And safe behind bars. Translation im worried that once im outside doors will be shut opportunities for a new life will be closed how prison is a refuge for young women trapped in el salvadors vicious gang wars good evening, im antonio mora this is it Al Jazeera America. We begin in washington. For the second time president obamas top cabinet secretaries were on capitol hill defending the iran nuclear deal. Secretary of state john kerry testified with Energy Secretary ernst monnees, and treasury secretary jack luce facing the senate last week. House lawmakers grilled the trio questioning the decision to lift sanctions on iran. Kerry hit back, saying sanctions would not prevent iran Building Nuclear weapons. Libby casey reports on the contentious hearing. Reporter round two on capitol hill for the chief negotiators and pitch men for a deal not sitting well with republicans or top democrats. As i condition to review the deal theres a number of issues i find troublesome. Secretary of state john kerry flanged by the treasury secretary, trying to convince skeptics that this agreement is the best way to prevent iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. When it comes to verification and monitoring theres no sunset in this agreement. No sunset ever. Secretary of state john kerry says pulling out of the agreement now will give iran a free pass to double the pass of iranian enrichment and could isolate the United States. If we walk away we walk away alone. Our partners are not going to be with us. The clock has started ticking. The Republican Controlled Congress has until september 17th to approve the deal and vote to approve or disapprove. By the tone the administration has a tough time ahead. If this agreement goes through, iran gets a cash bonanza, a boost to International Standing and a lighted path towards nuclear weapons. Reporter at times secretary of state john kerry couldnt hide his frustration. Do you care more about the deal or the u. N. Approval or american sovereignty through their duly elected constituents. Congressman, i dont need lessons from you about who i represent. I represented and fought four our country since i was out of college. Dont give me any lessons about that. Let me make it crystal clear. This is americas interests. America is the principle gornt of security in the region particularly with respect to some of our closest friends. And they pushed back on the notion that theres a better alternative. We hear the complaints. We hear that the agreement doesnt stop. This agreement will do this. What this is supposed to do is stop them having a nuclear weapon. I want to hear someone telling me how hes going to do that. Reporter republicans were unrelenting and unconvinced. America got played like a 5string quartet. And you dont have the power to surrender our greatness. The white house hosted Congressional Democrats in a bid to win support, before the house leads washington for a 6month recess. Reporter jim walsh is a Research Associate at m. I. T. Security studies programme and testified before the House Foreign Affairs committee on the iran north Korea Alliance and joins us from washington d. C. Thank you for making time for us with what i am sure has been a busy day. Lets start with your impression of the hearing in general. Did secretary of state john kerry change any minds today . I dont think he changed republican minds. When i testified before that committee in the same room i think they were tired by the time they got to me. One thing that stuck out, and its a little i guess in some ways its not surprising. The republicans know that they are against it. As a consequence, they dont know that much about the deal. The questions i got from some of them revealed the fact that they hadnt read the agreement. The democrats, on the hot seat are taking their time and being cautious and hedging and not saying much but are reading the deal because they are scared and concerned. They are pushed and pulled in different directions. From the prior conversation you agreed with cary and the deal needs to be approved. I do. If we colin powell says you break it you own it. This is an agreement supported by the allies and by the United Nations, the International Atomic energy agency, a head of the Atomic Energy agency. If we scuttle it, we are saying we are giving iran a free pass. They get to walk away we get the blame. Thats a strategic mistake. Its a good deal. I believe, you know this is my what i work on. Nonproliferation i looked at every nonproliferation agreement in the seven decades, its stronger than we this stronger than the one that bush did with libya. Its a good deal. Talking about the mpt, you addressed the likelihood of iran cheating on this deal and one thing i recognised in your testimony is you agreed that iran violated the nonproliferation treaty. If iran cheated before on the agreements in the nuclear field, are you not concerned again. I am definitely concerned. We do agreements with the soviet union, not necessarily a good player. With Muammar Gaddafi, not a good actor, and so i think the fact that they cheated before counts as you try to weigh the rirshtss here. There are other risks here. There are other pieces that you need to weigh. For example, the top end officials in america said iran had the programme, stopped it in 2003, has not made a decision now. This is the time. Once they decide on their own that will be tough. Most of the testimony was based on the fact that you do not believe iran decided it wants to have nuclear weapons, you have connections at the highest level of government and have for a long time. Are you confident of that . Well i dont rely on that conclusion so much discussions with the iranians. I rely on that for our intelligence community. The director of National Intelligence american intel officials testified every year they gave it up and have not made that decision. Im going by what u. S. Intelligence officials say. Its not something that is widely understood but all the test moan yip, ail the testimony, all the statements on the web, people can look it up and see thats what our people believe. I dont believe the iranians i believe our intel people. Its interesting that you focus on the iranian, north korea connection. North korea is a cautionary tale. I know you dont think iran will cheat in north korea. Its strung along the u. S. And world power, saying it didnt want nukes and deals, but it went ahead and produced them. Absolutely. Lets compare that agreement that happened 20 years ago. That was three pages long. This agreement is 159 pages long. Its the strongest in is your fathers i. A. E. A. International Atomic Energy agency. 20 years after the fact, we have digital capabilities the snowden revelation should tell you we have instruments stronger than we used to. Its a different country. As you know i have been to iran and north korea. Very different countries. North korea who is on its border with china. China protects north korea, its chinas armed with nuclear weapons. Theres no china equivalent in iran the middle east. No china to protect them. In iran everyone hates iran. The saudis hate iran israel hates iran. I think its the most watched country in the world. I think the saudis, the Opposition Group will look under any haystack and bathroom for the slightest instinct. Good to have you back. Thank you my friend a 30yearold dispute between the United States and israel will be resolved soon. Jonathan poller an american sentenced to life in prison after being caught spying for israel will be released this year. Patty culhane has that story. Reporter it was the case that rocked the israeliu. S. Relationship. A navy analyst, jonathan poller sentenced to life imprisonment in 1987 for selling israel thousands of classified documents. It was a serious effort by the Israeli Government to penetrate our intelligence community, and it was successful, and i dont like it. That former Vice President dick cheney telling u. S. Spies to keep an eye on coworker because of poller. The issue hardly faded with time. For three decades there has been protests in both countries. Songs of support, and every u. S. President to visit israel was greeted with sign like this that met president obama. Now as poller completes 30 years of his sentence the parole board decided to free him next november. The u. S. Government didnt object, which could have kept him in prison. Officials are denying a release between his impending release and an attempt to apiece israel over the iran team. Its the far thinking of people 30 years ago to sentence mr pollard, and set a mandatory release date to coincide with the iran deal, and if they were able to pull that off, i would be impressed. Its unlikely his release will do anything to stop the fierce lobbying to congress. Past president s considered using his release as a bargaining chip. The president has leverage. Its this as part of his release, pollard will have to stay in the u. S. For five years. Backers are calling on the president to release him and let him fly to israel the place he considers home. Joining us from washington d. C. Is Robert Grenier. Good to see you as always. This case is infamous. The life sentence was the most severe ever given to someone who passed american intelligence on to an ally. Did he deserve it . Well it was certainly the view of the justice department. It was the view of the sentencing judge, and it strongly has been the view of the u. S. Intelligence community. We have to dial back the clock a little. We are in the digital age and stealing huge volumes of documents is not that diver. At the time when Jonathan Pollard committed espionage, it was before the digital age, and the extent of his theft was almost unprecedented. He was literally taking suitcases full of secret documents out of the pentagon. 30 years ago defense secretary caspe weinberger said it was harder to imagine a grating harm. Is that fair . In later years intelligence passed on by people like james and hanson, led to the execution of american agents. Robert did you lose me there . Actually well get back to Robert Grenier as soon as we have him. N. A. T. O. Compared his strong solidarity at a rare and emergency meeting in brussels. Ministers touched the threat. N. A. T. O. Leaders issued a statement declaring that terrorism poses a direct threat to the security of n. A. T. O. Countries. Turkey is the only Muslim Country in the block. The kurds are the Worlds Largest ninority people who dont have a home state. More than 30 million are spread around the globe, mostly concentrated in turkey iraq and syria, all opposing a separate kurdistan. In iraq more than 5 million kurds leave in the northeast. The peshmerga, their fighting force has been an ally of the u. S. Led collision in the fight a coalition in the fight against i. S. I. L. 2 million kurds live in the indecent. Their force, y. P. G. Fought i. S. I. L. In bloody battles, including in the border city. In turkey as many as 15 million represented a fifth of the population. An armed group of turks, the p. K. K. Fought i. S. I. L. The kurds, wherever they are antii. S. I. L. The problem is the p. K. K. Fought a bloody threedecade war with turkey for greater autonomy. Even though they are allied with the coalition, the u. S. And europe designated the p. K. K. Which has marxist origins. The turks are loath to help the kurdish y. P. G. Fighters in syria, because they are allied with the p. K. K. The y. P. G. Has accused the turks of attacking them. Bottom line allies of the west in the war against i. S. I. L. Is fighting other allies of the west proving that the enemy of your enemy is not necessarily your friend. And the dispute between turks and kurds played out in southeastern turkey. Bernard smith filed this report from southern turkey. Reporter turkish f16 fighter jerts dont have gar to fly to jets dont have far to fly to hit targets of i. S. I. L. Over the border and not far to target an old enemy, positions of p. K. K. In northern iraq. Kurds are angry and frustrated that the turkish government is equating the threat from i. S. I. L. With the threat from the p. K. K. Here, mainly a kurdish city in southeastern turkey. Representatives from 18 organizations have been meeting. Kl they are working out a response to what they fear is a threat to the Peace Process between the p. K. K. And the government. Translation we call on the people. The kurds and the people of turkey to show solidarity. The only way to do this is to stand up against the policies. Reporter last month most of these people were celebrating the electoral success of the prokurdish htp, winning 80 seats in parliament for the first time. Now the turkish president wants to lift the immunity of the mps being linked with terror group. Recep Tayyip Erdogan is questioning whether talks with the p. K. K. Can carry on. I dont think its possible to continue a Peace Process with those who take aim at our National Security and brotherhood in this country. Reporter recep Tayyip Erdogan says having embarked on an offensive against terrorism, turkey will not back off. Neither the p. K. K. Nor the government have officially said that the Peace Process is over. Its never looked more fragile. A newly elected prokurdish mp said the reason the p. K. K. Launched an offensive against the government is they hope talks can work. Back now to washington and former c. I. A. Counterterrorism center head Robert Grenier. Robert you were talking about how Jonathan Pollard, the american who has been in prison for 30 years, how his spying was significant. I was beginning to ask you, 30 years ago. The secretary of defense, caspe weinberger said it was hard to imagine a greater harm to security to what pollard caused. Is that fair. Intelligence passed on by people like Aldridge Haines led to the execution of agents. Well of course at that time mr polled ard was judge pollard was judged not against future actions of individuals, but what he did at the time. Then there was the John Anthony Walker spy ring that was significant. Passing on submarine intelligence. I dont think john walker was dealt with leniently either. So again, this is not just an issue of sharing information, this case with the israelis he also did serious damage to u. S. Intelligence gathering capabilities not only in the middle east, but visavis the soviet union, under circumstances where it seems likely that the israelis shared that information for their own purposes with the soviets at that time. The narrative is that pollard was altruistic. He was paid well there were allegations that he tried to spy for other countries. Has he benefitted from you know, a somewhat generous telling of his story . I think hes tried to ben get from the telling of his sore benefit from the telling of his sorry, hes seen as an tonnist, opportunityist, someone spying for money. He didnt hesitate to wrap himself in the israeli flag when he thought it would suit his purposes. He is viewed negatively within the intelligence community. Do you think pollards release will be as advertised because they are following the rules on parol and not improving relations with israel . Yes, i do. Lets remember it was a point of sentencing that he would be up for parole after 30 years. Some think its an assault to the israelis to blunt their opposition to the concluded Nuclear Agreement with iran i think that these two issues are very different significance to the israelis. They are concerned about this iranian Nuclear Agreement. I dont think the release of pollard will mitigate the assistance to that. Good to have you with us. Sentenced for the killing of protesters during libyas revolution, the son of Muammar Gaddafi, and top members of the regime learn of their fate a dire forecast about the humanitarian crisis in syria. More than 11 million driven from their homes by the violence of the 4yearold still civil war, and they still pace danger. Danger. Former libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi one of his sons was sentenced to death for the killing ever protesters during the revolution. The Court Ordered eight other top officials and his son he was not in court, hes held by a rebel group in North Western libya. Dozens of others received prison terms. Muammar gaddafi was killed by rebels in 2011 after months on the run. The United Nations says 220,000 died in syria, millions more fled the fighting. Today a first briefing to the Security Council on the suffering. Paul beban explains the news is grim. Reporter after more than four years of fighting in syria the scale of the crisis is staggering. Since the spring of 2011 more than 4 million syrians fled the shattered country. Nearly 2 million into turkey making it the country with the largest refugee population in the world. Most poured into camps and communities in lebanon, jordan iraq. Some made it to europe. More than 270,000 applied for asylum. Inside syria the war displaced 7. 5 million more virtually all of them according to the u. N. Are enduring horrifying danger. What began in syria was unrest. It transformed into a war characterised by the complete failure to protect civilians. Generating levels of suffering for most civilians. Steven obrien says Government Troops and other parties are making a bad situat