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CNN Live At Daybreak

Tense Situation in Mideast Persists

Aired March 26, 2002 - 05:30   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 live to Israel now for more on the simmering Middle East crisis.

CNN's Mike Hanna joins us live from Jerusalem with some new developments and hopefully no new violence -- Mike.

MIKE HANNA, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Carol, one incident of narrowly averted violence, or narrow escape for Israeli civilians, according to Israeli police, a car filled with explosives was detected by Israeli forces. They say it was in the vicinity of one of Jerusalem's biggest malls; in fact, the biggest mall in Jerusalem, the Malcha (ph) mall. Two Palestinians in the car detonated an explosive device when they were stopped by police. Both were killed, no Israelis were injured in that blast.

But a reminder of how tenuous the situation on the ground, while in the course of this morning, Palestinian negotiators are meeting U.S. special envoy Anthony Zinni. They're discussing Zinni's bridging proposals to bring about a cease-fire plan. Palestinians say that they regard this bridging proposal very seriously; however, one Palestinian source says that even if a cease-fire is agreed upon, it could be a couple of days before that cease-fire is formally declared.

Now this impinges perhaps on whether or not Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will travel to Beruit for the Arab summit taking place there. The Israeli government says that there are a series of conditions that Arafat must meet before he's allowed to travel. Among them, they say, that he call on his security forces to clamp down on militants, that he call for a cease-fire in Arabic to the Palestinian people and that he stop any form of verbal incitement against the state of Israel. But -- and this is very significant -- Israel is no longer holding the establishment of a cease-fire as a precondition for Arafat's travels, so developments there.

And, also, within the Israeli government, signs of difference about whether or not Arafat should be allowed to travel. Within the last hour, Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer has said he believes that Arafat should be allowed to go to Beirut without any conditions being attached. Israel likely to take a final decision on whether or not Arafat can travel. When the Foreign Minister Shimon Peres returns, he, together with Ben-Eliezer and Ariel Sharon, are the committee -- or the government group -- that will take the final decision as to whether or not to lift the travel restrictions on Yasser Arafat, Carol. COSTELLO: Well they better start moving quickly, because the Arab summit starts in earnest tomorrow, right?

HANNA: Absolutely. There has been this timetable in place for a number of days now. So there is real time constraints existing at the moment. Indications are that a decision could be taken as late as tomorrow morning, which would still allow the Palestinian leader time to get to the summit, but it's cutting things really fine. And provision has already been made for a television linkup with the summit and with the West Bank city of Ramallah if Yasser Arafat does not go, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Mike Hanna reporting live for us from Jerusalem, we thank you.

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