William Cohen on Israel Launches Raids in West Bank

PART OF A SURGE IN ACTIVITY WE HAVE SEEN IN HOSTILITIES IN THAT AREA SINCE THE WAR BEGAN AFTER OCTOBER 7. WHAT YOU SEE IS GOING ON HERE? IS THERE ACTIVITY IN THE WEST BANK THAT THE FIGHTING IN GAZA IS COMING CLOSER TO AN END? >> I DON'T KNOW IF THEY CAN ASSUME THAT. I WOULD HOPE THE CONFLICT IN GAZA WOULD COME TO AN END SO THERE COULD BE A CEASE FIRE OR AN EXCHANGE OF HOSTAGES AS SUCH AND A PLAN FOR A STATE FOR THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE. BUT AS FAR AS THE WEST BANK IS CONCERNED, THE ISRAELIS HAVE ADOPTED A POLICY OF PREEMPTION. THEY WILL NOT WAIT TO BE ATTACKED. THEY WERE SEEING A PLAN EVOLVE WITH HEZBOLLAH IN LEBANON AND THEY ATTACKED. THEY WILL DO THE SAME IN THE WEST BANK. I DON'T THINK IT CAME ABOUT OVERNIGHT. I THINK IT WAS LONG IN THE PLANNING. I DON'T THINK THE BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION HAD ANY FOREKNOWLEDGE OF THIS AS NEGOTIATIONS ARE CONTINUING TO TAKE PLACE ABOUT GAZA AND EGYPT AND ELSEWHERE. BUT THE ISRAELIS HAVE MADE IT CLEAR THEY WILL NOT WAIT, THEY WILL PREEMPT WHATEVER THEY CAN. MY HOPE IS THEY DON'T ADOPT THE SAME PLAN OF MAKING A DESERT AND CALLING IT PEACE. SIMPLY LEVEL ALL OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE WEST BANK AND SAY NOW WE HAVE PEACE. I DON'T THINK THAT WILL WORK. I THINK THERE WILL BE MORE SPECIFIC TARGETING. BUT NOT ADOPT A WHOLESALE POLICY AS THEY HAVE DONE IN GAZA. KAILEY: AS YOU ALLUDE TO, THE ONGOING CEASE-FIRE NEGOTIATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO GAZA, THE U.S. KEEPS FORECASTING OR TELLING US THERE IS PROGRESS. YET THERE NEVER SEEMS TO YIELD A DEAL IN WHICH ALL SIDES AGREE. ARE YOU FEELING CONFIDENT THE CEASE-FIRE IS EVER GOING TO HAPPEN, SHOULD WE BE CALLING IT A CEASE FIRE? IS IT MORE ABOUT HUMANITARIAN AID AND THE EXCHANGE OF HOSTAGES? >> I'M LESS CONFIDENT THAN I WAS LAST WEEK. THE ONLY OPTIMISM IS THEY ARE STILL TALKING. AS LONG AS THEY ARE TALKING, THERE IS HOPE. AS WE GET CLOSER AND CLOSER TO A SUPPOSED AGREEMENT, EITHER HAMAS OR THE IRANIANS THROUGH HAMAS OR HEZBOLLAH OR THE ISLAMIC JIHAD OR THE HOUTHIS, TAKE SOME STEPS TO BREAK THIS UP. IT IS VERY CLEAR IRAN'S GOAL IS THE DESTRUCTION OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL. THAT IS CLEAR FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. AND THEY WANT US, THE U.S., OUT OF THE MIDDLE EAST, TO CONTINUE THEIR REVOLUTION AND ESTABLISH AN IMPERIAL REGIME THROUGH THE REGION. THAT IS THEIR GOAL. WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS MAKE SURE WE SUPPORT THE ISRAELIS AND DEFEND THEM, HELP THEM DEFEND THEMSELVES, AND HELP THEM IF THEY ARE ATTACKED BY OTHER PARTIES, INCLUDING IRAN, TO DEFEND THEM. I THINK PEACE IS NOT REALLY IN THE OFFERING IF YOU LOOK AT IT RIGHT NOW. BUT WE HAVE TO HOPE PEACE CAN BE SOME MEASURE -- I'M NOT SURE THERE WILL EVER BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST, GIVEN HISTORY, LOOKING BACK TO 3000 YEARS. IT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOREVER. WE HAVE TO HOPE GIVEN THE STAKES, THE FACT NOTHING IS LOCAL, WHAT HAPPENS IN THE MIDDLE EAST WILL AFFECT ALL OF US. ALL OF OUR ECONOMIES AND ALL OF OUR LIVES IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. SO WE HAVE TO STRIVE FOR PEACE. KAILEY: AS YOU TALK ABOUT HISTORY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, WHAT ABOUT GOING BACK THREE YEARS? IT HAS BEEN THAT LONG SINCE THE U.S. WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN. DONALD TRUMP AND OTHERS CONTENDED THAT CHAOTIC WITHDRAWAL IS TO BLAME FOR SOME OF WHAT WE ARE SEEING IN THE REGION THREE YEARS LATER. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT? >> THERE ARE SOME WHO FELT, AND I SHARE THE VIEW WE SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD A COMPLETE PULLOUT, THAT WE NEEDED A RESIDUAL FORCE, AND INTERNATIONAL RESIDUAL FORCE WITH OUR ALLIES TO HELP MAINTAIN SOME LEVEL OF DETERRENCE IN AFGHANISTAN. THAT APPARENTLY WAS NOT THE MAJORITY FEELING IN THIS COUNTRY, THAT WAS NOT THE FEELING OF DONALD TRUMP, WHO WANTED TO PULL OUT WITHIN 30 DAYS NOTICE. AND PRESIDENT BIDEN STRETCHED IT OUT TO SIX MONTHS. BUT THE WITHDRAWAL WAS NOT A HAPPY PICTURE TO BE SURE. THERE WERE LIVES LOST. THAT DID NOT NEED TO BE LOST, IN MY OPINION, AND THAT OF OTHERS. BUT THE FACT IS IT IS LIKE GETTING THE -- IT IS LIKE ANYTHING ELSE, IF YOU CREATE A VACUUM, THE TERRORISTS WILL COME BACK. THAT IS THE YEAR WE HAVE, THERE WILL BE A TRAINING GROUND FOR OTHER GROUPS TO TRAIN IN AFGHANISTAN TO LAUNCH ATTACKS AGAINST US AND OUR ALLIES AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD. THAT IS THE WORLD WE LIVE, WE HAVE TO BE CONSTANTLY VIGILANT AND HAVE A COUNTERTERRORIST COUNTERINSURGENCY STRATEGY AND BE ON GUARD AT ALL TIMES BECAUSE THE WORLD IS VERY TURBULENT AND DANGEROUS. KAILEY: AND WE SEE TURBULENCE IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD AS WELL. INCLUDING THE ONGOING WAR BETWEEN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE. THE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT SAID THIS WEEK HE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN AT THE U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY NEXT MONTH ABOUT BRINGING AN END TO THE WAR, DISCUSSING A PLAN TO FORCE RUSSIA TO HALT ITS INVASION OF UKRAINE. HE SAID THIS WOULD COMPRISE A POWERFUL PACKAGE, TO USE DIPLOMACY, ECONOMIC STEPS, CONSIDER UKRAINE'S PLACE IN THE GLOBAL SECURITY ARCHITECTURE. WHAT DO YOU SUSPECT THE PLAN COULD LOOK LIKE? >> THERE WERE MANY PROPOSALS AT THE VERY BEGINNING WHEN VLADIMIR PUTIN INVADED UKRAINE. THERE WERE PROPOSALS WHAT A SETTLEMENT MIGHT LOOK LIKE. THE FACT IS PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY SAID I'M NOT GIVING UP ONE INCH OF UKRAINIAN TERRITORY TO THE RUSSIANS WHO HAVE VIOLATED THE INTERNATIONAL RULES OF LAW, THE RULES IN PLACE SINCE THE END OF WORLD WAR II, AND I WANT MY TERRITORY BACK. MANY PEOPLE FELT THAT WAS UNREALISTIC IT ON THE OTHER HAND, THE UKRAINIANS ARE WILLING TO FIGHT AND DIE FOR IT. AT THIS PARTICULAR POINT, I DON'T THINK THE UKRAINIANS CAN HOPE TO WIN THROUGH NEGOTIATION WITH A CAN'T WIN ON THE BATTLEFIELD. THEY WILL HAVE TO INFLICT MUCH MORE DAMAGE AGAINST THE RUSSIANS BEFORE VLADIMIR PUTIN BE ABLE TO SAY LET'S MAKE A DEAL. I THINK IN THE TIME BETWEEN NOW AND THE U.N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY, NOW AND THE TIME WINTER SETS ON, WITH THE HELP OF THE U.S. AND THE EUROPEAN ALLIES GIVING UKRAINIANS MUCH MORE FIREPOWER, THAT MAY GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO REACH SOME SORT OF AN ACCORD WITH THE RUSSIANS. I THINK VLADIMIR PUTIN WILL HAVE TO SUFFER MUCH MORE THAN HE AGREES WITH ANY KIND OF A COMPROMISE. >> DO YOU THINK VLADIMIR PUTIN WILL GET TO THAT POINT AS FAR AS CHINA IS STILL IN THAT CORNER? I ASK KNOWING THE SECURITY ADVISOR IS IN CHINA MEETING WITH SENIOR OFFICIALS. WHAT ROLE DOES CHINA PLAY IN THIS AND THE MIDDLE EAST? >> AS FAR AS RUSSIANS ARE CONCERNED, THEY HOPE FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL BE ELECTED. TAKE WHATEVER YOU WANT OF UKRAINE, HOWEVER YOU WANT THROUGH THE NATO COUNTRIES. THE RUSSIANS ARE LOOKING FOR A TRUMP VICTORY TO GIVE THEM THE VICTORY THEY WANT IN TAKING ALL OF UKRAINE. WITH RESPECT TO CHINA. CHINA IS SUPPORTING RUSSIA AND THEY ARE SUPPORTING THEM COVERTLY, IF NOT OVERTLY, AND PROVIDING THEM WITH MUNITIONS ALSO COMING FROM NORTH KOREA. BUT THE CHINESE ARE MORE FOCUSED ON WHAT IS GOING ON WITH RESPECT TO TAIWAN. FROM THE CHINESE PERSPECTIVE, IF PRESIDENT TRUMP WERE ELECTED AND TO SELL OUT THE UKRAINIANS, THEY WOULD LOOK AT THAT AND SAY IF THE U.S. IS NOT WILLING TO HELP UKRAINE, WHICH IS FIGHTING FOR ITS FREEDOM, WHY WOULD THEY WANT TO COME ALL THE WAY OVER TO CHINA OFF THE COAST OF TAIWAN AND FIGHT TO DEFEND THE TAIWANESE? THEY WOULD LOOK UPON THAT AS AN INCENTIVE TO TAKE EITHER MILITARY ACTION OR ACTION WHICH COULD ISOLATE THE TAIWANESE AND COUNT ON THE U.S. NOT TO COME TO THE TAIWANESE AID. SO THERE IS A LOT INVOLVED GEOPOLITICALLY IN TERMS OF WHO GETS ELECTED, HOW THEY ARE CALCULATING IT. WE ALSO HAVE TO SEND A STRONG SIGNAL TO THE CHINESE, DON'T TAKE ACTION. WE ARE NOT SUPPORTING INDEPENDENT TAIWAN. YOU NEED NOT BE THAT AGGRESSIVE AGAINST TAIWAN. AND YOU SHOULD NOT BE THAT AGGRESSIVE AGAINST THE PHILIPPINES. BECAUSE WE HAVE A MAJOR -- MUTUAL TREATY WITH THE PHILIPPINES. A DEFENSE TREATY. NOT ONLY WITH THE PHILIPPINES, BUT ALSO JAPAN AND THAT GREATER REGION. WE HAVE A LOT AT STAKE FOR THE CHINESE WILL MAKE A BIG MISTAKE. DON'T THINK THEY ARE PLANNING ON THAT AT THIS POINT.