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CNN Live Today

Israeli Troops Enter Nablus

Aired June 21, 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: There's been more killing in the Middle East today, and Israeli troops have entered another major city in the West Bank. CNN's Christiane Amanpour is in Jerusalem to fill us in on the very latest. Hi there, Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Fredricka. The Israeli troops entered Nablus today, a city on the West Bank, and they have now, in response to a cabinet meeting, they have now decided to enter more towns and cities on the West Bank for, quote, "as long as it's needed" to do operations that they hope will limit if not completely stop the suicide bombing attacks that have happened in Jerusalem over the last several days.

Now, Israel had already sent troops and armor into places like Jenin over the last couple of days. And today, there was an incident in which five people, we're now told by Palestinian sources, five people in Jenin, five Palestinians have been killed, including three children. Two of them are as young as 6 years old.

What happened is that Palestinians mistakenly thought a curfew had been lifted, came out of their homes this morning to buy food and stock up on staples. They had been under curfew for the better part of the last two days. The Israelis then opened fires with tank shells and machine guns. When we asked the Israelis for a clarification, they said that their forces had operated and had fired in error. This was a mistake, and they continue to investigate it. They say their forces were trying to go house-to-house looking for terrorists or weapons labs, as they put it, and this firing incident, they say, was done in error.

Nonetheless, some casualties, as we've mentioned, some of them children. Twenty-four people wounded, some of those very seriously, and again, included in the victims are children.

The chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat has condemned what he called the cold-blooded murder, the deliberate murder of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli forces.

Now also, there was another incident in the Gaza area, this time Palestinians firing on two different Israeli points there. Israel returned fire. Three Palestinian people were killed. And in one other incident, an Israeli was critically wounded.

That is latest from here. Back to you, Fredricka. WHITFIELD: Christiane, let me ask you about Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and his apparent agreement to a peace plan drafted by former President Bill Clinton. What more do we know about that?

AMANPOUR: Well, these are known as the Clinton principles which were handed down to the Israelis and the Palestinians shortly before President Clinton left office. I think it was either December or January -- or January before he left office.

In any event, this was a road map for a peace blueprint, and it was based on the Camp David Accords and other following negotiations that had taken place. Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, who then rejected them at that time, is now saying to an Israeli reporter that he accepts those principles.

Those principles, the Clinton principles, were taken off the table after he left office, but the current president, George Bush, is due to give a speech in which he is due to apparently outline a blueprint for the future, and presumably both the Israelis and the Palestinians are trying to put as much input as they can into shaping that speech. Back to you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you very much, Christiane Amanpour, from Jerusalem. Appreciate it.

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