion was denounced by the

missile manufacturer who said that their own testing showed that the missile could not have caused the tragedy. the dutch say all of their evidence from fragments of metal to traces of distinctive paint prove otherwise. family members of the 298 on board were told of the horrific details before the public release. >> yes, they showed us the fragments. the fragments were inside the plane, and also crew. >> inside the crew? >> yes. >> what grieving family members wanted to know did their loved ones suffer? the investigators determined during the roughly 90 seconds it took the jet to fall from the sky some of those on board may have, quote, remained conscious for some time, but they were barely able to comprehend the

situation they found themselves. why was the plane flying over a war zone? the ukrainian government had closed the air space as 32 feet as a precaution. the malaysian jet was flying at 33,000 feet. >> there was closure of the ukraine as a precaution. the ukraine authorities failed to do so. >> investigators say that countries rarely close their air space during armed conflicts, and that needs to change. malaysian airlines could have opted to fly a different route, but it was not alone in thinking that cruising over eastern ukraine at such a high altitude was safe. investigators say that radar showed 160 commercial jets had flown over that region that very day, and three others were in the area when mh 17 was shot down.

the families welcomed this report, but what they really want is justice. the dutch are conducting a criminal investigation which will likely determine who is to blame for firing the missile that brought down this jetliner. but whether anyone, the government, individuals, will ultimately held a accountable, that's truly an open question. >> the author of "air safety evidence." what do you make of this investigation from the dutch and the final report? well, it sounds like a me tick louis investigate. i'm not surprised that they are disputing it. i've seen it before. >> did they miss anything? no, i don't think so. the dutch did a very commendable job, in their reconstruction, and the way that they used the

so-called cockpit voice recorder to help localize the detonation point of the missiles was very innovative. >> in your mind what does this tell us? >> well, clearly you're flying over a war zone. even though it was legal, they were 1,000 feet above the restricted area, there was danger. now that particular aircraft, malaysia deafated for weather purposes shortly before it was shot down. so maybe these inexperienced russian separatists call this aircraft leaving the air way, thought that may have been an ukrainian aircraft. i don't have insider information, i'm just trying to figure out why anybody would shoot at a commercial airliner flying outside of the car zone. >> this apparently exploded right outside of the cockpit of the jet. what would that mean. >> it tells me that the russian

proximity fuse did not work very well. these missiles are not supposed to hit the aircraft, but it should have exploded at least 50 meters, 50 yards away from the aircraft. the fact that it was within one meter tells me that this equipment might be quite old and even though it's partially malfunctioned, obviously with an airliner you're--it's going to go down. the malfunction was not critical to its performance but it scares me just like the russian crews missiles going awry in the eastern mediterranean and landing in iran, you wonder about the russian training and the equipment. >> so it brought the plane down, obviously, but what did it do to the plane and how? >> well, it clearly killed the pilot instantly and the concussion from the fracture lines, it broke apart. at 500 plus mph this aircraft is

going to fracture. it's going to be like peeling a banana at super quick swedes. it just opened right up which is why many of the passengers were naked. they lost their clothes from the air blast. when that happened the whole aircraft was going to disintegrate, which we saw from the physical evidence. john, i was also being shown by the reporters on the ground the day after it happened, and clearly this was a catastrophic failure caused by a very large warhead. >> allen. good to see you. thank you for your insight. we appreciate it. >> thanks for having yes. >> in the middle east, prime minister benjamin netanyahu vowed to fight violence. mike hanna reports. >> spot checks are palestinians in the streets of west jerusalem, the police searching

for weapons. the cameramen are told not to cause a public disorder. this is a regular seven, the officer says. this palestinian resident told us off camera that he had been stopped and searched four times since leaving his house a short while before. the intensified security in the streets coming after renewed attacks, the most serious taking place at the scene line between west jerusalem and the occupied east. the israeli police say two palestinians boarded this bus. one was armed with a weapon, and he open fired. paramedics on the scene say that israelis were killed. and at least one in critical condition. the city's mayor was quickly on the scene. the attack taking place a short distance away from his office. one of the attackers was shot dead. the second was your the, placed in handcuffs and taken to

hospital for treatment. this followed an attack in a nearby suburb in west jerusalem. a palestinian drove his car into a bus station and then liverpoolelimped out and attempted to stand with the bystanders. the bus station was again the target of the attack, a number of israelis were likely wounded in what israeli police say was a knife attack. a palestinian arrested. the increased deployment of police appears to have had little success in stopping these random and sporadic attacks. >> the growing israeli perception is that no place is safe. every bus station, every street corner is the scene of potential attacks. this time there are no organizers to arrest, no chain of command to cut. >> they emerged from an emergency meeting to make a

brief statement for parliament. israel will settle the score with the murderers, the killers. i'm calling on the head of the palestinian authority to stop lying, stop the incitement. >> and further government measures to deal with the crisis. i expect it to be announced in the hours to come. mike hanna, al jazeera, west jerusalem. >> for more on the ground let's go to jerusalem tonight. very strong words from the prime minister benjamin netanyahu. what are the israelis planning to do? >> certainly very strong words from the israeli prime minister in response to the events on the ground in jerusalem today. that is why the israeli government security cabinet went in to this emergency meeting, a meeting that lasted really into the late evening hours.

now we haven't had final word on what the proposals will mean. we're expecting that as daylight hours come to get the final confirmation from the prime minister's office. what is on the table is this, the security cabinet is saying it wants to bring in israeli soldiers onto the streets of west jerusalem and occupied east jerusalem to back operations by the police what they want to do is to beef the presence of israeli army troops along the green line. that's a generally recognized border between and also a move that is likely to be equally controversial is a proposal that perhaps israeli troops and the police should be able to encircle some of the palestinian neighborhoods in occupied east jerusalem to west jerusalem.

we heard very little on what the palestinian authority plan to do to de-escalate the wave of violence currently gripping parts of jerusalem and israel, but we have heard from one of the israeli-palestinian members, they're trying to find a way to break the cycle of violence. >> so the solution is the end of the occupation. so this wave would end, but another wave will come. the anger will stay. and and they'll come again and again and again.

>> now what he's saying is that it's a statement of principle, but certainly an israeli end to the occupation of the palestiniante palestinian territories. certainly not in the cards at this stage. >> thank you. five candidates for the democratic nomination will debate for the first time tonight. our political correspondent michael shure is at the wynn las vegas hotel where the debates are happening. >> yes, it's the place of the debates. many are saying i want to see who these people are before i decide who i want to vote for,

gown hillary clinton has come under fire. hohow do you expect this to play out on stage? >> i think there are some people who can go after hillary clinton about that. i think bernie sanders is one of them. she'll have to answer to bernie sanders about flip flopping, and changing her answers on certain issues like tpp. and the others will try to introduce themselves. let people know who they are, and try to get their names out there. it will be dangerous for them to go right after hillary clinton on certain things. but certainly they're going to pile on at points where they think its up to them. martin o'malley maybe even on gun control. >> we're going to focus on what the candidates say about the issues. what do you think the top issues are going to be tonight?

>> i think hillary clinton will have to answer to bengahzi. but you'll hear about minimum wage and gun control and an issue that was not talked about either cleveland or at the reagan library at simi valley. you're going to hear that especially in the wake of roseberg about 10-12 days ago. i think that sort of tone is going to be set. and the issues of income inequality is always going to be part of any debate. >> joie chen and i will be covering the debate in las vegas. a preview of the candidates and the issues coming up. then at 11:00 we'll be back with a wrap up of the debate and focus on the issues and the facts, who got them right, who got them wrong and voter

reaction. planned parenthood made a big announcement today. earlier this year. anti-abortion rights activists released series that they said showed staffers talking about the sell of fetal tissue. they called it misleading. today the group announced it would no longer accept any payment for tissue sample. coming up, the confederate flag and terrorism charge. the surprising indictments in georgia.

>> authorities are once again trying stop new construction of a new u.s. military base. okinawa governor revoked the building for airfield citing illegal defect in the approval process. they say that the peace is needed and an appeal is on the way. the u.s. defense department said that construction will resume as soon as possible. in george, 15 confederate flag supporters have been indicted on gang terrorism charges. they displayed the flag and yelled racial slurs. they said they were exercising free speech. prosecutors say that they

crossed the line. >> this is a child's birthday. >> a convoy of white people in pickup trucks with confederate flags drives by a group of blacks at an outdoor party. a bystander captured some of the confrontation on cell phone video. the people in the trucks were members of the group called "respect the flag." >> the party goers claim that the they yelled racial slurs. that was enough to break the law passed in 1992. >> a grand jury handed down an indictment charging members of the group known as the respect the flag with violations of georgia's terrorism prevention acton and terroristic threats.

>> controversy over the confederate flag has sparked heated exchanges all over the country this year since the massacre at a south carolina church. the georgia indictment grants the respect the flag group a criminal street gang and it is accused of trying to terrorize the people at the party. >> if you think you'll see constitutional challenges, you have the right to assemble and the right to demonstrate, and the right to wave a flag of your choice. >> the law bein often used to prosecute gang crimes. >> normally things involve running guns, selling drugs, trafficking in women, these types of extortion, bribery, these kinds of things. not waving a flag. >> we want to say that we respect the rights of all citizens to exercise their first amendment right, but we're going

to require them when doing that to respect the rights of other citizens to feel safe. >> an attorney and legal analyst in los angeles tonight, hi, riva. is this a stretch, or is this gang activity? >> well, i don't think it's a stretch, john. it is novel that this angle gang statute that was enacted in 1992 in the state of georgia, and it was designed to address an increase in what we think of as street gang activity. but the law has been challenged, and it has been found to be institutional, and it has been written to encompass any group of individuals who come together and commit crimes. >> is that what it was intended to do, areva? >> i think it was intended to address the issues of street

gangs but it was written broadly enough to encompass the conduct of these individuals. you have a group go and disrupt a private party being held by african-americans. not just disrupt it, but to use racial slurs, and to threaten bodily harm. that's where they crossed the line. >> you believe those laws initially written intended to target african-americans? >> well, they weren't targeting african-americans. the anti-gang statute was designed to target street gangs. gangs involved in drugs and other kinds of criminal activi activity. >> but african-american gangs and latino gangs got the publicity. >> if you look at who is prosecuted under this statute, it's probably used more towards

african-americans and latinos are now used against caucasians who are terrorizing african-americans. >> areva martin, it's always good to see you. thank you very much. coming up next democrat hillary clinton, bernie sanders, long shots debate for the first time the issues, the candidates, what they're hoping to accomplish. joie chen and i are hoping to be right back for our special report. don't go away.

>> they don't fear anything.

>> they're consuming economically important species >> we're offering something on our menu that no-one else is offering. >> i hear nothing at all. ♪ >> the fact, the issues, the candidates will have their talking points and we'll have the truth. >> we met million a year legally. >> who is right, who is wrong. we check the if a facts on what the candidates say in the deal with iran. the crisis with syria, immigration, the environment, healthcare and the economy.

it's not about the debate. it's about you. this is the al jazeera america special. the 2016 democratic debate. >> welcome to our coverage of the first democratic presidential debate. i'm john seigenthaler. >> and i'm joie chen. thank you for joining us the nominees are about to take their places. >> the focus on it is on the issue. we'll keep track of the claims that they make and check their facts. >> that could be tough. a. >> and political correspondent michael shure, he's live at the wynn las vegas hotel where it is taking place, michael? >> here we expect to see a spirited debate. a lot of people waiting to see bernie sanders and hillary clinton head to head.

we're waiting to hear about things that we have not heard about in prior debates. we'll hear about gun control and wall street reform, john. >> what about the issues that you think they're going to focus on tonight? >> well, i do think that they're going to talk about gun control and minimum wage. i think you're going to hear about social security. it's a issue that moderate republicans have said that we need to cut social security. hillary clinton said no, absolutely not. the democrats will talk about social security. >> hillary clinton is under especially difficult pressure tonight. talk about what she needs to do. >> hillary clinton needs to with stand a little bit of heat on what is qualified as flip flops, changes in her position, changes on the tpp and the keystone pipeline that she has