Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, he is the senior National security contributor for News Nation.
Lieutenant General Richard Newton joining me now from his home
in beautiful Florida, where he says it's too windy to
go out on the boat today, which is good news
because I get to talk to him now about yesterday's
press conference with Benjaminette Nahu and Donald Trump. And I
(00:20):
already said this, General. I said, first of all, it
was so refreshing to have a leader of the United
States that could answer questions off the cuff and take
questions from reporters and not have to have a notepad telling.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Him what to who to call on.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
But yesterday he dropped some policy issues that were pretty significant.
Let's start with his comments on the Gaza Strip. And
in his comments in a paraphrasing here, he essentially said, look,
you know what we got to do. We got to
move the Palestinian people out of the Gaza Strip. They're
never going to have peace, They're never gonna have prosperity.
Let's move them somewhere else and set up a Palestinian
community where they can have a happy life. What are
(00:59):
the sort of the immediate things that went up in
your mind about the possibility of that.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Well, many great to be with you, and thank you
for having me on air. First off, a stunning announcement.
This is uh I'm sure it has sent for certainly
my sources, it's sent major shockwaves really around on the region,
but around.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
The world and so forth.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
But for the President to come forward and to sign
up for the United States to take really long term
control of Gaza is extraordinary and it's historical, frankly, but
there are going to be some extraordinary challenges and with
this what I would call a huge.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
Idea, This isn't a big idea. Maybe this is a
huge idea.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
And first and foremost you're going to meet resistance in
certain capitals around the Mid East. Certainly Saudi Arabia, which
is the largest economy in the region, has.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
Already come up and somewhat denounced this.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Turkey, our fellow North Linding Treaty Organization or NATO member,
which which really exudes a very strong political power in
the region, also has has met this with much skepticism.
But nonetheless, it's a very tall order and there are
going to be some certain hurdles if you even consider
the policy implications to get moving forward on this but
(02:17):
the bottom line is I don't think in my view,
I don't believe there's any other nation that can that really.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
Has the unique capabilities that the United States.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Has in order to really move this forward. And we
what do we like it or not, We have become
what I call the indispensable nation. And so if this
is going to be goosive, it's going to be resolved,
it's going to take strong efforts.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
By the United States, surely in.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Concert with our close ally Prime mister nan Jahoun Israel
to move forward on this.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
But lost on pack here.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
So let me ask this question, and this is I
think a significant part of the conversation that's kind of
being glossed over. None of the other Muslim nations in
that region, the Palestinian people. To be clear, Egypt has
blocked them off because the leader of Egypt has Muslim
brotherhood problems. He doesn't want the Palestinian people to come
in and foment any sort of Islamic issues for Egypt.
(03:13):
Jordan has pretty much said we don't want them either,
even though historically much of their land, the Palestinian land,
is now part of Jordan. So where would they even
go if the Muslim nations around Israel say we don't
want them either.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Maybe they have no place to go, nor have they
had any place to go for decades, and so that's
why we end up with the challenge we have right
now on certainly within Gaza and the West Bank and
so forth. And interestingly enough, King o'dul Jordan will be
visiting the United States and visiting with the President here soon,
and I believe Egypt is lined up as well.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
But again this is a very pole order. But there
is no place for the Palestinian people, unfortunately, to go.
And we're talking about.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
One point eight million what I call non militant Palestinians.
Speaker 4 (03:58):
Or gos Ands within the God the Strip.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Think of Israel about the size of New Jersey, but
think of Gaza more about the size of the Philadelphia
area in and around the New Jersey Pennsylvania borders there.
So we're talking about a very densely packed population forced
into this part of the world, very urban, but now
it's been decimated by obviously conflict over the last fifteen
(04:22):
months or so. And by the way, that all starts
with and to me, responsibility for that is hamask Amster
being the terrorist organization as we know about the brutal
attack on the seventh of October and so forth, but
there is no place for Palestinians.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
To go to.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
And by the way, President Trump so much as credit
a couple, we should have started to hint in terms
of where he was leaving with regard to trying to
compel other Arab nations to take the Palestinians, but to
no avail so far. But I believe what the President
has done here has created some leverage himself to now
draw on certainly US efforts to break what would turn
(04:59):
out to be a scene of.
Speaker 4 (04:59):
A ridlock in and around Gaza.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
If we're going to be able to repair and rebuild Gaza,
it's got to start with I believe, certainly a vision
from Prime Mister Natyahu in Israel, but a strong, strong
support and even more so with the President's calling for
taking control himself of the Gaza strip.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
I'm inclined.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Knowing what we know about Donald Trump and his negotiating style,
I think that we are taking over Gaza's statement is
a starting position, and that we will then figure out
what's going to happen. Now that you know that the
Middle Eastern nations don't want that to happen. I mean,
we saw it happen this past weekend with tariffs. We
know what's he is a here's what I'm going to do,
worst case scenario, and then we're going.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
To talk about what that's actually going to look like.
So I'm we'll see how that works out.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
But I want to get to Iran before we went
out of time, because what's said yesterday about Iran, I
think is incredibly significant. The President said unequivocally that Iran
may not, cannot, will not have a nuclear weapon.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
What does that mean for our stance and what does
that change.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
In our positioning towards versus during the Biden administration.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Well, I think all this discussion with Gaza actually will
eventually lead back to the principal US national security interest
is Iran may needs you allude to in your question,
And the fact is we period dot cannot allow Iran
to achieve a nuclear weapon in the Mid East because
that will up up in the entire Mid East, and
that is absolutely bad, not only for Israel, not only
(06:25):
bad for our friends and allies, but.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
Certainly bad for US national security interest.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Right now, Iran is on its heels, much to the
credit of prime mister in Yahoo, and the only defense
forces you know decimating has blocks in the north of
Lemanas certainly Hamas, although not destroyed in Gaza, but nonetheless
they are somewhat decimated both politically and militarily, and suspectively,
when Iran tried to strike Israel with two missile barrages,
(06:49):
if you would call back in April October, then Israel
countered with significant air strikes, has somewhat to missed decimated
their air defense capabilities. And so right now Iran is
an it's lowest point, I believe, certainly in my recent memory.
And so right now this may be the time where
the President he came forward this morning he says we're
going to assert maximum economic pressure against Iran. But also
(07:12):
with that, I believe that the United States needs to
as well as Israel, to put on the table maximum
exertion of military capabilities against thereon. And what that means
is if Iran does not compliant, they don't come to
some concessions here with regard to their nuclear weapons, with
regard to their vowed hatred and policy of destroying Israel,
(07:32):
and certainly still maintaining the largest export of terrorism in
the world if they don't come to those concessions and
resolve those and the United States and Israel I believe
we'll do something about First and foremost, the most important
aspect of this is destroying their nuclear weapons capability.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
So where are the Iranian people in this?
Speaker 1 (07:49):
So we've had some protests over the last few years
that have sort of fizzled out or been tamped down
by the government. Is there any chance that the Iranian
people are going to demand regime change or just going
to have to deal with the people that are in
there now?
Speaker 3 (08:03):
I think since November of nineteen seventy nine, when the
Iranian Revolution occurred, you know, the Iranian people have been
under you know, tremendous pressure to some degree of what
I call brutal taranity underneath the regime of out Comedian
and so forth and others of the revolutionary Guard. That
hasn't changed, but nonetheless you're now moving forward with in
(08:24):
twenty twenty five. I believe there is as I understand
that my sources tell me there is again an Iranian population.
It's not the people of Iran that we have any
issues at all, but it's it's the regime and their
brutal regime, and I believe at some point they will
have to certainly try to resist, but they can't resist
(08:46):
if they're still under this brutal terrorist regime. That's where
the United States and necessarily where Israel can come in.
If we go against you know, the Iranian regime, specifically
against a lot of you know, their nuclear weapons capability,
perhaps some of their oil production and so forth, that's
really not against the Iranian people.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
That's against the regime to prevent them from.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
Not only terrorizing the people, but exporting terrorism as they've
done for the decades. I think it's about time that
the United States stand tall here. You know, they're you know,
sanctions and so forth. But if the sanctions.
Speaker 4 (09:16):
Aren't enforced, like they were not enforced.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
Under the Biden administration, that's where you're going to still
have the Iranian people decimated. But it's the threat of
Iran against terrorizing its neighbors and really putting at risk
US national security interests in the region.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
That's what's key here. Gouz is important understand. Rebuilt, that's
a huge idea, it's a huge undertaking. But to me,
all things lead back to Tehran.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Well, I really appreciate your time you Senior national security
contributor for News Nation, General Richard Newton, you did a
fine job. We'll talk to you again soon in the future,
my friend.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
Thank you, Madie. Great to be with you all right.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Thanks General.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
You know, somebody hit the text line and said why
don't the other nations want the Palestinians. Main reason, well,
if you look at the Egyptian leadership or the Jordan leadership,
they will tell you that they don't want to take
in Palestinians because they think that will hurt the Palestinian
cause of getting their own state, and they don't want
to give up their own territory to have a Palestinian state.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
But there's more to it than that. I mentioned that in.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Egypt, especially the president of Egypt.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
You have to remember LCCI.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
He came to power after the Muslim Brotherhood took over Egypt,
and then there was a big kerfuffle and there was
an uprising of sorts and the Muslim Brotherhood was kicked out.
But the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamis are still a faction
in Egypt. And if the Palestinian people migrated to Egypt
with any real numbers, they could create a huge problem
(10:49):
and roll back the secular government that Egypt currently has.
Egypt is a Muslim nation, but the Egyptian government is
a secular government. Iran is a Muslim nation than an
Islamic government, right, so there's a big difference there. So
there's a lot of reasons, but part of a big
part of it is the Palestinians have created havoc wherever
they have gone, and that's why no one wants them
Well, he is the senior National security contributor for News Nation.
Lieutenant General Richard Newton joining me now from his home
in beautiful Florida, where he says it's too windy to
go out on the boat today, which is good news
because I get to talk to him now about yesterday's
press conference with Benjaminette Nahu and Donald Trump. And I
(00:20):
already said this, General. I said, first of all, it
was so refreshing to have a leader of the United
States that could answer questions off the cuff and take
questions from reporters and not have to have a notepad telling.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Him what to who to call on.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
But yesterday he dropped some policy issues that were pretty significant.
Let's start with his comments on the Gaza Strip. And
in his comments in a paraphrasing here, he essentially said, look,
you know what we got to do. We got to
move the Palestinian people out of the Gaza Strip. They're
never going to have peace, They're never gonna have prosperity.
Let's move them somewhere else and set up a Palestinian
community where they can have a happy life. What are
(00:59):
the sort of the immediate things that went up in
your mind about the possibility of that.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Well, many great to be with you, and thank you
for having me on air. First off, a stunning announcement.
This is uh I'm sure it has sent for certainly
my sources, it's sent major shockwaves really around on the region,
but around.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
The world and so forth.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
But for the President to come forward and to sign
up for the United States to take really long term
control of Gaza is extraordinary and it's historical, frankly, but
there are going to be some extraordinary challenges and with
this what I would call a huge.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
Idea, This isn't a big idea. Maybe this is a
huge idea.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
And first and foremost you're going to meet resistance in
certain capitals around the Mid East. Certainly Saudi Arabia, which
is the largest economy in the region, has.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
Already come up and somewhat denounced this.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Turkey, our fellow North Linding Treaty Organization or NATO member,
which which really exudes a very strong political power in
the region, also has has met this with much skepticism.
But nonetheless, it's a very tall order and there are
going to be some certain hurdles if you even consider
the policy implications to get moving forward on this but
(02:17):
the bottom line is I don't think in my view,
I don't believe there's any other nation that can that really.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
Has the unique capabilities that the United States.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Has in order to really move this forward. And we
what do we like it or not, We have become
what I call the indispensable nation. And so if this
is going to be goosive, it's going to be resolved,
it's going to take strong efforts.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
By the United States, surely in.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Concert with our close ally Prime mister nan Jahoun Israel
to move forward on this.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
But lost on pack here.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
So let me ask this question, and this is I
think a significant part of the conversation that's kind of
being glossed over. None of the other Muslim nations in
that region, the Palestinian people. To be clear, Egypt has
blocked them off because the leader of Egypt has Muslim
brotherhood problems. He doesn't want the Palestinian people to come
in and foment any sort of Islamic issues for Egypt.
(03:13):
Jordan has pretty much said we don't want them either,
even though historically much of their land, the Palestinian land,
is now part of Jordan. So where would they even
go if the Muslim nations around Israel say we don't
want them either.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Maybe they have no place to go, nor have they
had any place to go for decades, and so that's
why we end up with the challenge we have right
now on certainly within Gaza and the West Bank and
so forth. And interestingly enough, King o'dul Jordan will be
visiting the United States and visiting with the President here soon,
and I believe Egypt is lined up as well.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
But again this is a very pole order. But there
is no place for the Palestinian people, unfortunately, to go.
And we're talking about.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
One point eight million what I call non militant Palestinians.
Speaker 4 (03:58):
Or gos Ands within the God the Strip.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Think of Israel about the size of New Jersey, but
think of Gaza more about the size of the Philadelphia
area in and around the New Jersey Pennsylvania borders there.
So we're talking about a very densely packed population forced
into this part of the world, very urban, but now
it's been decimated by obviously conflict over the last fifteen
(04:22):
months or so. And by the way, that all starts
with and to me, responsibility for that is hamask Amster
being the terrorist organization as we know about the brutal
attack on the seventh of October and so forth, but
there is no place for Palestinians.
Speaker 4 (04:35):
To go to.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
And by the way, President Trump so much as credit
a couple, we should have started to hint in terms
of where he was leaving with regard to trying to
compel other Arab nations to take the Palestinians, but to
no avail so far. But I believe what the President
has done here has created some leverage himself to now
draw on certainly US efforts to break what would turn
(04:59):
out to be a scene of.
Speaker 4 (04:59):
A ridlock in and around Gaza.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
If we're going to be able to repair and rebuild Gaza,
it's got to start with I believe, certainly a vision
from Prime Mister Natyahu in Israel, but a strong, strong
support and even more so with the President's calling for
taking control himself of the Gaza strip.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
I'm inclined.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Knowing what we know about Donald Trump and his negotiating style,
I think that we are taking over Gaza's statement is
a starting position, and that we will then figure out
what's going to happen. Now that you know that the
Middle Eastern nations don't want that to happen. I mean,
we saw it happen this past weekend with tariffs. We
know what's he is a here's what I'm going to do,
worst case scenario, and then we're going.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
To talk about what that's actually going to look like.
So I'm we'll see how that works out.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
But I want to get to Iran before we went
out of time, because what's said yesterday about Iran, I
think is incredibly significant. The President said unequivocally that Iran
may not, cannot, will not have a nuclear weapon.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
What does that mean for our stance and what does
that change.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
In our positioning towards versus during the Biden administration.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Well, I think all this discussion with Gaza actually will
eventually lead back to the principal US national security interest
is Iran may needs you allude to in your question,
And the fact is we period dot cannot allow Iran
to achieve a nuclear weapon in the Mid East because
that will up up in the entire Mid East, and
that is absolutely bad, not only for Israel, not only
(06:25):
bad for our friends and allies, but.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
Certainly bad for US national security interest.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Right now, Iran is on its heels, much to the
credit of prime mister in Yahoo, and the only defense
forces you know decimating has blocks in the north of
Lemanas certainly Hamas, although not destroyed in Gaza, but nonetheless
they are somewhat decimated both politically and militarily, and suspectively,
when Iran tried to strike Israel with two missile barrages,
(06:49):
if you would call back in April October, then Israel
countered with significant air strikes, has somewhat to missed decimated
their air defense capabilities. And so right now Iran is
an it's lowest point, I believe, certainly in my recent memory.
And so right now this may be the time where
the President he came forward this morning he says we're
going to assert maximum economic pressure against Iran. But also
(07:12):
with that, I believe that the United States needs to
as well as Israel, to put on the table maximum
exertion of military capabilities against thereon. And what that means
is if Iran does not compliant, they don't come to
some concessions here with regard to their nuclear weapons, with
regard to their vowed hatred and policy of destroying Israel,
(07:32):
and certainly still maintaining the largest export of terrorism in
the world if they don't come to those concessions and
resolve those and the United States and Israel I believe
we'll do something about First and foremost, the most important
aspect of this is destroying their nuclear weapons capability.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
So where are the Iranian people in this?
Speaker 1 (07:49):
So we've had some protests over the last few years
that have sort of fizzled out or been tamped down
by the government. Is there any chance that the Iranian
people are going to demand regime change or just going
to have to deal with the people that are in
there now?
Speaker 3 (08:03):
I think since November of nineteen seventy nine, when the
Iranian Revolution occurred, you know, the Iranian people have been
under you know, tremendous pressure to some degree of what
I call brutal taranity underneath the regime of out Comedian
and so forth and others of the revolutionary Guard. That
hasn't changed, but nonetheless you're now moving forward with in
(08:24):
twenty twenty five. I believe there is as I understand
that my sources tell me there is again an Iranian population.
It's not the people of Iran that we have any
issues at all, but it's it's the regime and their
brutal regime, and I believe at some point they will
have to certainly try to resist, but they can't resist
(08:46):
if they're still under this brutal terrorist regime. That's where
the United States and necessarily where Israel can come in.
If we go against you know, the Iranian regime, specifically
against a lot of you know, their nuclear weapons capability,
perhaps some of their oil production and so forth, that's
really not against the Iranian people.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
That's against the regime to prevent them from.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
Not only terrorizing the people, but exporting terrorism as they've
done for the decades. I think it's about time that
the United States stand tall here. You know, they're you know,
sanctions and so forth. But if the sanctions.
Speaker 4 (09:16):
Aren't enforced, like they were not enforced.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
Under the Biden administration, that's where you're going to still
have the Iranian people decimated. But it's the threat of
Iran against terrorizing its neighbors and really putting at risk
US national security interests in the region.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
That's what's key here. Gouz is important understand. Rebuilt, that's
a huge idea, it's a huge undertaking. But to me,
all things lead back to Tehran.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Well, I really appreciate your time you Senior national security
contributor for News Nation, General Richard Newton, you did a
fine job. We'll talk to you again soon in the future,
my friend.
Speaker 4 (09:53):
Thank you, Madie. Great to be with you all right.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Thanks General.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
You know, somebody hit the text line and said why
don't the other nations want the Palestinians. Main reason, well,
if you look at the Egyptian leadership or the Jordan leadership,
they will tell you that they don't want to take
in Palestinians because they think that will hurt the Palestinian
cause of getting their own state, and they don't want
to give up their own territory to have a Palestinian state.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
But there's more to it than that. I mentioned that in.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Egypt, especially the president of Egypt.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
You have to remember LCCI.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
He came to power after the Muslim Brotherhood took over Egypt,
and then there was a big kerfuffle and there was
an uprising of sorts and the Muslim Brotherhood was kicked out.
But the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamis are still a faction
in Egypt. And if the Palestinian people migrated to Egypt
with any real numbers, they could create a huge problem
(10:49):
and roll back the secular government that Egypt currently has.
Egypt is a Muslim nation, but the Egyptian government is
a secular government. Iran is a Muslim nation than an
Islamic government, right, so there's a big difference there. So
there's a lot of reasons, but part of a big
part of it is the Palestinians have created havoc wherever
they have gone, and that's why no one wants them
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