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CNN Live At Daybreak

Bethlehem Standoff Enters Third Week

Aired April 24, 2002 - 06:32   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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to go live to the Middle East now for more on the situation in Jenin, as well as the standoff at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Our Jerrold Kessel joins us live from Jerusalem -- good morning, Jerrold.

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. And before we get to that standoff in Bethlehem, there have been some other violence and clashes.

Israeli forces in a reported operation south of Hebron in the West Bank reported to have killed two Palestinians known to be members of the Hamas organization, that militant Islamic group, in a cave. They had taken refuge near a village called Bani Naim. The Israelis surrounded them. The reports are not yet confirmation of this from the Israeli army, but two Palestinians said to have been wanted by Israel shot in that clash there. And a number of people arrested as the Israelis conducted another sweep in one of those Palestinian villages.

In the Gaza Strip, three Palestinians killed in an explosion, something of a mystery explosion in the Jabalya refugee camp. Two were known militants, and later, Palestinian security sources saying that they were apparently preparing a bomb, which went off prematurely.

And in the standoff in the Church of the Nativity, early this morning a Palestinian was shot and seriously wounded. The Israelis say he was a gunmen preparing to shoot from one of the windows at the church. No evidence of that, but the Israelis say one of their snipers shot first and seriously wounded the man, who has been taken to an Israeli hospital.

That standoff continuing and becoming ever more desperate as it goes into its fourth week. Pope John Paul II saying this morning that it is an inhumane situation which needs to be ended very, very quickly.

Well, there have been talks that will resume today for the second day after a three-week hiatus in such contacts with the two sides saying very firmly as that siege around -- in Manger Square and around the Basilica of the Nativity continues. The talks, the two sides saying they could wrap them up within an hour and get an agreement provided the other side accepts their point of view and their solution. But that hasn't happened yet. There has been no perceivable breakthrough, and the two sides will only resume their talks later again this afternoon -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Any late word on Jenin and what's happening there, Jerrold?

KESSEL: Well, a potential standoff here too, and the United Nations and Israel could be at loggerheads here. This was after the Israeli government and Ariel Sharon saying they wanted to reassess that decision by the Security Council, by Kofi Annan, the secretary general, to send a three-person fact-finding mission. The Israelis say they have seemed to have gone beyond their brief (ph) in the nature of the exploratory mission, and they also want more defense and military experts rather than politicians and humanitarian experts on the investigatory team.

The Israelis saying they want to, therefore, hold up the arrival of that team until that investigation with what the U.N. wants to do is cleared up. The U.N., however, standing pat, saying -- Kofi Annan saying the team will arrive before the weekend. It could be something of a standoff here too between Israel and the United Nations -- Carol.

COSTELLO: We'll see what happens. Thank you -- Jerrold Kessel reporting live for us from Jerusalem this morning.

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