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CNN Live Today

Israeli Prime Minister Sharon Faces Critics

Aired May 14, 2002 - 12:32   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The latest now on the crisis on the Middle East crisis: Embattled Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon facing his critics today in an address before the Knesset, the parliament.

Jerrold Kessel now live in Jerusalem with more on what was said earlier today. You saw portions of that live here on CNN -- Jerrold, good evening.

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Good evening, Bill.

Well, you could say this is really another example of the bizarreness of Israeli politics. Here you had the prime minister only two nights ago facing up to his own party and being jeered away from there, as the Likud Central Committee, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's party, went against his wishes and decided to restate its absolute and firm opposition to the idea of a Palestinian state.

Mr. Sharon had not wanted that to come up at all, that issue of the Palestinian state, as the Middle East confrontation between the Israelis and Palestinians, efforts being made by President Bush and others to get it into a diplomatic realm and away from the hard-line confrontation.

Now, Mr. Sharon took something of a battering, it seemed, at that Likud Party. He came here to the Knesset to try to recoup his domestic political fortunes, and seems to have done it in style -- almost 3-1 a vote for him as he laid out his political position. And that does suggests that the prime minister may not have command of his party; he certainly has command of this Knesset, the Israeli parliament, and, by all accounts, including some public opinion polls done over the last day of the support of -- major support of the Israeli people.

Now, Mr. Sharon was talking about his position. Some said it was as bland a political position that you could imagine. But at least he laid out the principles on which he said you could move towards peace between Israel and the Palestinians. First two things had to be achieved, he said. There had to be a complete end of terror and incitement and violence on the Palestinian side and there had to be a reform of the Palestinian Authority. And, after that, the prime minister went on like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ARIEL SHARON, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): When these two basic conditions are met, we will be able to enter a staged solution or settlement involving a long-term interim arrangement with the Palestinians. And then, when we see how the Palestinians are building up their society and their self-rule, once we're convinced that they really are determined to achieve peace -- and I'm sure that will be the case -- we will be able to progress toward discussions on the nature of the permanent relations between us and them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KESSEL: Actually, no mention of the term Palestinian state. But, nonetheless, because of that Likud opposition, because of the fact that he's proved he has the Knesset, the parliament, and the people behind him, Mr. Sharon has kind of repositioned himself at the center of Israeli politics.

That has given him a very strong position to work from to launch a diplomatic initiative, perhaps with President Bush. Whether he does or not, that is another matter. But, for the moment, he is strengthened, you could say, ironically, domestically here in Israel.

HEMMER: Jerrold, in a moment here, we're going to go to Gaza and Matthew Chance's story, the latest out there in Gaza City. But what are you hearing right now? What are you gauging in terms of the potential for a military response today in Gaza?

KESSEL: The Israelis are still saying that they called it off, the defense minister, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer. And Mr. Sharon himself seemed to back off after laying down. They put the troops in position just outside Gaza. They seemed to be poised to strike there. But they backed off even after that suicide bombing last week, in which a suicide bomber killed 15 Israelis outside Tel Aviv.

It seems that Mr. Sharon, politically, believes that it is not opportune to strike at the Palestinian militants at this time, even though he says they still have to be gone after. He said in his speech today that the war on terror is not over. The time will come to strike. But, at the moment, he believes that, in political terms, he sees more or less eye to eye with President Bush, and it would be counterproductive after that visit to Washington last week for him to launch a major attack on the Palestinians in Gaza. So that's, anyway, the position that has been laid out to us from the Israeli side.

HEMMER: And as you mentioned, the latest attack a week ago today.

Jerrold, thanks -- Jerrold Kessel in Jerusalem.

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