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CNN Live At Daybreak

No Letup in Mideast Violence

Aired April 09, 2002 - 05:02   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: And now we want to get more, though, on the Middle East crisis. We turn to CNN's Jerrold Kessel, who is live in Jerusalem -- Jerrold, what's the latest from there?

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

And it looked as if this would be a pivotal day as we went in the 12th day of this Israeli military offensive, both pivotal in the sense of how those battles were shaping up in the West Bank and also possibly pivotal in respect of the tug of war that's been going on, if not more than that, between the United States and the Israeli prime minister about when to wind up this military operation which the Israelis have started 12 days ago to search out the roots of Palestinian terror, as they describe it.

But now it looks like it's turning out to be another day in this 12 day operation because even as they pulled out of two towns that they'd been in, Israeli troops went into another major village in the southern part of the West Bank, a village called Dura, south of Hebron, again searching, they say, for a terror suspect and there are also reports of the troops and the tanks going into another village that has not been confirmed by Israeli military sources, that village to the south of Dura.

But, indeed, they did pull out in the late hours of last night and complete that pullout in the early hours of this morning from two, the two first towns into which the Israeli troops went earlier in this operation of Tulkarem and Qalqilya, the tanks coming out there. But they are maintaining, Israel maintaining its intensive military pressure on two other towns, in two other towns, Jenin and Nablus. We will be hearing a report from CNN's reporter just outside Jenin in a moment.

But the, not only have they not just pulled out, they are remaining, encircling, as you reported, the tanks and the troops, those two Palestinian towns, which, I should point out, are right along the border between Israel and the West Bank.

So a very complex situation for the Israeli military if they're to make sure that there won't be a renewal of terror activities or of militant activities from within Tulkarem and Qalqilya into Israel, because those two towns are right along the Israeli border.

Now, as these movements take place, there's been a shift in the Israeli focus for today because this is Holocaust Memorial Day. And for two minutes this morning traffic ground to a halt as air raid sirens wailed out across the country and the country stood to attention literally as people were paying homage to the memory of the six million Jews who were killed during WWII in the Nazi Holocaust.

And the feelings today of those memories, this is a time which brings Israelis together, unites them as they remember the victims of the Holocaust and they try, as they say, their obligation not only not to forget, but not to allow the world to forget.

It is a time when Israelis come together unified and all these feelings not eclipsed by the events and their struggles as going on now in the very intense battles with the Palestinians, but exacerbated and augmented by those battles with the Palestinians.

So all those feelings coming together today, on Holocaust Memorial Day, with the ongoing battles in the West Bank -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jerrold, before I let you go, I want to ask you about this meeting that Yasser Arafat is going to be allowed to have with Palestinian officials. What is that about?

KESSEL: Yes, an interesting development this, because one of the big questions in advance of Secretary of State Powell's visit here is will the Israelis allow him, will they -- perhaps the word isn't allow, but will they say he can go to Ramallah to meet with Yasser Arafat, who's been held there in almost splendid isolation since the start of the 12 day military offensive. And only the U.S. envoy, General Zinni, has been there once.

Now, what we've heard, and this has been confirmed from the Israeli side and the Palestinian side, is that first there'll be a meeting between three top Palestinian officials with General Zinni to set out where exactly the U.S. medication effort has got to. And beyond that the Israelis have also permitted -- that will take place today, that meeting. They have also permitted the top command, negotiating command, if you like, of the Palestinians to meet with Yasser Arafat in Ramallah.

So Ariel Sharon relieving that siege, more than siege, that isolation in which Yasser Arafat is being held for these two meetings, one directly between Mr. Zinni and the Palestinian negotiating team. That will definitely happen later this afternoon. And the other, perhaps later today, perhaps tomorrow, between Yasser Arafat and his top advisors -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Jerrold, thank you very much.

And as Jerrold said, there has been no letup in the violence. At one Palestinian refugee camp in the West Bank, CNN's Rula Amin has a live update from Jenin right now -- Rula, what's happening there?

RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are here just about three miles away from Jenin and Jenin refugee camp. We're standing, what you can see behind me now is the protest by Arab Israelis just across the green line from Jenin refugee camp. I'm going to step away. You will see them. You will see a small group here. We have been expecting a larger number. But we are told, and we have seen, Israeli police checkpoints along the roads leading to this point, where they have been not allowing protesters to come close.

The small group you see here are families from a nearby village. They're protesting what's happening in that refugee camp, showing their solidarity, having very strong words criticizing the Israeli prime minister for what he is doing in Jenin and in the Jenin refugee camp. Many of them have relatives across the green line, families, they have brothers, even in Jenin refugee camp itself.

Now, we have been overlooking Jenin refugee camp since terrorism morning. We have seen Apache helicopter gunships still sending missiles on that camp. We have seen smoke rising, explosions coming out from the camp. Witnesses and residents in the camp have been confirming fierce gun battles still raging in that refugee camp.

Also, we are hearing from the Israeli Army the same confirmation. Fire, exchanges of fire are still going on between the Israeli soldiers and the Israeli Army.

Now, what you can see, hopefully what we'll be able to show you now is a large number of Israeli security, Israeli troops. This is at the checkpoint that is leading to the West Bank from Israel. No one has been allowed in, not the Israeli Arabs who have brought in supplies and foodstuff trying to get it into the camp, nor journalists. We saw earlier in the morning, we have pictures of Red Cross cars, some, a couple of Red Cross cars who were able to get in. They were trying to send supplies in. They told us they had an agreement with the army that there would be a period of a cease-fire where they would be able to get in, maybe get some of the wounded out and bring in some supplies.

That is not happening. There's been too much gunfire. The army had stopped the permission. They're still waiting inside. But we can confirm for sure that there has been a lot of fierce battles going on, still raging in that refugee camp for the sixth day in a row now -- back to you.

COSTELLO: Rula Amin reporting live to us from Jenin this morning.

Thank you.

White House officials say Israel's withdrawal from two West Bank towns is not enough. But while the U.S. repeats its demand for a complete Israeli pullback without delay, Washington also wants more from the Arab world.

Here's CNN's senior White House correspondent John King.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Traveling in Tennessee, the president made clear his growing frustration.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: First of all, I meant what I said to the prime minister of Israel. I expect there to be withdrawal without delay.

KING: White House envoy Anthony Zinni demanded a Monday meeting with Prime Minister Sharon to personally deliver word of the president's disappointment. Mr. Bush bluntly told Mr. Sharon in this Saturday phone call that it was imperative that Israel end its military offensive in the Palestinian territories. But the president's frustration hardly is limited to Prime Minister Sharon. For months, the administration has been asking Arab leaders like Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to put more pressure on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and to publicly condemn attacks on Israeli civilians.

But this Saudi Arabian Internet posting talks of Saudi government aid to Palestinian martyrs and this one highlights a recent Arab summit pledge of $150 million to support the intifada and Al-Aksa, a Palestinian group the State Department recently labeled a terrorist organization.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The most important in this regard is that the Arab nations around Israel renounce terrorism, tell suicide bombers you are not martyrs, you're just murdering people. This is not martyrdom.

KING: Top aides describe the president as increasingly angry and irritated.

(on camera): That frustration was evident even after Israel said late Monday it was pulling back its troops from two Palestinian towns in the West Bank. It's a start, the White House said, making clear the Israeli action fell far short of the president's demand for a complete withdrawal.

John King, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And just a note about Secretary of State Colin Powell. He is in Egypt today on the second leg of his overseas trip to confer with Arab and European leaders ahead of his visit to Israel. He should get to Israel by Friday.

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