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Netanyahu Calls on U.S. to Apply Principles It's Using in War on Terrorism to Conflict in Mideast

Aired April 11, 2002 - 11:32   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the U.S. to apply the principles it is using in the war on terrorism to the conflict in the Middle East.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, FMR. ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The responsibility for civilian deaths in the U.S. on September 11th and in America's subsequent military action lies squarely with the Taliban chief Mullah Omar and with Osama bin Laden. And similarly, the responsibility for civilian death in Israel and in Israel's subsequent military action in Palestinian-controlled areas lies squarely with Yasser Arafat, who has actually the dubious distinction of between the world's only terrorist chieftain who both harbors and perpetrates terrorism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: But the question we have this morning is, will Benjamin Netanyahu's words carry any weight with the U.S. government?

Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider joins us now. He's got a closer look at Mr. Netanyahu and what he may be up to.

Good morning, Bill. Good to see you again.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Leon.

HARRIS: All right, let me begin first of all by noting the fact that Mr. Netanyahu is a politician, and because of that, we have to wonder, what is he up to here? What do you think the real reason was behind his mission here yesterday? And did he make any headway when he did speak with the Senate?

SCHNEIDER: Well, first of all, he is certainly a committed Israeli patriot who supports Sharon's policy in the West Bank. He was in the same party as Ariel Sharon. He was his predecessor two prime ministers ago. And it's widely known that he would he like to be prime minister once again and may run again next year.

I think Mr. Netanyahu wants this victory to be his victory. He believes in the war that Sharon is pursuing in the West Bank. He believes in the policy of what he calls the imperative victory against terrorism, and believes that is what President Bush was talking about after September 11th. And yesterday, when he went to the Senate, he was quoting President Bush's words against President Bush's current policy of criticizing the Israeli government.

HARRIS: Well, tell me how politics here plays out in Israel. I mean, in reading everything I was reading coming into these last few weeks here, Benjamin Netanyahu was positioning himself, as you said here, for a run himself at Ariel Sharon's job. How is it then that Ariel Sharon turns to him to come and speak on behalf of the Israeli government here in the U.S.?

SCHNEIDER: It is really a second front in the diplomatic confrontation. What Netanyahu did was represent the Israeli point of view to the United States Congress. That's important. Because every American president has had problems with Israel, not just Democrats, but Republicans as well. Reagan, Bush, the elder, this Bush, Clinton, they've all had problems with Israel.

And whenever a president has problems with Israel, Israel relied on its support in the United States in the United States Congress, which is very strongly in support of Israel, and that's what Netanyahu did yesterday. They invited all of the members of the U.S. Senate to come and hear him. He was invited by Arizona Senator Jon Kyl to make those remarks, because that is the bedrock for America's support for Israel, and that is the diplomatic, or the political front really, not diplomatic, but the political front that Mr. Netanyahu opened with his remarks.

HARRIS: Yes, and Secretary Powell right now is working on the diplomatic front. And I have to think, as we sat here and we watched Benjamin Netanyahu's comments here live yesterday, just about this hour, and it's hard to think that what he said yesterday in public, before the cameras there in the Senate, that that would help the mission that Secretary Powell is on right now in the region. What do you think?

SCHNEIDER: I think it was meant to undercut that mission, because he even indicated in his remarks that he doesn't see how Powell's mission could be a success, because the whole point of Powell's mission is to open political negotiations over a settlement in the Middle East. That's exactly why he is talking to King Abdullah, to President Mubarak in Egypt. That's why he went to all those countries first before he went to Israel. He wants to start a political track. He said there would be an instantaneous linkage between a cease-fire and the opening of political negotiations. The word "instantaneous" is the key, because that means that the minute the suicide bombings stop and Israel stops its incursion into the territories, the West Bank, then there will be time -- then it'll be instantaneous, that political negotiation with the obvious objective of a Palestinian state will begin.

Well, the Israelis say that's outrageous. In fact, that's exactly what Netanyahu said in the Senate yesterday. That is a reward for terrorism, because it is saying if you stop suicide bombing, you will get -- you might get what you want, pending negotiations. And what you want is a Palestinian state.

HARRIS: Speaking in the extreme terms that he did yesterday, I have to wonder exactly how this is going to play out in the overall total arena here. We heard European capitals speak out very strongly against some of the things that he was suggesting yesterday. And as we said here, it's made Secretary Powell's mission there much more difficult. In the end, in the end, will this mission that Benjamin Netanyahu is on right now, will it advance the cause there, or will it stop it in its tracks or what?

SCHNEIDER: Well, we simply don't know. But it does create a division in the United States, a division in American opinion, because the United States has always played two roles, as a staunch defender of Israel's security and as an honest broker between the two sides in the Middle East conflict, and it is still trying to balance those two roles. The president has shifted roles last Thursday. Before last Thursday, he was an ardent supporter of the Sharon policy in the Middle East, and refused to criticize it.

Although he did draw the line at one point, he would not define Arafat as a terrorist or enemy of the United States because the president says he had signed on to the peace process.

And then on Thursday, he shifted gears. That's why Netanyahu said yesterday, he thought the United States was with Israel, he was confident that they were fighting the same war until last week, when suddenly Bush shifted gears, and said, the Israelis must withdraw without delay, and then Netanyahu said he began to have his doubts. Is Israel fighting the same war on terrorism as the United States, as he believes it should be? Well, that's a division within the United States. It may well be a division between the president and Congress.

HARRIS: Very interesting. Bill Schneider, thanks. We appreciate it. We will talk with you some other time.

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