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CNN Live At Daybreak

Israelis, Palestinians Look at Bush's Speech

Aired June 25, 2002 - 05:33   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: Israeli forces moved into Hebron today. It's the seventh of eight main West Bank cities now under Israeli military control. According to the Palestinians, at least three of their policemen were killed by the Israelis.

Our Jerrold Kessel joins us live from Jerusalem with more on that -- good morning, Jerrold.

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

And even as the violence, the Israeli battles against the suicide bombers taking the form of that Israeli, forceful Israeli action in the West Bank continues. Really both sides continuing to digest the implications of the president's speech yesterday.

And you could almost hear, you can almost sense the Israelis trying to disguise their exuberance at the vision spelled out by Mr. Bush, just as you can sense the Palestinians trying their very best to disguise their gloom and their dismay at the nature of the message and the demands that President Bush laid out yesterday, because the Palestinians have been focusing above all on what's down the line, that end of Israeli occupation, the promise of statehood, even if it is very much down the line, and that they have to do, all the onus is on them to take steps first.

But they are side-stepping, to some degree, that very emphatic demand of the president, as spelt out there by John King, for Yasser Arafat to be sidelined at the very least, if not to go completely before they can move in that political direction.

But they are focusing on the things down the line.

Here's what we heard from a leading member of Yasser Arafat's cabinet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN MERIDOR, ISRAELI CABINET MINISTER: It's a new system now. It's a new ball game. Everybody understands what the Americans are saying. I believe it will have an effect on Europe, on the U.N., on the Russians, on the other Arabs. I think the president said what he said understanding what the other moderate Arab leaders think, having learned the situation on the ground. His decision is of great importance. Does it lead immediately to a resolution of the conflict? No, it doesn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KESSEL: Well, it doesn't lead to a resolution of the conflict. There we heard from a member of Mr. Sharon's cabinet. And, indeed, no resolution of the conflict at all, because what we've seen is Ariel Sharon, if it was perceived that to use the current world soccer cup parlance today of Mr. Bush giving Yasser Arafat a red card, trying to send him off the field, if you like.

What is being interpreted in Mr. Bush's message is that Ariel Sharon, Israel's prime minister, has been given a green light to go ahead with his battle on terror the way he sees fit to do so. And that means continuing Israeli military action in the Palestinian towns.

And as you rightly recorded, Carol, the Israeli forces went in force into the town of Hebron last night and there was some fairly heavy battles there. Four Palestinian policemen now being reported killed in those battles in the town of Hebron, as Israel took over even the main headquarters of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian police in the town of Hebron, blew up what they say were bomb making factories and made a number of arrests in Hebron.

This as Israel continues to etch itself in other towns in the West Bank.

And the fact that this has come about even as the, just after the president spoke, the intensification of the Israeli actions against Palestinian terror, is dismaying Palestinians, who although they side, they put aside the demand for Yasser Arafat's headquarters, trying for removal, are trying their best to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and those offer of a hope of statehood down the line.

Here's what we heard, indeed, from a Palestinian cabinet minister earlier after Mr. Bush's statement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GHASSAN KHATIB, PALESTINIAN ANALYST: Unfortunately, this speech was good only on the level of the principles. It did not present mechanisms of implementation that would be helpful in removing the current Israeli pressure and atrocities against the Palestinians. That's why if it's left to the context of this speech, I'm afraid it might not be good enough to change practically the situations on the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KESSEL: But people on both sides recognizing now that the way the Americans, in the form of this vision laid out by the president himself, are projecting the situation is that the onus is entirely on the Palestinians to try to change that reality on the ground, even as Ariel Sharon and the Israeli military carry their battle against the suicide bombers into the Palestinian towns. That is the reality, the battle between the suicide bombers and the Israeli forceful response to it. And the big question of whether the president's vision as outlined will be factored into that battle or the battles will continue, as they have been doing -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So, Jerrold, a question for you. If Arafat is out, is there anyone to step up to take his place?

KESSEL: It's a very pertinent question because, you know, a lot of the Israelis on the, let's call them on the left side of the political spectrum, from the Labor Party, have been criticizing the president's message, not so much because he came down firmly in criticizing Yasser Arafat or criticizing the Palestinian Authority, demanding that they act against terror. But because, they say, it was an American vision detached from the reality of the region.

They say they don't see that Yasser Arafat will in any way go. And if he doesn't go, then where does that leave the vision? Does it leave it nowhere? Does it leave this ongoing battle as the only game in town, if you like, the battle between the Palestinian suicide bombers and the Israeli military? Is that what the U.S. vision is about? Is that what it will all come down to?

That's a problem and many are recognizing that, that Yasser Arafat, perhaps, will not go. Then what?

COSTELLO: Well, we'll hear if anything more comes out from the Bush administration on this subject in the future.

Thank you.

Jerrold Kessel reporting live for us from Jerusalem this morning.

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