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Hamas founder's son: I spied for Israel
Watch the complete interview with Mosab Yousef on our podcast.
Watch the complete interview with Mosab Yousef on our podcast.
New York (CNN) - The son of a founder of the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, Tuesday told CNN that he was a spy for Israel.
For 10 years, Mosab Yousef said he gathered information about Hamas terrorist plots and fed them to Israel's domestic security service Shin Bet.
Yousef, in an exclusive interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, said he did it because he came to believe that Hamas was practicing "exceptional cruelty" against its members and "killed people for no reason."
He has now written a book, "Son of Hamas" detailing his exploits from his new base in the United States where he has lived since 2007. CNN could not independently confirm his story and Israel has refused to comment.
In the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, a former Israeli handler said of Yousef: "One insight of his was worth 1,000 hours of thought by top experts."
Yousef told CNN: "They offered me to work for them. My goal was to be a double agent and attack them from the inside."
But then his views changed.
Son of Hamas founder: 'I was confused'
Watch our complete interview at 2100 CET and our podcast.
Watch our complete interview at 2100 CET and our podcast.
Son of Hamas, Spy for Israel?
Christiane just finished interviewing a son of a found of Hamas who claims he spied for Israel:
Bosnian leader: 'Ethnic cleansing' continues 15 years after war
To watch the full-length edition on Bosnia, click here to get our podcast.
(CNN) - As the genocide trial of former Bosnian Serb Leader Radovan Karadzic resumed Monday in the Netherlands, a member of Bosnia-Herzegovina's rotating presidency said that, in effect, "ethnic cleansing" continues - 15 years after a brutal civil war there ended.
"The ethnic cleansing is there because people did not come back to their homes. Hundreds of thousands of them are around the world today and that's the problem," Haris Silajdzic, a Bosnian Muslim, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour.
"The ethnic divisions continued because people did not go back, were not allowed to go back, to their homes, including Srebrenica, where the genocide took place, and other places, too."
His comments came on the same day that Karadzic, who faces 11 charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide during the 1992-1995 Bosnian conflict, told an international tribunal in The Hague that the Serb cause is "just and holy."
And now your feedback
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/17/feedback.jpg caption="Christiane – all ears for the feedback."]
The exclusive interview with Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak provoked strong reactions among most Amanpour viewers. The commentary showed a definite division in political consensus regarding Mr. Barak’s statements. While some complimented the exchange between Amanpour and Mr. Barak during the interview, others took offense to what they described as “Amanpour’s bias against Mr. Barak.” Overall, the commentaries were emotional and supported for the most part, extreme views.
What are your thoughts? Please share your thoughts with us! In addition, if you missed the show go to http://www.amanpour.com for more information.
Below, you will see some opinions from viewers like yourself. We would love to hear what you think.
Email comments
I enjoyed your interview with Ehud Barak. I wonder if there is any difference between Israeli targeted assassinations and our assassinations by drone n Pakistan. Is there any diference in civilian casualties in Gaza and Marjah?
Michael Whitehouse
And now your feedback
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The exclusive interview with Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak continued to cause waves among many Amanpour viewers who expressed mixed commentary about the situation as a whole. Additionally, the audience offered their views on whether the NATO forces should stay in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the reactions highlighted extreme thoughts about the “nationalism” that for some, still existed in the country, and for others it never did.
What are your thoughts? Please share your thoughts with us! In addition, if you missed the show go to http://www.amanpour.com for more information.
Below, you will see some opinions from viewers like yourself. We would love to hear what you think.
Email comments
In response to Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak's assertions, I have attempted to point out that he was very disingenuous:
During Israel’s assault on Gaza, “Cast Lead, ” there were no grounds for claiming the right of self-defense (a defensive last resort necessary to protect her people) as Israel was not the object of a Hamas attack. Hamas is blamed for breaking the ceasefire, but Hamas had strictly observed the ceasefire until it was violated by Israel on Nov. 4 when Israel launched an air strike into Gaza that killed 6 and injured several others. Israel continues settlement expansion in the West Bank. (You Tube – Who Broke The Cease Fire – Hamas or Israel 2008) Crude rockets present no real threat to Israel. Hamas won an election that was judged by many distinguished people to be fair and just. It is in the best interest of that region to recognize Hamas and deal with them diplomatically. The U.S. pushed for the election and cannot ignore the outcome! In the past, Israel supported Hamas against Fatah. Israel played a significant role in encouraging Hamas' emergence. Now Israel has switched sides and encourages Fatah. Obviously, Hamas and Fatah are not the problem, Jews are the problem! The American people are tired of the Jew problem. We are mad as hell. Richard Goldstone has restored credibility to Jews who seek justice and condemn the pernicious, abhorrent monstrous behavior of Israeli thugs who murdered so many innocent Palestinian children and civilians. America cannot tolerate being made complicit in such evil. I believe that Mr. Goldstone should also include members of Congress who supported a resolution to support Israel's terrorist attack on Gaza among the war criminals. I did find it troubling that Ehud Barak, Israeli Defense Minister, misrepresented the facts of the Camp David Peace Talks July 11, 2000 and Annapolis, Maryland where a 44-nation Middle East peace conference with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President MAHMOUD ABBAS took place, to no avail.
FULL POST
Tom's Take
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On AMANPOUR., we examine the aftermath of the bloody civil war in Bosnia as the trial of the so-called “Butcher of Bosnia”, former Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, resumes in the Hague, in the Netherlands. It brings the international community face to face with the bloody campaign that ended almost fifteen years ago with close to 98,000 dead. The war left a country in ruins and further divided along ethnic lines. Today nationalism is still rife there and with continued economic hardship and political infighting, the underlying pillars of the state remain embryonic and reliant on an international body for governance. Christiane speaks with Bosnian President Haris Silajdzic and Lord Paddy Ashdown, former High Representative for Bosnia, about the country’s road to reconciliation and its prospects for joining the European Union. The trial is just one of the stories making headlines today. Here are some perspectives.
Tom Evans
Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
THE HAGUE – Will former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic try to slow his trial to a crawl?
– Karadzic, in opening statement at his genocide trial, says his people were simply trying to defend themselves against Islamic fundamentalists
– He’s charged with worst genocide in Europe since the Holocaust, and he set the tone for the 1992-1995 Bosnian War that killed an estimated 100,000 people
– Karadzic is representing himself and boycotted the opening of the trial four months ago. Judges have accused him of trying to obstruct the proceedings
QUESTION: When will this trial finally reach a conclusion so Bosnia can move forward and tackle the problems it faces today?
Israeli defense minister calls for sanctions against Iran
To watch the full-length edition with Ehud Barak, click here to get our podcast.
By Tom Evans; Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR
(CNN) - Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak called Saturday for new sanctions against Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions, encouraging the financial pressure to continue "until it becomes effective."
But he warned that sanctions won't be successful unless Russia and China back them, adding "we recommend to all players not to remove any option from the table."
Barak made the comments to CNN's Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive interview to be aired Sunday.
Speaking after extensive talks with top U.S. officials and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Barak declined to be specific about what might happen if sanctions do not deter Iran. But he said he wanted to see results within months not years.
Israel, the United States, and many other countries say Iran is moving closer to building a nuclear weapon, a charge that Iran denies. Tehran says its nuclear program is entirely for peaceful purposes.
// Barak said Tehran is clearly headed toward nuclear missile capability.
"They're trying to defeat and defy the whole world," he said.
"They have two examples in mind," he said of Iran's nuclear ambitions. "One is Pakistan, which they feel somewhat similar (to). And the other is North Korea. And in those two cases they were successful against sanctions."
Barak predicted a nuclear arms race in the Middle East if Iran successfully builds nuclear weapons, saying Saudi Arabia will "turn nuclear in a few months," and Turkey and Egypt will probably follow shortly thereafter.
He praised the Obama administration for addressing the issue and pushing for sanctions against Iran, despite a heavy burden of domestic and international commitments.
"I think we (Israel and the U.S.) both agree (sanctions) should be effective," he said. "We recommend to all players not to remove any option from the table. And we live by what we recommend to others."
Asked if Israel fears an attack by Hezbollah, an organization supported by Iran and Syria, Barak said: "I'm not sure whether we are going to face a pre-emptive attack, but anyhow, we are not interested in conflict in the north or in the east. But if it is imposed on us, we know how to respond."
Asked whether the U.N.-sponsored Goldstone Report accusing both Israel and Hamas of war crimes in their war a year ago could make Israel "think twice" about how to conduct a future war, Barak said "no."
"We always try to improve ourselves, but we don't need the Goldstone report for this. We started an investigation into the details of what happened (in Gaza) long before Goldstone wrote his report."
He added, "I would like to say something about Goldstone. I see that after seven years of suffering thousands of rockets, terrorizing our civilian population around the Gaza Strip, Israel had the right and the duty to respond. ... Goldstone's report is biased, distorted, and totally unexplainable in my judgment, and it even encourages terror."
Barak declined to comment on the assassination of a top Hamas official in Dubai last month that many are blaming on Israel's external intelligence service, Mossad.
But he did talk about an undercover mission he took part in back in 1973 when he dressed up as a woman. That mission ended with the killing of three high-ranking Palestinian Liberation Organization men in Beirut.
"I never killed Palestinians per se," he said. "I killed terrorists who were directly responsible for the killing - indiscriminate killing - of civilians."
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak
Christiane is on the set right now and just about to start her interviewing of Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak:
Our #AmanZuela hash tag debate on Venezuela via Twitter
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Last week we did an entire edition on the economic and political crises in Venezuela.
Our program created a tidal wave of feedback from Venezuelans in Venezuela and all over the world. So we asked our guests – Venezuelan Opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez and Venezuela's Ambassador to the U.S. Bernardo Alvarez Herrera – to come back and engage in a discussion taking via Twitter from our followers there. The gentlemen agreed to take part and here is the hash tag debate we've hosted using #AmanZuela:
Question from @playdiego: Who's the enemy? poverty, crime facts, energy breakdown or Washington? RT @AmanpourCNN #AmanZuela
Answer from @leopoldolopez: The real enemy venezuelans have to defeat is poverty, inequality, crime and authoritarianism. Our compromise for our future: All rights for all people.
From Ambassador Alvarez: Poverty is a problem we are successfully addressing, but we’re also focused on crime and the drought. We have political differences with Washington.
...Poverty is a problem we are definitely concerned about. And while we still have a ways to go, we have made appreciable gains in the fight against poverty and inequality. Over the last 10 years, Venezuela’s rank on the UN Human Development Index has gone up 10 spots due to the government’s innovative social programs and increased social spending. From 1998 to 2008, poverty fell from 49 to 21 percent. At the same time, access to health, education and food has increased. Of course, we are also concerned about crime, which we have been addressing with long-term and short-term measures, and we will continue adjusting our crime-fighting strategies as necessary. We are also focused on the electricity shortages caused by the historic drought in Venezuela. With regards to Washington, we have our political differences but we still believe that dialogue is possible. We will continue opposing any U.S. policies that are unilateral or interventionist, though.
Question from @fernancaffroni: Would the Venezuelan government accept US help to tackle the electrical crisis in Venezuela #AmanZuela
Answer from @leopoldolopez: To overcome the electrical crisis the govt needs to invest in long run solutions and in short run: accept help whether it comes from Brazil, Colombia or the US.
From Ambassador Alvarez: No need to, but we do want to talk about climate change.
...Venezuela is taking necessary steps to tackle the electricity crisis, and is making investments that will add 4,000 megawatts to the grid by the end of this year and 15,000 megawatts by 2015. Where we could have discussions with the U.S. is over the necessary steps the world needs to take to manage and reverse climate change. Our current electricity crisis is caused by a lack of rain, giving us a distinct insight into how a country can be directly affected by changes in the climate. This drought may only be temporary, but if we do nothing about climate change now, we may see droughts like this more often. It will take much more aggressive steps by the developed world to act decisively against climate change.
Question from: TwitteoPorVE #AmanZuela Are they thinking about the huge contamination with the new diesel power plants they are installing all around?
From Ambassador Alvarez: We’re committed to clean energy; 70% comes from hydro sources. Due to the historic drought we have taken emergency measures.
....Over 70 percent of Venezuela’s electricity comes from hydro-electric sources, and much of the investments we’ve made over the years have been in expanding hydro-electric generation, which is extremely environmentally friendly. Of course, due to the historic drought Venezuela is suffering, our hydro-electric sources have been severely affected. As a consequence, Venezuela has taken emergency measures to compensate for the loss of power being generated by our hydro-electric sources. These measures include thermoelectric plants that are unfortunately not as clean as hydro-electric sources. It’s important to note that these plants will not replace cleaner alternatives, but rather serve to produce necessary electricity in the short term during emergencies. We are still committed to a clean and diversified electricity grid. The Minister of Electricity has said that he is exploring the development of eolic – or wind – sources of electricity. We are also focusing our energies on decreasing national consumption of electricity through things like energy efficient light bulbs, etc.
Question from @fernancaffroni to @leopoldolopez: Are you willing to talk with Henri Falcón – the new dissident within Chávez's movement?
Answer from @leopoldolopez: We are talking and working w/ many dissidents, and we are open to enter a constructive political dialogue with Falcon and any other leader.
Question from @cesarvo to Alvarez: Different polls are showing a bad trend for Chavez. Despite this, will his government guarantee the next elections?
Answers from Ambassador Alvarez: Last poll says Pres Chavez’s popularity is at 58%. After 11 yrs, very impressive. Elections this year will be free and fair, like the last 14.
...The last poll from the Venezuelan Institute of Data Analysis (IVAD in Spanish) points out that President Chávez enjoys a popularity rating of 58 percent. You have to consider also that even those polls that claim that he has a lower level of popularity at the moment have admitted that President Chávez continues with a strong level of popularity and that changes in his popularity do not translate automatically into electoral gains for the opposition. Additionally, after 11 years in office, that his popularity has remained strong is impressive. Consider that some politicians in the U.S. lose significantly more popular support in just their first year in office. As for the coming legislative elections, the National Electoral Council has committed itself to making them free, fair and transparent, as has been the case with the 14 national elections held in Venezuela to date. We do hope that members of the opposition choose to participate this year, unlike the 2005 elections that they boycotted because they did not want to legitimize an electoral system trusted by the majority of the Venezuelan people.
Question from TwitteoPorVE to @leopoldolopez: are you really having an open mind in candidates choice? People aren't feeling that way, seems like candidates will b the same
Answer from @leopoldolopez: We are actively promoting the idea that candidates to the National Assambly should be elected in primaries open to new leadership.
Question from @Rolando28: Could you please ask Mr. Alvarez to explain 140.000 Venezuelans killed by firearms on the streets in 10 years ?
Answer from Ambassador Alvarez: We are taking all measures – short and long term – to address this important problem.
Even one violent death at the hands of criminals is tragic, so that Venezuelans have been affected by crime, violence and insecurity over the years is a challenge we take seriously. Crime and violence has long roots and many causes, all of which we are trying to address. In the short-term, we’ve undertaken a reform of the country’s police forces and are working to make the justice system more responsive. In the long-term, we’ve pushed initiatives and programs to attack poverty, inequality and social exclusion, three causes of crime and violence.
Question from @orientemiedo: Why has Venezuela become more dangerous than Iraq/Afganistan? #amanzuela
Answer from @leopoldolopez: Vzl has become one of the most violent countries in the world mainly due to the lack of political will. For the gov crime is a non issue, never even mentioned. For 80% of the people is the main problem.
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