11/07/23 11/07/23 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] amy: from new york, this is democracy now! >> israel defense forces, environment civilians, hospitals, refugee camps, mosques, churches, and u.n. facilities including shelters. no one is safe. amy: the u.n. secretary general

repeats his call for an immediate ceasefire as the death toll in gaza tops 10,000, including 4000 children. we will speak to an american doctor who just left gaza and the founder of the palestine children's relief fund which runs the only pediatric cancer unit in gaza. israel has ordered the hospital with the unit to be fully evacuated. plus, we will look at how president biden's refusal to support a ceasefire in gaza could impact his re-election chances next year as his support among arab-americans is plummeting. and donald trump took the witness stand monday in a civil fraud case brought by the new york attorney general leticia james that put the future of his business empire in jeopardy. quotes he rambled, he hurled insults, but we expected that. at the end of the day, the

documentary evidence demonstrated he inflated his assets to enrich himself and his family. amy: all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. the united nations warns a tragedy of colossal proportions is underway in the gaza strip one month after israel laid siege to the palestinian territory and began a round-the-clock bombardment. on monday, u.n. secretary general antonio guterres renewed his urgent call for an immediate cease-fire, citing the more than 10,000 palestinians killed by israel strikes. over 4000 of the dead are children. >> gaza is becoming a graveyard for children. hundreds of girls and boys are reportedly being killed or injured every day. amy: earlier today, the israeli military ordered the immediate evacuation of al-rantisi children's hospital in gaza

city. israel already shelled the hospital two days ago and is threatening to bomb the building. after headlines, we will speak to the president and founder of palestine children's relief fund, which established the only pediatric cancer center at that hospital. on monday come israel's military admitted it struck the convoy of ambulances outside al-shifa hospital last friday. those attacks killed 15 people and wounded dozens. this is haneed abdelhakim saad, a patient who narrowly survived the assault. >> the ambulance came to take us to egypt for treatment. while we were on the road, they started firing at as in the ambulance in front of us was hit. the people were martyred. we were moved back to al-shifa hospital. i lost consciousness and woke up in the hospital. they told me i had to breathe in my mouth and i had a 3% chance to make it, that my condition was critical. i have a fracture in the head.

my shoulder is dislocated. amy: israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said monday israel will take responsibility for security in the gaza strip indefinitely once the israeli military completes its assault on the palestinian territory. netanyahu also rejected international calls for a ceasefire to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid. >> while there will be no general cease-fire without the release of hostages. pauses here and there, we have had there before. i suppose we will check the circumstances in order to enable humanitarian goods to come in or hostages, individual hostages to leave. but i don't think there will be a general cease-fire. amy: on sunday, netanyahu suspended israel's jerusalem affairs and heritage minister amichai eliyahu after he claimed there are no non-combatants in the gaza strip and said that dropping a nuclear weapon on the gaza strip is an option. this comes just days after an

israeli lawmaker from netanyahu's ruling likud party took to social media to incite genocide. writing on the social media site x, formerly known as twitter, galit distel atbaryan wrote -- "erase gaza from the face of the earth. let the gazan monsters rush to the southern border and flee into egypt, or die." south africa has recalled its ambassador joining a growing , list of nations that have recalled diplomats in protest of israel's assault on the gaza strip. foreign minister naledi pandor said monday south africa is extremely concerned at the continued killing of children and innocent civilians in the palestinian territories. >> we believe the nature of response by israel has become one of collective punishment, which falls fully outside of the practice of international humanitarian and international

human rights law. amy: over the weekend, the governments of chad and honduras also recalled diplomats and embassy staff from israel. pope francis renewed his urgent plea for cease-fire and humanitarian aid for gaza. in washington state, hundreds of protesters peacefully blockaded the entrance to the port of tacoma monday, delaying the loading of weapons onto a u.s. military supply vessel bound for israel. it's the same ship that met a similar protest friday in the port of oakland. organizers say they'll continue to track the ship's travel and will hold more protests wherever it sails. here in new york, about 500 members of jewish voice for peace and their allies rallied at the statue of liberty monday to demand a ceasefire in gaza. protesters wore black t-shirts reading "not in our name." in a statement, jay saper of jewish voice for peace said -- "the famous words of our jewish ancestor emma lazarus etched into this very monument compel us to take action supporting the

palestinians of gaza yearning to breathe free." aid agencies are sounding the alarm over the plight of afghan refugees who've been forced to sleep in the open without proper food, shelter, sanitation, and water after fleeing pakistan to avoid arrest and deportation. an estimated 270,000 people have crossed the border after pakistan's government gave undocumented immigrants until the end of october to leave. authorities have since gone door-to-door demanding immigration documents and have used bulldozers to raze homes in afghan communities. human rights watch warns the crackdown has led to detentions, beatings, and extortion. this is 50-year-old afghan immigrant abdul raheem. >> these people are being very cruel to us. we could have spent the winter here in comfort and god willing we would have gone back to our country. amy: ukraine's government says russian air strikes on the black sea city of odesa have wounded eight people, destroying stocks

of food and damaging ukraine's main grain port. the strikes also damaged several exhibitions at the odesa fine arts museum. on monday, ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy ruled out conducting elections in 2024, saying they should remain suspended while ukraine is under martial law. >> we all understand now in wartime when there are many challenges, it is irresponsible to engage in topics related to an election in such a frivolous manner. i believe elections are not appropriate at this time. amy: meanwhile, nbc news reports u.s. and european officials have begun quietly talking to ukraine's government about possible peace negotiations with russia to end the war and what ukraine might need to give up in order to reach a deal. here in the united states, donald trump took the witness stand monday in a civil fraud case brought by the state of new york against the former president and his businesses. trump was repeatedly admonished by judge arthur engoron for

testimony that veered off-topic and for lashing out against the court and new york attorney general letitia james. he called her a political hack. james is seeking $250 million after accusing trump, his two oldest sons, the trump organization, and company executives of inflating the value of assets. the judge has already ruled trump is liable for fraud. the trial will determine how much the trump's will pay and damages. we'll have more on the trump civil trial in new york later in the broadcast. in colorado, another police officer has been acquitted in the 2019 killing of elijah mcclain. mcclain's mother sheneen mcclain wept as the jury declared aurora officer nathan woodyard not guilty of homicide and manslaughter. elijah mcclain, a 23-year-old black young man, was walking home from the store when he was tackled by police, placed in a carotid hold, and later injected with the powerful sedative ketamine. woodyard was the officer who put mcclain in a neck hold.

just one of the three officers involved in mcclain's killing is facing prison time after being convicted of criminally negligent homicide in october. a second officer was also acquitted last month. in atlanta, dozens of activists have been arraigned on rico charges for their involvement in protests against the construction of a massive $90 million police training complex known as cop city. at least 57 of 61 protesters charged appeared in court monday as hundreds of other stop cop city organizers rallied outside in support. georgia's republican attorney general christopher carr issued the sweeping indictment over two months ago using georgia's racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations act to target the protesters. many of them had already been charged with domestic terrorism. the aclu and other rights groups have condemned the charges as an attempt to silence the stop cop city movement.

in illinois, the father of the suspect behind the mass shooting at last year's july 4th parade in highland park has pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanor counts of reckless conduct. the charges carry a maximum sentence of one year in prison. prosecutors said during the trial robert crimo, jr. knew that his 19-year-old son had a history of threatening deadly violence yet sponsored his son's application for a permit to purchase an assault rifle. the july 4th attack killed seven people and left 48 others wounded. and voters across the united states are heading to the polls today for statewide and local elections. in ohio, voters will weigh in on a measure that seeks to establish the right to an abortion in the state constitution. ohioans will also vote on legalizing recreational marijuana. in virginia, where the entire legislature is on the ballot, democrats are vying to retain their narrow control of the senate and flip the house of delegates to stop republican governor glenn youngkin from enacting his right-wing agenda on abortion, education, taxes,

and other issues. maine has a ballot initiative that could lead to the creation of the u.s.'s first statewide publicly owned electric utility company. kentucky, louisiana, and mississippi all have gubernatorial races. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. when we come back, we will speak with an american doctor who just left gaza through rafah and we will speak with the founder of her organization palestine children's relief fund, which runs the only pediatric cancer unit in gaza. israel has just ordered the hospital housing the unit to be fully evacuated. back in 30 seconds. ♪ [music break]

amy: "eyes of the narcissus" by palestinian artist miral ayyad. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman in new york, joined by democracy now!'s juan gonzález in chicago. hi, juan. juan: hi, amy. welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. amy: israel is threatening to bomb a children's hospital in gaza that houses the enclaves only pediatric cancer unit. earlier today, the israeli

military ordered the immediate evacuation of al-rantisi children hospital in gaza city. israel already shelled the hospital two days ago. this comes as palestinian health officials say the israeli bombardment of gaza has killed over 10,000 palestinians, including 4000 children, since october 7 when hamas attacked israel, killing up to 1400 people while seizing about 240 hostages. on monday, u.n. secretary general antonio guterres repeated his call for an immediate ceasefire. >> gaza is becoming a graveyard for children. hundreds of girls and boys are reportedly being killed or injured every day. more journalists have reportedly been killed over a four-week period than in any conflict in at least three decades. more united nations aid workers have been killed and in any comparable period in the history of our organization.

amy: we begin today's show with two guests. steve sosebee is the president and founder of the palestine children's relief fund, an organization that provides medical and humanitarian aid to palestinian children in gaza and the west bank. the fund runs the pediatric cancer unit inside of al-rantisi children hospital. he joins us from kent, ohio. we are also joined by dr. barbara zind. pediatrician who traveled to gaza on october 6 to support the palestine children's relief fund. after nearly a month trapped in gaza, she was finally evacuated through the rafah border crossing and arrived back home on monday. she is joining us from grand junction, colorado. steve sosebee, can you talk about what is happening in al-rantisi hospital and the overall collapse of the medical system in gaza? we saw your tweet a few days ago asking -- the hospital being

bombed, have a ward for the only pediatric cancer ward for children. >> every single child had to travel outside for care that they could not get locally prior to that. that was a problem because it required permits from the israel i military which were often not provided. we started a campaign and raised enough money to open a cancer department in the main pediatric hospital in gaza city where since 2019 until october 7, hundreds of children had life-saving professional care through local services after the support of our international teams coming in. we provide medicine and training. since october 7, due to the conflict on the ground in gaza, services have been disrupted significantly. however, the department is full of patients with cancer and

their families who are seeking refuge. many have had their homes destroyed and have nowhere else to go. the department and the hospital is full of refugees, people seeking shelter and aid. in addition to that, the doctors who provide -- the oncologists had to flee gaza city or have not been able to access the hospital unread the basis to provide therapy and treatment for the patients and some of the nurses have had their homes destroyed and family members killed and they continue to provide services as much as they can. two days ago, there was a threat to gaza, to the hospital itself, and it was struck yesterday. about three hours ago it was struck by a rocket and the floor above the department was destroyed and parted the department was destroyed, killing some children in the hospital and destroying part of the department we had built. as of today -- some have fled. we are trying to get them south

out of gaza city, so possibly evacuating them to get continued care in egypt or jordan. unfortunately, gaza's self is encircled. as of now, there is a report this morning from the israeli military there demanding the evacuation of the hospital because they consider it a combat area. a lot of the families have no place to go. they have no place to. there are literally hundreds of children inpatients in -- and patients in the hospital. the bombing and shooting around the hospital is making it difficult for anyone to leave at this time. juan: could you talk about what the lack of medical care was for the children in gaza, even before october 7 and before the beginning of this horrific round of israeli attacks? >> we started our organization over 30 years ago during the first intifada to provide medical care for children who were injured on the ground as a

result of the uprising. the use of force against the civilian population in the west bank and gaza. it evolved into an organization that brings a volunteer medical teams on a regular basis to provide free specialized medical care to those kids. over the last few years we have in the main organization on the ground bringing international teams of volunteers, providing a variety of specialized surgical services and medical services, including pediatric oncology, neurosurgery, general pediatric surgery, so on and so forth which don't exist or are underdeveloped in the health sector in gaza to fill the gap of children not having access to quality, specialized care and not being able to access the care that may be in the west or outside of gaza. we were developing it within gaza strip and treating thousands with the specialized services. unfortunately, we have teams rotating on a regular basis in gaza from all over the world and

dr. zind was there at the time of a closure along with another specialist developing artificial limbs for those amputees stop there thousands of kids in gaza in addition to those being injured now and we already know the number is graphically high that there are thousands of kids in gaza who have non-trauma related injuries who need adequate care. kids with heart problems, cancer, cystic fibrosis, on dialysis. these are children in addition to those thousands of kids who have been injured the past month who need specialized care. as a result of the hospitals running out of fuel and not to provide services, running out of drugs, specialists being killed and injured were not able to access the treatment centers, as a result of hospitals closing, thousands of children in gaza in addition to those being injured are going without care and many are dying. that is a huge concern. we hope we are able to get these

kids out as quickly as possible and provide them care. we are asking for a cease-fire and enabling our teams were standing by ready to go to gaza and continue to provide services -- we have several surgical missions ready to go. juan: i would like to bring in dr. barbara zind who traveled to gaza to support the relief efforts of the palestine children's relief fund. dr. zind, could you talk about your experience while you were there during this israeli compartment? >> i arrived on october 6 for a three-day mission to see about 100 children that we are sponsoring with chronic diseases. the morning after i arrived, i

was just walking along the beach and saw the missiles fired. after that, ended up joining other humanitarian aid staff and volunteers going over the next month to three different u.n. sites for safety and finally one last place and then getting there the day the rafah border opened with our names on the list. amy: dr. barbara zind, talk about why you got involved with palestine children's relief fund and then what it was like -- if you can take us on that journey. you were one of a number of foreigners, specialists, humanitarian relief workers inside gaza as the bombardment began. can you talk about where you went, whether you are able to get clean water -- more importantly, -- well, equally come everyone around you, how you took shelter?

you were on tv. we saw you as a bomb went off next to you. you jumped. >> yes, i was fortunate, much more fortunate than the gazans themselves in that we were able -- we had other humidity organizations that could be safe places to move. i have been with his organization since 2010, going over to the west bank and gaza almost every year except for the years i could not because of covid. it is because of all of the great things that they do, it is because the children i see -- i am not a surgeon but i hope fill in the gaps, medications, special school income everything that these children can't get through the ministry of health. that includes diabetics getting insulin. so life-saving medication that can be provided through

governmental services and health services that are there. he started in gaza city with continuous bombardment and then everyone was supposed to go to the south. we went to another u.n. facility in the south. that was thousands of people coming in the gate. usually people go to u.n. schools but they were already full when the order the evacuation of the northern part of gaza. so people just went to the vocational schools. did not really have the facilities. as people started building things right away. they took wooden pallets and tricks and just started building a place for the family. these are extended families. palestinian children's relief fund in the last -- 150 family members. eight tilden, 19 siblings. his close relatives are 150 people and their living in that

southernmost camp. we were fortunate in that we had clean water delivered. and we had 50 people using one toilet versus 400 to 600 people per toilet. even in our group of medical workers, we had an outbreak of diarrhea. i can't imagine what it was like outside of our camp as far as that. they had limited water. they had a certain amount of drinking water which ran out. our drinking water started to run out. definitely, our water for washing and running the toilet was running out right before we left. we were fortunate to have food but the last few days we ended up competing how much food we needed for 50 people and at 800 calories a day, we had enough for two days until we were able to have a driver go all the way to gaza city, dangerous drive, to bring other food. but we need to grocery stores

were going to be empty. at the camp, they were given one pita bread per person. initially, a can of meat for two people. that went down to four people while we were there. the united nations was supplying some food but it was so limited for those people. juan: dr. zind, i am wondering about the issue not just of the life and death travails the palestinian people are confronting with this bombing, but also if you could talk some about what you see in the terms of the mental health, we are talking about a population -- a complete population that has been traumatized now for years and now especially with this bombing. your sense of what the mental health needs of these children will be for years to come? >> i think a lot of times i described gaza on a good day. so in these other missions, they

are just constantly under siege, really. food is limited alive. fishermen can only go out so far. they can't go to the international water boundaries for fishing. food is always limited. medications are limited. 65 percent of gazans are on humanitarian aid all the time. when we talk about humanitarian aid coming in, it is not just for the conflict. they are always needing humanitarian aid because of limitations of food and water. so these children live under that stress all the time. they are wonderful, resilient people, but i can't imagine what it is like to be a child and to be with the family that is moving around, really has no place to go that is safe. amy: i want to bring steve sosebee back into the conversation. this is israeli ambassador gilad erdan being interviewed on cnn's "state of the union."

>> there is no humanitarian crisis in gaza in coordination with the u.s. and the u.n. will allow the number of trucks entering gaza now with food and medical to reach almost 100 trucks every day. so we don't see the need for humanitarian cause right now because he would only enable hamas to rearm and regroup. amy: your response to this, steve sosebee? this is the israeli ambassador to the united nations. he does not see a humanitarian crisis on the ground right now. if you can also weave in, for example, the children in your cancer ward, how are they possibly getting chemotherapy right now? >> interesting point if you come from a political perspective and not a realistic one and not based on reality. on the ground, there is a humanitarian crisis. this is described by the united nations and other objective

points of view. the humanitarian crisis is obvious. no fuel has been delivered since october 7. all of the hospitals in gaza depends on fuel to run generators. the electrical grid shut down since october 11. even when it was operating, italy provided electricity for three or four hours a day -- it only provided electricity for three or four hours a day. hospitals are not able to provide ventilation for children in the intensive care unit. they are not able to provide electricity for babies in neonatal units. with fuel running out and shifa hospital, only one generator is working. the indonesian hospital has run out of fuel. i don't know what humanitarian crisis he is not seeing. this dr. zind mentioned, children and people are on a significant calorie diet and that is affecting the entire population. 1.5 million out of 2.2 million are displaced, living in

makeshift places, u.n. schools. there are no say places in gaza. -- there are no safe places in gaza. over 1000 children are buried under rubble, some alive, slowly dying. that is not a humanitarian crisis? i can medication. doctors are operating without anesthesia and medication. that is not a humanitarian crisis? doctors don't have dressings come anesthesia. kids are getting tylenol while they have their degree burns. i don't know what role he is watching but for those of us watching with open eyes and open hearts, this is a humanitarian crisis we have never seen before. this is unacceptable is happening in the modern world with modern weapons which are being paid for by our american tax dollars.

the children and the cancer department. they are running out of drugs, adequate treatment. the kids in remission are falling out of remission. there are dozens of children in gaza with cancer who are not getting adequate care not because they don't have the facilities -- we opened it in 2019. they're not getting care not because doctors are not all a fight to treat them -- not qualified to treat them, they are getting attacked. there hospitals are being bombed. children are living in a state of absolute care. talking about the mental health situation come it is going to be a generational issue. have you solved an entire population that is exposed to conflict -- over one million children have been traumatized and will live the rest of their lives with this trauma and impossible to treat it. the source is not going away. it is not posttraumatic stress disorder, it is current

traumatic stress. we can't heal these children. we can't heal their hearts and souls and bodies until this conflict stops and it is not going to stop until there is a political will and everybody believes in peace and justice and equality to take a stand and put an end to this once and for all. amy: steve sosebee, inc. you being with us president and , founder of the palestine children truly fund, speaking to us from ohio. and dr. barbara zind is a pediatrician who traveled to gaza to support the relief efforts of the palestine children's relief fund. she was finally evacuated through the rafah border crossing weeks later and arrived back home in grand junction, colorado this week. next up, we will look at how president biden's refusal to support a gaza cease-fire could impact his reelection chances next year as a support among arab-americans is plummeting. back in 30 seconds. ♪ [music break]

amy: "hold your ground" by 47soul featuring lowkey. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. no cease-fire, no votes. in november, we remember. those were two chants we heard saturday in washington at the largest rally in u.s. history for palestinian rights. protesters denounced president biden for refusing to root support a cease-fire while sitting more arms to israel as it continues its month-long bombardment that has killed over 10,000 palestinians, including 4000 children. polls show biden's support among

arab-americans is plummeting. this is nihad awad, the national executive director and co-founder of the council on my neck islamic relations, speaking saturday. >> no cease fire, no votes. no votes in michigan. no votes in georgia. no votes in nevada. no votes in wisconsin. no votes in pennsylvania. no votes in ohio. no votes for you anywhere if you do not call for a cease-fire now. we will make our voices here more and more. in november, we remember. in november, we remember. amy: the head of cair said he was speaking in some capacity. we are joined now by james zogby , president of the arab american institute. he joins us now from washington, d.c.

it is great to have you with us. if you could talk about these figures i am sure the white house is looking at carefully. in 2020, president biden had something like 59% support of the arab american community. right now it is something like 17%. james zogby, if you can talk about biden's stance right on israel and gaza? >> it is been a long time since we have been together and i appreciate the opportunity to speak with you. the poll is when we did to get a read on the community. i have never seen in the 27 years we have been polling, my brother and i, polling arab-americans, we never saw a movement this dramatic over this short a period of time. the last time we pulled arab-americans, just a few months ago, and the drop since then has been even more precipitous than the drop since 2020. this issue resonates.

it is big. it is important. it is part of a general national trend. arab-americans are not immune from what the rest of the culture is feeling and that is president biden is not in control of his own presidency and how he is being portrayed to the american people and to the world. they did not elect a reaganite foreign policy advocate, neocon who was fighting for freedom there to to have freedom here, that kind of rhetoric that comes from the white house. they voted for somebody who focused on a whole bunch of domestic issues to bring domestic peace and tranquility after four years of donald trump. that is not what they have gotten. i think that, coupled with the gaza situation, most certainly, is driving these negative numbers. they are deeply disappointed with the position he has taken on this conflict. they just are jumping ship.

juan: james zogby, could you talk about some of the aspects of the poll? what the support for a cease-fire was and also whether there was gender or age or religious differences and those you pulled? >> what was significant is -- you get numbers that high, a flip that high or numbers in the 70% range on several questions like support for a cease-fire or how important is the palestinian issue to you or how disappointed are you with the president's performance on this issue -- all of those numbers were two thirds were greater. when you get numbers that great, you expect across-the-board to see the cross tense reading that way. and we did. there was virtually no difference in terms of majorities. regardless of religion, regardless of whether born here or immigrant or gender or age.

pretty much across-the-board, there is frustration and deep disappointment with this president. the question i keep getting asked is, can biden win them back? the visceral reaction to this is so great that in order to do that, something dramatic has to come from the white house. i am not sure the president has the wherewithal to do it. look, i have heard two things for people at the white house. one, they're not going to vote for donald trump. because they don't want back what he was doing during his four years. so they will come around in a year i told him that -- when i heard that, i said that is insulting and dismissive. you have to earn that vote. they might just as well stay home. they might vote for cornel west. they might just not vote at all. it is not a given that young arab american women who want

control over their bodies and health care, that older arab-americans who watch protection for the medicare and expansion of health care, it is not clear they're going to make the decision to vote at all if they don't have something to vote for. it worked the last time, "vote for me because i'm not the other guy." i am not sure it will work this time. i have an article coming out in "the nation" tomorrow that makes the point that it is not just arab-americans who are affected this way. it is young people, progressive jews, black, latino, asian voters. there's a significant decline this president is encountering across-the-board. gaza is playing into it. it is sort of a canary in the coal mine issue. it is one speaking to a broader sense of dissatisfaction. the white house has to get a

handle on that. not just dismiss it. juan: speaking a broader sense of dissatisfaction, you worked with bernie sanders for two of his campaigns. how do you understand his insistence only on calling for a humanitarian pause and not a cease-fire? amy: juan, let me play a clip of bernie sanders who was interviewed this weekend on cnn. >> i want to clarify one thing, senator. you support a humanitarian pause in gaza. some 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 and 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 understand is hamas has to go.

amy: that was bernie sanders being interviewed on cnn. just a few days ago, bernie sanders' office was occupied by a group of progressives protesting he was not calling for a cease-fire, among other senators. james zogby? >> i have no idea. i have called the senator and did not get a call back and left a couple of messages, text messages, did not hear back. i am disappointed. frankly, confounded. i don't understand the thinking here. one could easily take the sentence he spoke about you don't have a cease-fire with a group like hamas blah blah blah and stick in the net how -- netanyahu government for the most extremist that are today while under the cover of gaza, taking armed settlers to evacuate palestinian villages and force people to leave their

lands, leave their orchards, and their homes. this is a crazy extremist government. yes, hamas is a group that has done and is people things just like the netanyahu government does evil things. that is why you need a cease-fire. this a we cannot have peace with them, it is what the palestinians i we cannot have peace with the netanyahu government. the problem is the united states has to act like the adults in the room and we have not. we have been a cheerleader for the coke holder, the enabler, the funder of one side of digging the hole deeper every single day and the result is that we are locked in a conflict here on israel's side that has no good end in sight. those who think this path will illuminate hamas, forget what happened in beirut in 1982, lebanon in 2006, afghanistan or

iraq, you don't eliminate, create the conditions for something more very let virulent afterwards. the thousands have been forced to leave their belongings, neighborhoods now reduced to rubble and flee to the south where there is no infrastructure to take care of them, families of the 10,000 who have died, 4000 who are children, they're not 20 say when this is over, if it ever is over, "we love israel, let's have peace." this seed is being planted today for hamas 2.0 or something more virulent. i don't understand how the folks in the white house or state department don't get it. more dead bodies, more anger, more extremism -- we're going to be right back where we started. it is a failure of the united states. not of hamas and israel, but the

united states. we have not shown the leadership that we ought to be showing given the fact we are funding this damn thing to stop it. juan: for decades now you been an expert in public opinion and pulling. it is not just united states or england and france we are seeing unprecedented demonstrations in support of the palestinians opposed to israeli bombardment and the invasion, but also across the global south and the rest of the world come outside of the western countries, there is virtually no support for the united states policies and israel. i am wondering if you could talk about that? >> we just finished a pole -- my brother does the domestic polling. we played the game of risk and he took one side of the board and i took the other. i do polling in the middle east

and some in europe. in the arab world, we have blown it. there wasn't actually much of a balance when joe biden got elected. the damage done by george w. bush, this disappointment in obama making promises in cairo that excited people and then blaming the arabs for not delivering on the promises he made, and then trump, they chaos of four years -- people have told me -- we have been on a roller coaster with your country for the last 20 years and we are dizzy. we don't know what we are getting. they hope for calm when joe biden got elected and instead they got two wars and they're being forced to choose. they can't. they've decided, as european countries have decided, they have to make your own decisions and do what is in their own

interest. their people are watching what is happening in gaza and saying, hell, no, we're not going to do this anymore. even countries who have made peace with israel, their public opinion has turned decidedly against israel and decidedly against the prospect of living in harmony with that country. the damage has been done. i don't understand it. all of my conversations with people in the state department that they don't just get it. i don't know what they're taking in the morning that makes them think, "today is going to be a better day, israel is going to kill more people and arabs are going to say, let's have peace with israel." it doesn't work that way. i have been down this road now for the last 40, 50 years doing this work full-time. frankly, it gets worse not better. those who think you win a victory in a war where you kill lots of civilians, their heads are not screwed on right.

frankly, we need new thinking on this but the guys in the white house aren't capable i think of that kind of new thinking. it is deeply disturbing because the whole we are digging is one that is what it take a generation to get out of. amy: i want as ask you, see the tv behind your nose looking to see if there was a crack in the screen because i was wondering if your comments on the coverage by the mainstream media, a word you almost never hear -- i'm not talking about fox, i'm talking about msnbc and cnn, places where you appear, rarely do we hear the word "occupation." and why that is so significant in understanding how to end this. we're not just talking about gaza, but the west bank. when he had the national security advisor jake sullivan sing right before october 7, it is peaceful in the middle east, moving on to other issues. yet at that time you had at least a palestinian a day being killed in the west bank by

settlers or the israeli military. i think since october 7, the number as well over 150. the occupied palestinian territories o,pt, gaza and the west bank. how we should be talking about this issue, what do you think would be the most honest, you think there's a difference between biden and trump on israel-palestine? >> joe biden promised a lot. the issue is separate policy statement for arab americans. i remember what we wanted language that about the equality of human needs and rights and the issues that statement that both israelis and palestinians are equally deserving of and there were a litany of words that followed it. 3.5 years later, we're still waiting for the delivery on equal promise of.

all the palestinians have gotten has been a green light for israel to run roughshod over the west bank, take more land, build more settlements, demolish more homes, more restrictions on palestinian rights, jerusalem is saint in gaza, worse. a huge this appointment. frankly, i recall some interesting things in the platform -- things that still trouble me because back in 1988 when i was negotiating with madeleine albright, we wanted the word "palestinian" the platform and she tell me if the "p word" appears, all hell will break loose. i said, the sky is not going to fall. we can do it and live with it. it is not rocket science to say there are palestinians in this conflict. the party had never even

mentioned the word up until then and did not that year, either. what troubled me in 2016 and 2020 was that we could not get the word "occupation" and the platform. they would not use the word. which was trump language. trump would not come either. change the human rights report from the occupation -- that was the, what do you call it, u.s. ambassador friedman's's, trump ambassador what he did that way. there was no occupation. the biden administration deals with it as if it were in occupation in language but not in practice. not in practice. we have not put conditions or terms on israel to deal palestinians as an occupied people. we have kind of come a ways but we have not come anywhere at all. from not using the "p" word to

not using the "occupied" word, maybe semantics, but palestine's are living under brutal occupation. it is an apartheid occupation. there are also being victims of a genocidal attack on gaza right now that is killing the infrastructure, killing the people, forcibly evicting over a million people from their homes in the north to move south where there is no capacity to care for them. they are living in tents without water, without health care. hospitals are not able to deal with the issues. these israeli's are treating the people in the north as if, the general says, they are who deserved to die. if this is not genocide, i don't know what is. if they can't use the word occupation or apartheid, they can't use the word genocide. something horrible is happening

to these people and this administration is turning a blind eye. and i'm sorry but, when they say we are deeply concerned, if that is the best they can do when we are providing 14.3 billion additional this year on top of 4 billion, we are providing diplomatic cover at the united nations, that is not enough. frankly, what is happening in gaza is not only happening on our watch, but we are complicit and enabling it. it sounds harsh but it is the reality and they have to deal with it. there are going to be electoral consequences. i wish it weren't so. last thing i want to see is republican of the type of donald trump or whoever comes after in the white house, but they have to earn the vote and establish there is a difference. they have not done it. amy: james zogby is president of the arab american institute. joining us from washington, d.c. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. donald trump took the witness

stand monday in a civil fraud case brought by the state of new york against the former president. his sons and his businesses. trump was repeatedly admonished engoron by judge engoron for testimony that veered off topic, lashed out against the court, new york attorney general letitia james gains, whom trump called a political hack. james is seeking $250 million after accusing trump, his oldest two sons, company executives of inflating the assets of the company. the trial determines how much the trump's will pay and damages. for more, we are joined by lauren aratani, reporter for the guardian who has been attending the trial. her most recent piece is headlined "speeches and grandstanding: trump scores few if any legal points in court." so you were there, lauren. if you can describe the scene but also contrast his early that's, getting angry, his face

getting red with the documentary evidence that has been presented in the trial. >> the scene was pretty incredible to witness. not only is there the typical media circus that surrounds donald trump, but the also have it in a very -- it was supposed to be a civilized courtroom. it is very quiet. there are no cameras were recordings allowed. it is really just a prosecutor asking donald trump, the witness on the stand, these questions. what we saw a lot yesterday was trump would often get into these rants and really reminiscent of what he was like at his rallies were he would go off topic on election interference or crime in new york city, saying new york attorney general letitia james, making the case she is wasting her time saying the case

is unfair. what the prosecutors have been doing with trump and his adult sons last week assuring these documents were essentially the trump family signed bank agreements, term agreements with these banks who gave them loans saying their financial statements were fair and accurate. you have a lot of these documents, emails, things that are being put in front of trump and he is basically saying -- he relied a lot on this idea of a breakfast clause, which is basically there's new not to take against the trump organization for its word when it came to these financial statements. of course, the judge in his pretrial judgment has written the clause is worthless. so we saw a lot of that yesterday. a lot of trump basically doing what he does. the only person that really matters in the courtroom as the judge and he even seems to express frustration toward him.

juan: lauren, the beginning of the trial, michael: testified that trump had directed him to manipulate financial statements step how does his testimony fit into the broader context of the trial and was trump questioned about that testimony? close trump was not questioned directly on michael cohen's testimony. he testified that he along with two top financial executives, basically he would say trump would direct the three of them to essentially increase his net worth on the financial statement. cohen wasn't that specific on the assets he was asked to increase on the financial statements but there was briefly

a document that was put out that he confirmed trump in handwritten notes had basically instructed them to increase their assets. trump was not questioned directly on cohen's testimony. amy: what do you think is the big take away? trump is expected to testify again. his daughter is going to be testifying. talk about the significance overall if you were surprised by anything, lauren. >> i think what we have seen a lot lately is -- i wrote a piece a few weeks ago that is basically talking about how what we been seeing is this a try within a trial. the trial in the courtroom, no jury, just a judge, basically deciding whether donald trump would be paying 250 million dollar fine. there is also the trial he sees is more important which is in the court of public opinion. we saw that yesterday. we are seeing last week with trump's sons when they saying

they don't recall, in angry times they also were very much kind of going on -- amy: 10 seconds. >> a lot of what we're seeing is just politics in the courtroom. amy: we will do part two and post it on democracynow.org.