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CNN Live Today

Arafat Hits the Road, and Sharon Plows Into Potential Roadblock

Aired May 13, 2002 - 10:20   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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Now we move on to the Middle East, where Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, hits the road, and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon plows into a potential roadblock.

Our Jerrold Kessel joins us now with more -- Jerrold, hello.

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn. And you really could call this a day of stocktaking for both leaders as they face up to what might well be terms of sobering experiences from their own constituencies.

Ariel Sharon facing that stinging rebuke, as he lost a key vote in his Likud Party yesterday about a Palestinian state, the party voting that they will not approve in any shape or form support for a Palestinian state down the line.

And Yasser Arafat, as he set out for the first time in six months out of the town of Ramallah, where of course, he had been kept pinned up, confined to his headquarters during that month standoff there with the Israelis during the Israeli military offensive, today he took a Jordanian helicopter.

First stop on the tour of the West Bank was in Bethlehem, where Mr. Arafat toured the Church of the Nativity, of course the scene of a six-week almost standoff with Israeli forces and those pinned-up militants there. He claimed as he himself proclaimed himself not just a Muslim, also a Christian and a human being, and saying that this place was very dear to his heart and to the hearts of Palestinians -- a good reception, a warm reception for him there.

But something of a different warm reception in Jenin, especially in the refugee camp, the scene of the contentious battle between Israel and the Palestinian militants there. There was a large crowd on hand, several thousand people in Jenin. But Mr. Arafat did not attend that gathering there. He went into Jenin town and addressed people there, recalling that he had said this was Jenin-grad (ph), a reference to Stalingrad, the battle of Stalingrad in World War II. But he avoided that meeting, apparently for security reasons, perhaps because he might have been heckled by Palestinian militants who did not like the degree of support that they received from the Palestinian Authority during the battle with the Israelis. Mr. Arafat then went on to Nablus in the West Bank, the biggest Palestinian town inspecting the damage there. But clearly, the fact that there is some criticism in the Palestinian community must be food for thought for Palestinians leader, Yasser Arafat, as he made his first appearance out of Ramallah in six months -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Jerrold Kessel, thank you so much, joining us from Jerusalem.

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