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CNN Live At Daybreak
Israel Deliberates Arafat's Right to Travel
Aired March 26, 2002 - 06:01 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to go to Israel now for the latest on the simmering crisis in the Middle East. Israel's cabinet is expected to make a go or no go decision on Yasser Arafat's trip to the Arab summit, but new violence in Jerusalem could influence that decision.
Our Jerusalem bureau chief, Mike Hanna, joins us again with the latest -- good morning again, Mike.
MIKE HANNA, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Hello there, Carol. Well, Israeli police say there was a narrow escape for residents of Jerusalem. They say they intercepted a car laden with explosives very near Jerusalem's biggest mall, the Malha Mall. When stopped, the people in the car detonated the explosives. Both were killed. Police say this was an attempted car bombing.
This incidence of violence comes as the cease-fire process grinds on. The Palestinian leaders are meeting with special U.S. Envoy Anthony Zinni in the course of this morning. They are discussing a bridging proposal that Zinni has brought forward in an attempt to get a cease-fire in place on the ground. Israel has indicated that it accepts this proposal with some reservations. Palestinians say they are looking very seriously at what Zinni has proposed, but one Palestinian source says even if a cease-fire is agreed, it could be a matter of days before it is formally put in place.
Now, this could impinge on the travel arrangements of Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat. Arafat is wanting to go to the Arab summit in Beirut, which begins tomorrow. However, Israel has said that he will not be allowed out of the Palestinian territories unless he meets three conditions: One, to call for a cease-fire in Arabic to the Palestinian people; two, to stop incitement against Israel; and thirdly, to instruct his security forces to clamp down on militants. But, and this is an important point, Israel appears to have dropped the condition that there be a cease-fire in place before Arafat be allowed to leave.
Also within the Israeli government, signs of division as to whether or not Arafat should go to Beirut. The defense minister, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, says that Arafat should be allowed to go without any condition. He says that peace would best be served by this move. Ariel Sharon, though, has indicated that the conditions he has laid down must be met before Arafat is allowed to travel. A decision on it to be taken by the Israeli government later on today or even as late as tomorrow morning, which is when Foreign Minister Shimon Peres arrives back in Israel from a visit to China. He is part of the government group that is deciding whether or not Arafat should be allowed to travel -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Has there been any indication that Arafat will move towards these three things that the Israelis want him to do before he can travel to the Arab summit?
HANNA: Well, no formal reaction yet from the Palestinian Authority as to these set of conditions, and Arafat has said in the past that he has met these conditions in a strong cease-fire called in December. Israel looking for a renewal of these calls though, but no indication yet as to Arafat will be prepared to be seen to bowing to Israeli pressure -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And the decision on the Israeli part may come as late as tomorrow, because that's when the Arab summit really starts in earnest.
HANNA: Well, time is running out quite clearly. If Arafat is to travel to Beirut, he is going to have to be leaving pretty soon. However, most observers agree that it could be as late as tomorrow morning Israeli time, Jerusalem time, before any such decision is reached. Beirut is very close geographically to this particular area and to the West Bank city of Ramallah, where Arafat has been held under virtual house arrest for a number of months now.
So it could be a very, very last-minute decision being taken here, and that would put Arafat in Beirut just as that summit gets under way -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. Mike Hanna reporting live for us from Jerusalem this morning -- thank you very much.
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