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CNN Live Saturday

Israelis Protest Tel Aviv Bombing

Aired June 02, 2001 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Widespread anger tonight in Israel following Friday's deadly terrorist attack in Tel Aviv. Israelis took to the streets of the nation's largest city, outraged by last night's suicide bombing at a local discotheque. Demonstrators set cars on fire. They threw stones at Muslim worshipers at a Mosque.

Nineteen people were killed, more than 100 injured in the attack. It's the worst act of violence since a wave of attacks and retaliatory strikes began eight months ago.

While there's been no claim of responsibility, Israel blames Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat. Arafat has ordered an immediate and unconditional cease-fire. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has been meeting with his cabinet throughout the day on how to respond to the crisis. Earlier, Sharon ended a ten-day cease-fire in response to the bombing.

Strong condemnation from the White House for Friday night's attack and new calls for Israelis and Palestinians to end the violence. President Bush has been in touch with members of his National Security team.

The president has asked Secretary of State Colin Powell to speak with leaders in the region and other key diplomatic players about an agreement for the cease-fire.

CNN's Kathleen Koch reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is the deadliest Palestinian attack on Israel since George Bush took office. And his administration responded with its harshest condemnation yet, statements from President Bush calling it a "heinous terrorist attack"; from Secretary of State Colin Powell, calling the bombing a "horrible act that ended many innocent lives for no conceivable, earthly purpose."

Powell has canceled a trip to an international meeting in Costa Rica in order to monitor the Mid East situation. Saturday, he telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, asking Arafat for "concrete steps" toward ending the violence. Some critics say the Bush administration needs to engage even more directly if it wants lasting peace. DENNIS ROSS, FORMER MIDDLE EAST ENVOY: In the past, we organized security meetings and we had security representatives there on our side. I think it would be wise for us to raise the levels of those representatives on our side. And I think those representatives should go to those meetings with a kind of responsibility to help set the agenda.

KOCH: The Bush point man on the Mid East, diplomat William Burns, returns to Washington this weekend after 10 days of talks in the region with little to show for his efforts. One expert contends it's too soon for higher-level U.S. involvement.

ROBERT SATLOFF, INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: When the situation on the ground is ripe, when the violence recedes to a level at which diplomacy can then take hold, then the president can weigh in.

KOCH: It is all difficult to watch for the former President, who weighed in often, but in the end, without success.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's heartbreaking to me. I tried as hard as I could to stop the killing in the Middle East and secure the peace process.

KOCH (on camera): Most agree President Bush is shying away from the Clinton model in part because of fear of failure. Experts say that's legitimate since, at this point, the prospects for peace in the Middle East are bleak.

Kathleen Koch, for CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Joining us to discuss the latest chapter of the crisis in the Middle East is Jon Alterman of the U.S. Institute of Peace. Welcome. Thanks for being with us.

JON ALTERMAN, U.S. INSTITUTE OF PEACE: My pleasure Martin.

SAVIDGE: The question on everybody's mind is what happens next? What do you see happening?

ALTERMAN: Certainly, a question on the Palestinians mind - I was in Jerusalem two weeks ago when the bomb went off in then Netanya and then there was an immediate Israeli reprisal raid using S-16s.

Certainly Palestinians braced themselves today for an Israeli strike - an Israeli strike, which didn't come. The Israelis said, "OK." From the Palestinian side, "Let's see you start re-arresting people. Let's see a handing over of weapons."

What we're seeing from the Israeli side is not violence as a reprisal but the threat of violence in order to get results on the ground. I think that's a different environment we're in now, a much more constructive one.

SAVIDGE: Could it not also be though that the Israelis are planning for something that may be completely different?

ALTERMAN: Well, the Israelis have announced they are waiting to go see Arafat's response to this. Arafat's condemnation of the attack was certainly much stronger and clearer than his other condemnations in the past.

The Israelis have said very clear expectations or a rounding of bomb makers, who had been released from prison, turning over mortars and other things, which Palestinians aren't allowed to have under some of the agreements they've signed.

So I think actually what we're seeing is the Israeli government, partly as a result of international pressure, turning to the Palestinians and saying, "If you want to avoid a serious reprisal rate here's what you have to do." I think the Palestinians are going to try to comply.

SAVIDGE: You heard Kathleen Koch talking about the Bush administration. What is it that the administration should be doing and even can do at this point?

ALTERMAN: Well, when I was over in the region, I heard a lot of people saying "Well, the United States should save us from these people." Even the comments - the responses that each side gave to the Mitchell Report were sort of along the lines of "Look what we have to deal with, even the U.S. agrees."

What I think we're seeing now is a much more narrowly focused desire for the U.S. to do certain kinds of things and the parties themselves, feeling they have a greater responsibility and not just turning to the U.S. to solve the problems. I think that leads, in fact, the U.S. to getting more involved.

SAVIDGE: As horrendous as this latest episode is, is there also an opportunity here that it has been so severe that both sides may realize a critical juncture has been reached?

ALTERMAN: That's absolutely true, Martin. We're on the brink of a precipice. This is the kind of violence that can quickly descend into madness into just violence for the sake of a cathartic release of hurting the other side as much as you've been hurt.

Once we start going down the slippery slope nobody knows what will happen either on the Israeli side or on the Palestinian side. I think the leadership on both sides is trying to pull back. I think, again, that creates an opening for a narrow focused American rule to try to begin to spin down the violence.

SAVIDGE: And how optimistic are you that we can fall on the proper side of that precipice?

ALTERMAN: While I'm pretty optimistic that both sides will be able to pull back. I don't think we're going to see a complete end of violence in the next week. But I do think that we may, as a consequence of this, have both sides moving much more strongly and surely towards at least starting negotiations and moving back from violence.

SAVIDGE: So quickly, in the last few minutes or few seconds we have, you don't see a heavy retaliatory response from Israeli coming in the next say 24?

ALTERMAN: Israel certainly seems to be looking for the Palestinian response to preventing Israeli response. I think the Palestinians are going to try to give that response, avoid getting hit and move towards negotiations.

SAVIDGE: Jon Alterman from the U.S. Institute of Peace, thanks very much for joining us this evening.

ALTERMAN: My pleasure, Martin.

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