Martin Luther King III on the need for civility in America & what the U.S. response to strikes in Qatar & Poland should be

Summary

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Amanpour (CNN Podcasts)

Episode: Martin Luther King III on the Need for Civility in America & What the U.S. Response to Strikes in Qatar & Poland Should Be

Air Date: September 13, 2025
Host: Christiane Amanpour

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Brief Overview

In a week marked by escalating political violence and escalating global crises, Christiane Amanpour leads a thought-provoking episode centered around America’s struggle with civility after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Martin Luther King III shares reflections on political violence and the urgent need to restore civil discourse. The episode then pivots internationally—with analysis of U.S. responses to Israel’s controversial strike in Qatar and Russian incursions into NATO territory, featuring insights from Senator Alyssa Slotkin. The show also delves into the personal trauma of hostages and the polarizing debate around protests and free speech in the UK, before reflecting on the legacy of 9/11.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Assassination of Charlie Kirk and the Crisis of Civility in America

Guests: Martin Luther King III

• Context:
  The U.S. reels in shock after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a prominent conservative activist, deepening the chasm of political violence and polarization. Amanpour draws a parallel to historic incidents of political violence, introducing Martin Luther King III—a figure with lived experience of such trauma.

• King Family's Response & Reflection:

  • MLK III opens with a heartfelt condolence to the Kirk family, reflecting on his own family's loss in 1968.
  • Emphasizes that “violence is never the answer” ([02:56]).
  • Calls for a national reckoning and advocates returning to his parents’ philosophy: “disagree without being disagreeable.”
  • Warns of the unsustainability of the current political environment.

  Notable Quote:

  "My dad and mom taught us how to disagree without being disagreeable. And we must find a way to teach that to everyone."
  — Martin Luther King III [03:10]

• Political Leadership and Responsibility:

  • References George W. Bush’s statement: "members of other political parties are not our enemies, they are our fellow citizens."
  • Challenges American leaders: “We have the ability, but do we have the will?” to foster civility ([04:07]).
  • Cites Robert Kennedy’s call for calm after MLK’s assassination in Indianapolis as a model for leadership.

  Notable Quote:

  "Leadership on all sides must exhibit a different kind of tone than the rhetoric that we continue to embrace. My dad would say, and I still believe this: Nonviolence. We must learn nonviolence, or we may face nonexistence."
  — Martin Luther King III [05:06]

• The State of Dialogue in America:

  • Amanpour recalls a 2018 interview with Kirk where he promoted open debate, even on guns.
  • King III stresses the existential necessity of dialogue: “it's not a matter of can, it's a matter of we must” ([06:10]).

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2. U.S. Responses to International Escalations:

Guest: Senator Alyssa Slotkin, former CIA and Pentagon analyst

A. Russia’s Expansion into NATO Airspace

• Background: Russian drones violate NATO Polish airspace.
• Sen. Slotkin’s Analysis:
  • Sees Putin testing Trump and the West's resolve.
  • Urges strong U.S. response and robust NATO defensive posture.
  • Criticizes President Trump’s reluctance to lead a new round of sanctions:

    “The President has been dragging his feet on a bipartisan proposal on another round of sanctions...I personally think we have to send a strong message back to Putin because he is clearly walking all over President Trump.”
    — Alyssa Slotkin [11:08]

B. Israeli Strike on Hamas Negotiators in Qatar

• Context: Unprecedented Israeli airstrike targets Hamas negotiators in Doha, undermining U.S.-backed peace efforts.
• Slotkin’s Position:
  • Highlights U.S. reliance on Qatar and Israeli audacity in striking a Gulf partner ([13:05]).
  • Blames Netanyahu for risking the lives of hostages and alienating key U.S. partners.
  • Calls on President Trump to leverage U.S. influence over Israel, including potentially suspending offensive weapons, to push for meaningful negotiations:

    “The president should be using some of that leverage. Everyone wants a final hostage deal ... those conversations can be happening tomorrow if the president is actually going to follow up his words from today with Bibi.”
    — Alyssa Slotkin [15:04]

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3. Hostage Experience & the Human Cost of War

Guests: Liat Benin Adzili (hostage survivor), Brandon Cramer (documentary filmmaker)

• About the Documentary:
  “Holding Liat” documents a family’s ordeal during Liat’s 54 days in Hamas captivity and the loss of her husband.

• Personal Testimony:

  • Liat describes being taken to Khan Younis, Gaza, and the unexpected kindness with which she was treated compared to other hostages ([22:09]).
  • Emotional return complicated by learning of her husband’s death a day after her release ([18:44]).
  • The film captures generational differences within her family about politics, trauma, and reconciliation.

  Memorable Exchange:

  “They treated me very well…I think they saw it as their job in guarding me and another woman…to keep us healthy…until we were released in a deal.”
  — Liat Benin Adzili [22:09]

  “A profound thing to document the story of somebody that has suffered what you've suffered…losing your husband and still emerging with the ability to look on the other side of the fence and care.”
  — Brandon Cramer [21:53]

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4. The UK’s Crackdown on Pro-Palestinian Protesters & Free Speech

Reporter: Isabel Young

• Story:

  • UK bans Palestine Action group under terrorism laws after they targeted defense industry facilities.
  • Mass arrests at demonstrations, including elderly protestors; holding even a supportive sign is criminal.
  • Debate unfolds between activist Audrey Cournot, who risks jail for protest, and former government advisor John Woodcock—the architect of the new, broad legal definitions encompassing economic sabotage as terrorism.
  • Charges of political bias in official policy, as Woodcock’s pro-Israel associations are scrutinized ([31:12]).

  Notable Moment:

  “The comfort that I enjoy living in London is soaked in Palestinian blood.”
  — Audrey Cournot, Activist [28:04]

  Policy Rationale:

  "The definition of terrorism absolutely encompasses the kind of economic damage for a political cause which Palestine Action have systematically carried out."
  — John Woodcock [29:39]

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5. 9/11 Anniversary: Remembering the Roots of Global Turmoil

Host: Christiane Amanpour

• Revisiting Christiane’s reporting from Afghanistan, 24 years after the attacks.
• Description of Al Qaeda’s training grounds, personal reporting on Bin Laden’s compound.
• Reflects on the legacy of "forever wars," rise of surveillance states, refugee crises, and corrosive impact on Western political discourse.

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6. Closing Reflections: The Role of Dialogue

• Amanpour closes the program invoking Stephen Graham (star from the Emmy-nominated “Adolescence”), echoing the importance of open, uncomfortable conversations—whether in families or across societies.

  Amanpour’s Parting Thought:

  “Talk to each other, discuss what's going on is perhaps more relevant than ever as we see what happened in the United States this week.”
  — Christiane Amanpour [38:50]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:26 | Introduction & context: Kirk assassination | | 02:48 | Martin Luther King III on political violence & civility | | 03:42 | Reactions from leaders—Bush’s statement, leadership’s role | | 05:24 | King III on nonviolence; Indianapolis after MLK’s death | | 06:10 | On urgent need for open conversations | | 09:10 | Shift to world stage: Israel’s strike in Qatar; Russia/NATO | | 10:00 | Alyssa Slotkin on Russia & U.S. foreign policy | | 12:49 | Slotkin on U.S.-Israel leverage on offensive weapon sales | | 16:45 | Holding Liat: Hostage testimony & trauma | | 22:09 | Liat Benin Adzili on her captivity | | 24:13 | UK protests and “terrorist” designation for Palestine Action | | 29:39 | John Woodcock: policy rationale and debate | | 33:44 | Amanpour archive: 9/11, Afghanistan, bin Laden camp | | 38:50 | Stephen Graham message, close |

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Selected Memorable Quotes

• Martin Luther King III:
  "Nonviolence. We must learn nonviolence, or we may face nonexistence." [05:13]
• Alyssa Slotkin:
  "Putin is clearly walking all over President Trump. And, you know, I don't think a Nobel Prize is in his future for the president." [11:11]
• Liat Benin Adzili:
  "They treated me very well…they saw that as part of their, I don't know, their job in guarding me…and another woman…I was with…to keep us healthy until we were released in a deal." [22:09]
• Audrey Cournot (Activist):
  "The comfort that I enjoy living in London is soaked in Palestinian blood." [28:04]
• John Woodcock:
  "The definition of terrorism absolutely encompasses the kind of economic damage for a political cause which Palestine Action have systematically carried out." [29:39]

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Tone & Style

The episode preserves Christiane Amanpour’s signature analytical yet empathetic tone, blending high-stakes political reporting with human stories of loss, resilience, and confrontation. Direct language and unabashed questioning are balanced by sober reflection and an insistence on the importance of dialogue and civility in public life.

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For listeners looking for a pulse on American anguish, international brinkmanship, and the human heart beneath headlines, this episode offers urgent caution, rare candor, and a call to reconvene around our shared humanity.

Transcript

[Christiane Amanpour]

This is the story of the 1. As head of maintenance at a concert hall, he knows the show must always go on. That's why he works behind the scenes, ensuring every light is working, the H Vac is humming, and his facility shines with Grainger's supplies and solutions for every challenge he faces. Plus 24. 7 customer support. His venue never misses a beat.

[Martin Luther King III]

Call quickgranger.com or just stop by Granger.

[Christiane Amanpour]

For the ones who get it done. Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Amanpour Hour. Here's where we're headed this week. America and much of the world in shock after the assassination of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk. With political violence continuing to escalate, I speak to Martin Luther King iii. Plus, Trump wants to be the peacemaker. Netanyahu and Putin are making that difficult. Former CIA and Pentagon analyst Senator Elisa Slotkin joins me. Then after the dangerous escalation in the Middle East, Liyad Benin Adzili, held hostage by Hamas for 54 days, bears all about that torturous journey. Plus, can you spell sign? Why has the United Kingdom branded these secrets citizens terrorists? Isabel Young investigates. And from my archives, 24 years after 9 11, inside bin Laden's Al Qaeda training camps. Welcome to the program, everyone. I'm Christian Amanpour in London. Swift condemnation from here abroad this week after the assassination of President Trump's key ally, 31 year old Charlie Kirk, leader of America's conservative youth movement. Trump calls it a dark moment for America. Indeed, instead of fostering a small pause for national unity, it seems to have done the contrary. Even a moment of silence called in Congress devolved into a raucous shouting match while President Trump blamed the radical left wing. Also ignoring the fact that two Democrat politicians were shot in Minnesota in June, killing one of them alongside her husband. From Japan to Europe recently, assassins have targeted top politicians, too. The climate is so poisonous, ripping people apart in the halls of power and at their own dining table. Martin Luther King III has experienced this violence firsthand. He's the son of the civil rights leader Dr. King, who was assassinated in 1968. He joined me from Atlanta right as the manhunt for Kirk's killer was underway. Welcome to our program.

[Martin Luther King III]

Thank you.

[Christiane Amanpour]

You have direct personal experience with what has happened. What can you tell me is your reaction to what's happened?

[Martin Luther King III]

Well, my first reaction from my wife and I is to extend our condolences to the Kirk family, to Charlie Kirk's wife and two young children. As you stated, I personally understand because I was so young when my father was killed. We as a nation have to always reject rhetoric and violence. Violence is never the answer. We as a nation must grow past what is going on. This is. It's number one. It's not sustainable. I mean, my dad and mom taught us how to disagree without being disagreeable. And we must find a way to teach that to everyone.

[Christiane Amanpour]

I thought one of the most important reactions from a leader in America was from George W. Bush, who essentially wrote, members of other political parties are not our enemies, they are our fellow citizens. He says, may God bless Charlie Kirk and his family, and may God guide America towards civility. Can America be guided to civility and much of the world as well?

[Martin Luther King III]

The real question is we have the ability, but do we have the will? How do you dig deep into the will to actually, number one, treat people with civility, whether you agree or disagree? There are many positions I disagree with, but that does not mean that we should go a further step and try to silence someone. That is insane. And we keep doing the same thing over and over again. I remember in 1968, there were, when my father was killed, 100 cities across America were actually where rioting occurred. The one city, major city that it didn't was in Indianapolis. And why? Because Robert Kennedy made a profound statement to encourage the community to think about how they respond to this tragedy of dad being killed. And that city did not go up in flames. So my point is, leadership on all sides must exhibit a different kind of tone than the rhetoric that we continue to embrace. My dad would say, and I still believe this. Nonviolence. We must learn nonviolence, or we may face nonexistence.

[Christiane Amanpour]

At this point, I would like to play a little bit of an interview I did with Charlie Kirk years ago. You know, at the time, he was willing to entertain some limits or controls on gun ownership. His views did shift in later years, but even then, he was doing what he's known for and what he was doing on the Utah campus, engaging openly in debate on contentious political topics. So here's a little bit of what Charlie Kirk told me back in 2018. Look, it's not an easy discussion. It's a highly personal issue. And for those of us that own weapons and those of us that take this really personally, you have to. You have to understand that there is this fear that government's going to take our guns away. And that's not. That's. It's not going to happen. But it's a conversation worth having. And, look, it transcends politics. Can we, though, even have those conversations now?

[Martin Luther King III]

Well, at the end of the day, I don't know if it's a matter of can. It is more a matter of we must. Because if we refuse to have these conversations and this kind of behavior continues to exhibit itself and exist, as I say, humankind will be no more and we have lost our humanity over these last few years. I think we must create a climate where people want to work together even if they don't agree. There's something that all of us as human beings can agree on. And probably we have to start at that one issue and we must elevate that and continue to dialogue, continue to discuss. We can get past these times, but it's not going to happen overnight and easily. But it will. It can happen. If our political leadership, if our religious leadership, if our business leadership are collectively to join and say this is the way we should resolve conflict, this is the way that is sustainable, because it really is about how do we sustain human beings.

[Christiane Amanpour]

Exactly. Martin Luther King iii, thank you so much for your wisdom and historic experience, personally and firsthand. Thank you very much.

[Martin Luther King III]

Thank you. Thank you.

[Christiane Amanpour]

Next week, President Trump comes here to the United Kingdom for a state visit hosted by King Charles III at a very dark moment on the geopolitical stage when military moves against US Allies are putting the president in a tricky situation. More on that next.

[Asma Khalid]

D.C. politicians want to enact harmful credit card mandates that could take away your cash back and rewards points, perks that stretch your budget and make life a little easier. Losing these benefits means less money for your family's everyday essentials like gas and groceries. The perks you rely on could disappear, leaving you with higher costs and fewer options. Tell Congress to guard your card and oppose the Durbin Marshall credit card mandates.

[John Woodcock]

Paid for by electronic payments coalition.

[Asma Khalid]

America is changing and so is the world.

[Christiane Amanpour]

But what's happening in America isn't just a cause of global upheaval.

[Archive Reporter (Christiane Amanpour)]

It's also a symptom of disruption that's happening everywhere.

[Asma Khalid]

I'm Asma Khalid in Washington, D.C. i'm.

[Christiane Amanpour]

Tristan Redman in London and this is the GLOBAL story.

[Asma Khalid]

Every weekday we'll bring you a story from this intersection where the world and America meet.

[Archive Reporter (Christiane Amanpour)]

Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Christiane Amanpour]

Welcome back. After the Israeli strike on the Hamas negotiating team this week in Qatar, which hosts the American backed mediation efforts, its prime minister told CNN how this will impact hostage families.

[John Woodcock]

And I think that what Netanyahu has done yesterday, he just killed any hope for those hostages.

[Christiane Amanpour]

Dramatic indeed, while an unprecedented Russian drone foray into A NATO nation sparked this comment from Poland's Foreign Minister, Radislaw Sikorski, who said, we can only hope now that President Trump realizes Putin is stringing him along. They're calling for much tougher economic moves against Putin and more anti air defense systems for themselves. For his part, Trump criticized all this escalation by Israel and Russia. But is he ready to go further than that? That is what I asked Michigan Democratic Senator and former CIA analyst Alyssa Slotkin. And just a note, we spoke before the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Welcome to the program, Senator.

[Asma Khalid]

Thanks for having me.

[Christiane Amanpour]

So I want to ask you, as an American rather than a Democrat or a Repub, you are a Democratic senator, but this surely is a moment of truth for America and its alliances. And I want you to pick which issue to take first. I can't tell which is more important or more dangerous. Israel's, you know, unprovoked, unprecedented attack on negotiators in US Ally Qatar without even telling the US Or Russia's major escalation into NATO airspace.

[Asma Khalid]

It is kind of interesting and ironic that all of this is happening at the same time, I think, with Russia. I mean, if you just review the data points, you know, from Trump rolling out the red carpet for Putin, you know, we know he wants to win the Nobel Prize for his work on bringing an end to a war there and in the Middle east. He rolls out the red carpet, he cozies up to him. And the data points since then are basically like a thumb in the eye to Trump. Right? Putin goes and does this big event with the Chinese leadership. He launches the largest assault on Kiev since the beginning of the war and now is testing like a, like a toddler. The. The sort of NATO limits by sending drones over. And I'm glad that the polls have called for consultations. I'm glad that we're having this conversation. I personally think we have to send a strong message back to Putin because he is clearly walking all over President Trump. And, you know, I don't think a Nobel Prize is in his future for the president. So it is an interesting development that we need to respond to.

[Christiane Amanpour]

So calling for consultations is officially known as Article 4. That would potentially lead to Article 5, which, Senator, you remember at the time, President Biden and all the NATO leaders in the early years of this war kept saying not one inch. If Russia strayed one inch inside NATO territory, whether by air, land, or sea, then it would trigger a full NATO response. I mean, look, it's damned if you do and damned if you Don't I know nobody wants to go to direct war with Russia. But on the other hand, what is the signal then that you say needs to be sent now?

[Asma Khalid]

Yeah, well, certainly, I think the President has been dragging his feet on a bipartisan proposal on another round of sanctions. The bill is ready to go. It's co led by both a Democrat and a Republican. We could do that tomorrow. And the President has been reluctant to do that thinking he can be the one who kind of convinces Putin to think, to listen to his better angels. I think the other thing that's extremely important is that we have to have all of our NATO allies right there on the eastern flank with a much stronger military posture and so a more aggressive defense posture at a minimum. But sanctions for me are, this is the moment in my mind that we actually do what we've been proposing for the last eight months and do another round of sanctions on the Russians.

[Christiane Amanpour]

And now what about the other escalation where the US has direct leverage, doesn't need to get into a war to do this, but it has direct leverage with Israel. The US didn't know, they were informed apparently as this thing was underway. What should the US Posture be now?

[Asma Khalid]

Well, certainly I think we should recognize that this is also a change. I mean to review the bidding. The United States asked the Qataris years ago to set up an office so that they could engage with Hamas. Right. Years and years ago, Israelis and others needed a place where they could negotiate. We needed a place where we can have these conversations and we asked the Qataris to set up a location in their own country. The place of the attack, a well heeled neighborhood 18 miles from El Udade Air Force Base where we have 10,000Americans where the Qataris just helped defend against Iranian ballistic missiles just a couple of months ago. So this is a partner in Qatar that we work with quite a bit and depend on for the safety of our American soldiers there. So it is definitely a big moment. We haven't had Israel take military action, overt military action against a Gulf state to my knowledge, ever. And certainly using fixed wing aircraft is a, it's a major decision. You heard a pretty strongly worded statement from the President about, you know, not approving the strike, not knowing and this not moving us anywhere positive towards peace. It took out, I think from what I understand, some, some low level members, but not leadership. And so, but the idea that we're going to have a negotiated end to this war now seems further off than certainly it was. And the United States again has some decisions to make. I can only imagine what the conversations have been between the White House and Bibi Netanyahu since. This puts President Trump again, in a really tough spot. He said he was going to solve this crisis like in day one. Again, he wants the Nobel Peace Prize to solve this longstanding problem. And we seem much further from that today than we did two days ago.

[Christiane Amanpour]

So, again, the US has leverage. You believe it should put sanctions on Russia for what Putin's doing? Should it, as you said you would have voted to do in July, suspend offensive weapons to Israel?

[Asma Khalid]

The President of the United States directs foreign policy in the United States of America. And we have tremendous leverage to have really tough conversations with both allies and adversaries. And I think, to me, the president should be using some of that leverage. Everyone wants a final hostage deal to bring people home. The president of the United States could solve this problem by having firm conversations with Bibi Netanyahu. Tomorrow. The votes come up here because that's our only hook into foreign policy to this issue whatsoever. But the tools are at the Pentagon, at the CIA and at the White House in terms of the things that we share. Those conversations can be happening tomorrow if the president is actually going to follow up his words from today with Bibi.

[Christiane Amanpour]

Coming up next on the program, we hear from a freed Israeli hostage, Liad Benin Adzili, about the latest threat to those who remain in captivity and her own family's harrowing journey to get her home. Welcome back. As European and Arab nations join Qatar and the UN to condemn Israel's unprecedented airstrikes on Doha this week. In Israel, hostage families fear the attack has derailed a ceasefire deal to finally bring their loved ones home. Now a new documentary called Holding Liyat lays bare the torment of those families grappling with the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th. And also with Israel's war on Gaza that has killed more than 60,000 Palestinian men, women and children and is now besieging and starving them, too. Here's a clip from the trailer.

[Liat Benin Adzili]

There's no way of knowing how much longer this is going to go on.

[Christiane Amanpour]

Who's holding her? Is she in a house? Is she in a cave? Is she being fed? Does she have her glasses? The longer it takes, the harder it is to stay positive. There's no guarantee that either of them.

[Asma Khalid]

Are cutting out of this alive. I want them back.

[Christiane Amanpour]

What are you making you so understanding about their considerations? They're playing games. A family in torment. Liat Adzili, who has returned after 54 days in Hamas captivity and the Film's director, Brandon Cramer, join me with their very personal story of struggle. Welcome to the program. It is such an interesting film. I'm going to get to your tragedy in a moment. But as a film, I don't know, what did you think even of that clip? Because they get your parents, your sister, even some of your children and warts and all, I mean, Brandon captured it, warts and all. No sugarcoating, you know, the arguments, the tensions, the differing views about what was going on with you.

[Liat Benin Adzili]

I know my family well, so it wasn't a surprise. It wasn't, it wasn't. They told me a lot of what had happened while I was. But still seeing it and seeing it for the first time on film, it was very, very emotional and funny and I was crying and laughing and it just, all of a sudden everything came to life and I sort of got a deeper understanding and appreciation of what my family had been through and what they'd done.

[Christiane Amanpour]

Yeah, and I mean, you endured a tragedy. You endured 50 plus days of captivity. You were released in one of the deals that was struck actually to return hostages, but your husband did not make it and you had to come back to face that knowledge as well.

[Liat Benin Adzili]

Yeah, obviously that was the most difficult thing. On the day that I returned, we still thought that he might be alive and that he was, that he was being held hostage. We just, we found out a day later that he'd been killed. So that's, that's been very challenging to deal with that.

[Christiane Amanpour]

While you take a moment, let me ask you, Brandon Aviv was killed. You somehow got this family to. I want to know the mechanics of how you managed to get inside the family in such an intimate and real time way as they were, you know, desperately seeking, you know, solutions to their, to their daughter's plight and their son in law's.

[Brandon Cramer]

Yeah, I mean, I'm very close with Liat's family. I've known them for over 20 years. And, you know, a week after Liat and Naviv went missing, Liat's father, Liat's son and Liat's sister all came to Washington D.C. where my brother and I are documentary filmmakers, and we started filming. We thought it would just be a few days. You know, we thought we'd put something together really short. And as we were filming, we saw that what they were experiencing was a story so drastically different than the story of the other hostages or hostage families that was being presented in the media and on social media. I mean, Lyatte's father was within days advocating for peace and reconciliation. Her son had barely survived the attack and was deeply traumatized. Her sister didn't want politics to be a part of this at all. And here in front of our camera was three generations of one family navigating their grief in different ways and their political differences.

[Christiane Amanpour]

It is, in that regard, remarkable. So this is your father, the father who is in Senator Chris Van Hollen's office, and he's talking about desperately wanting information and movement on his daughter and son in law. And he expresses the day after wishes as well, in the name of my daughter and her husband as part of the hostage release.

[Martin Luther King III]

I think the most important message after.

[Christiane Amanpour]

This is all over is the question now what? Reconciliation with the Palestinians is probably the single moment, most important thing that can actually affect a change for the better in the long run. Again, Brandon, I don't know about you, but for me, that's humbling.

[Brandon Cramer]

Yeah, I mean, look, you know, watching, watching Yehuda, watching Liotte, you know, we. We didn't know that Liotte was going to come out when we started making this film and when she was released, for me, as a filmmaker and a storyteller, it was a profound, a profound thing to document the story of somebody that has suffered what you've suffered, 54 days in captivity, losing your husband and still emerging with the ability to look on the other side of the fence and care.

[Christiane Amanpour]

Liat, tell us. It's documented in the film, obviously, and it's some of the most compelling testimony as well, how you survived, what happened when you were ripped from your house, where were you taken and how were you treated for those 54 days?

[Liat Benin Adzili]

I was taken to Khan Younis, which is a city in the Gaza Strip, and I was taken to the home of one of the people who'd kidnapped me from my home. And I met his family there. And I think they were a little bit surprised that their son came back from wherever with this woman. And they treated me very well. I think it's still an unusual story. A lot of the other hostages obviously weren't treated as well, and we've seen terrible pictures and heard horrible stories about what other people have gone through. And they saw that as part of their, I don't know, their job in guarding me. And another woman who I was with, they kept saying that it was their job to keep us healthy and to keep us well until we were released in a deal. So a lot of luck on that.

[Christiane Amanpour]

A lot of luck.

[Liat Benin Adzili]

Yeah.

[Christiane Amanpour]

A lot of luck in a terrible situation. Well, this film is, I hope, and I feel is going to open a lot of people's eyes, not just for the humanity of what you've been discussing in your own story, but for the bigger, bigger story as well. So you know, Liat, thank you so much for being here. And Brandon, congratulations. Well done on a really moving and exceptional film.

[Brandon Cramer]

Thank you so much for having us.

[Liat Benin Adzili]

Thank you.

[Christiane Amanpour]

Liat told me that incredibly, she has in fact refurbished her devastated home in near Oz and she's moving back there, hoping to get a new community into that kibbutz. The film opened here in the UK on Friday and is playing a select film festivals and preview screenings in the United States ahead of its planned January 2026 release. After a break protesting the Gaza war and the free speech debate shaking up the United Kingdom, even the elderly and the disabled arrested in demonstrations, we have a special report.

[Isabel Young]

So are they terrorists?

[Christiane Amanpour]

Well.

[John Woodcock]

The criminal justice system will have to deal with them, but you're saying they are terrorists.

[Christiane Amanpour]

Welcome back. This week, a brand new Banksy mural appeared in London just outside the Royal Courts of Justice. Now, this is usually a matter of excited celebration on the streets and in the art world, but this piece depicting a judge hitting a protester was covered up before being scrubbed away. The artist could hardly have hoped for a more timely response as the UK Publicly and messily grapples with the right to protest. Last week, nearly 900 people were arrested here in London at a demonstration against the ban on the group Palestine Action. The government had declared it a terrorist organization, which organizers and supporters struggle strongly refute. Correspondent Isabelle Young has all the details.

[Isabel Young]

The police might be about to arrest her. Why does the UK Government think these seniors are terrorists? Have you been arrested before? No, no. Never. Never. I don't do things like this. Their stories are at the heart of a debate roiling the UK how far is too far to oppose the war in Gaza? Millions of people around the world have turned out on the streets, including in London. But almost two years on from Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel, over 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed. Mass starvation continues to spread. For some, protesting is just not enough. Palestine Action is a UK Based group of hundreds of individuals. They accuse the UK Arms industry of complicity in supporting Israel's government. They've targeted Israeli weapons factories, destroyed British military equipment, and even vandalized US President Donald Trump's golf course. This June, action on a British air base was seen as a step too far by the UK Government, who designated them a terrorist organization, meaning anyone taking part in these actions could face terrorism charges Audrey Cournot, who just turned 23, studied dance and drama. She's been a member of the group. She's vandalized the UK defence headquarters. And just a few months ago, she occupied a factory she claimed was supplying military equipment to Israel. She spent two months in jail. So now you're out on bail, you have an ankle tag that you have to wear, you've got a curfew, you're waiting for your court hearing.

[Liat Benin Adzili]

Yeah.

[Isabel Young]

What are the maximum potential consequences to this? The maximum term of 10 years imprisonment. Would these actions have been worth it?

[Christiane Amanpour]

Yeah, of course.

[Isabel Young]

What would it have been worth it for? It's everyone's responsibility.

[Christiane Amanpour]

To.

[Isabel Young]

Do everything in our power to stop a genocide from happening. There will obviously be people watching this who will think, you know, you don't know enough about. You haven't been to Israel or to Gaza heavy. You don't know enough about the situation. You are just jumping on a bandwagon. What would you say to them? Well, this isn't a bandwagon. The more I learned about how deeply complicit Britain is in the supply of arms to Israel and in fueling this genocide, the more I realize that the.

[Liat Benin Adzili]

Comfort.

[Isabel Young]

That I enjoy living in London is soaked in Palestinian blood. Now, the UK government has designated Palestine Action a terrorist group. Even holding a sign in support is illegal, sparking fears that free speech itself is being stifled. There is a sign that action against genocide. Anyone showing any support for this group, even holding up a sign is currently being arrested, which means hundreds of people here are being arrested.

[Christiane Amanpour]

Just follow me, madam.

[Isabel Young]

Clearly a terrorist in your hands there.

[Asma Khalid]

Yeah.

[Isabel Young]

Things are getting very rowdy. Come here. People who have been committing offenses will be arrested. Everyone will be arrested. Everyone that is committing offences will be arrested. So essentially everyone holding a sign will be arrested. If that sign falls within the remit of saying that they support Palestine Action, you have to fight against things which are wrong and this is wrong. Not being allowed to speak about it is wrong. Palestine Action weren't a terrorist group. They didn't haven't harmed anybody. What Israel doing is terrorism.

[John Woodcock]

The essential case against Palestine action.

[Isabel Young]

The politician John Woodcock, Lord Wolney was the UK government's independent advisor on political violence and disruption. The 300 page report he wrote last year was a major factor in banning Palestine Action under anti terrorism laws.

[John Woodcock]

I take real exception to that idea of this being a peaceful protest. The definition of terrorism absolutely encompasses the kind of economic damage for a political cause which Palestine Action have systematically carried out.

[Isabel Young]

You're putting them in the same category as ISIS and Al Qaeda and Hamas.

[John Woodcock]

So I think that there is a gap in the law which I identified in my report, that there is a category of criminal behavior that is politically motivated which can fall under the definition of terrorism. That at the moment there is not the sufficient tools to be able to stop and deter.

[Isabel Young]

Half of the people that I saw at the protests were over 60. I spoke to a 70 something year old grandma literally holding up a sign and getting arrested. I mean they're not what people think of when they think of terrorists.

[John Woodcock]

No, no, no, sure, but, but so are they terrorists? Well, that the, the criminal justice system will have to deal with them.

[Isabel Young]

And my, but you're saying they are terrorists.

[John Woodcock]

No, I, I, I'm saying that if.

[Isabel Young]

You, but you're not answering the question are they, do you see them as terrorists? If you, you're the one, you're the one pushing this prescription. So surely you think that they are terrorists.

[John Woodcock]

If you break the law, then you face having a criminal record, a terrorist, you face having a criminal record of the terrorist associated with terrorists. And they know that and that's why they are doing it.

[Isabel Young]

Are you the right person to be advising, to have been advising the UK government on this? I mean you were the head of Labour Friends of Israel. You have taken several all expenses trips paid to Israel. And so you can understand why people would question your motivations.

[John Woodcock]

I could understand why they would want to because they don't want to account for their own actions. But people will make up their own minds on me. My interest in declarations are out in the open. That's why you're able to talk about it. We ought to be able to say it's not okay to break the law and to terrorize working people.

[Isabel Young]

In the meantime, other activists continue to take direct action. We're still locked on against arms manufacturers. They accused of complicity in the bombing of Gaza. And protesters holding up signs continue to risk arrest to support Palestine action. Isabel Young, cnn, London.

[Christiane Amanpour]

The British government says it's banned Palestine Action because it waged a campaign including using weapons and violence against people which would have been irresponsible to ignore, they said. But the government hasn't provided any evidence for those claims. And In a moment, 24 years since Osama bin Laden orchestrated the 911 attacks on America. From my archives, finding an Al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan. Welcome back. 24 years ago on September 11, 2001, as those planes hit the Twin Towers and changed the world forever, I was worlds away on assignment in Sierra Leone before CNN airlifted me back to Europe and sent me to Pakistan and then on to Afghanistan as the United States and its allies launched a major military response to that attack on the homeland, swiftly dispatching Osama bin Laden and his Taliban hosts. On the outskirts of Kandahar, I found opposition leader and later President Hamid Karzai, and I interviewed him there about the future. By lamplight in Kandahar, my team and I also discovered the Taliban chief Mullah Omar's compound. And shortly after, we found important evidence of bin Laden's plots, his Al Qaeda training camp, and the last place he lived before fleeing. From my archives, here is that report.

[Archive Reporter (Christiane Amanpour)]

The aging Soviet artillery pieces defending Osama bin Laden's Leva training camp near Kandahar Airport were no match for massive U.S. airstrikes. No sign of bin Laden's militants dead or alive here. But behind this broken mud wall, plenty of evidence of their military training. This assault course with monkey frame and hurdles, a mock tunnel and high bars all covered in war paint. A barbed wire entanglement to crawl under.

[Christiane Amanpour]

What we realized after looking around was that this appears to be the place where all those bin Laden training videos were shot. Those videos that have now been broadcast so many times on worldwide television.

[Archive Reporter (Christiane Amanpour)]

In the rubble of this sprawling camp, more evidence of the relatively unsophisticated training routines for the people accused of the worst terrorist act in history. And this handwritten notebook in Arabic contains instructions similar to the countless manuals found in Al Qaeda houses in Kabul and other Afghan towns. Intentions listed in English, how to make arsine gas and mustard gas. On this page, it says homebrew gas, nerve or nerve gas. On another, a picture of an octagonal building. Over the page, instructions on how to manually measure the distance to a tank. US And British Special Forces have already combed this place for clues. The Afghan fighters who've taken over Kandahar are busy looting what's left. The commander says this is where Osama bin Laden himself lived. Nearby, an underground bunker is full of clothes and evidence of a hasty departure. All that remains alive here is one of bin Laden's horses. Perhaps he too was once a prophet in the most famous terrorist training video ever shown.

[Christiane Amanpour]

Scary to remember, but 24 years later, the results are bleak at best. Forever wars. The rise of the military security industrial complex. Millions of refugees. A cocktail of failure that's blown all the way back to the west, adding to the rapid poisoning of our political and even our own personal discourse. And amplified by social media. When we come back, we're off to the Emmys as this year's multi nominee Stephen Graham tells me, what would be the best victory for his show? Adolescence. And finally, the great and the good of the silver screen are getting all dressed up for the red carpet and the Primetime Emmy Awards this Sunday. It's been a blockbuster year for TV with shows like Severance, the Pit and Hacks racking up acclaim. Among those tipped for big wins is the grim little British series that Could. It's nominated for 13 Emmys. It's called Adolescence. It became a landmark piece of television and a bellwether of society with its brutal embracing story of online misogyny and its real life consequences. It's extraordinary as each episode is filmed without a break in a single long take. Breakout star and co creator Stephen Graham surely won't mind an Emmy or two, but the veteran actor told me this is what he really hopes people take away from it. My wife said what she feels our program has achieved is for parents to be able to open that bedroom door now and talk to their children, be they're male or female, and ask them what's going on. Let's just, you know, you know yourself when you go to a restaurant sometimes and no disrespect, I understand it, but kids, kids are sat there on, you know, talk to you, talk to each other, ask each other what's going on. That's the only way we can understand what's happening. Good luck to him and the rest of the nominees this weekend. And what he says, talk to each other, discuss what's going on is perhaps more relevant than ever as we see what happened in the United States this week. That's all we have time for. Don't forget, you can find all our shows online as [e-mail] audio and on all other major platforms. I'm Christiane Amanpour in London. Thank you for watching and I'll see you again next week. This is the story of the One As a maintenance supervisor at a manufacturing facility, he knows keeping the line up and run is a top priority. That's why he chooses Grainger, because when a drive belt gets damaged, Grainger makes it easy to find the exact specs for the replacement product he needs. And next day delivery helps ensure he'll have everything in place and running like clockwork. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. Tab I got news for your ears.

[Brandon Cramer]

The podcast.

[Christiane Amanpour]

I am your host, Michael Ian Black.

[Asma Khalid]

I will say what's impressive about him.

[Christiane Amanpour]

Is that it doesn't matter.

[Brandon Cramer]

No.

[Isabel Young]

Come hell or high water, he's going.

[Asma Khalid]

To reshape American health industry.

[Brandon Cramer]

There's just something off about the guy.

[Christiane Amanpour]

Well, and his family has even come out the entire Kennedy clan, which is.

[Asma Khalid]

It's hard to get all the Kennedys on one the same page.

[Christiane Amanpour]

They hate him.

[Martin Luther King III]

Have I got news for your ears.

[Christiane Amanpour]

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