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CNN Live At Daybreak

Briefly Lifted Curfew Means Supplies, Medicine for Palestinians

Aired July 02, 2002 - 05:37   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: Turning our attention now to the Middle East, Palestinians were allowed out of their homes for a few hours yesterday when the Israeli military briefly lifted a curfew.

Our Martin Savidge reports on how people in the West Bank town of Ramallah are coping amid the crackdown.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the first time since Israeli troops moved into the West Bank nine days ago, residents of Ramallah could finally read all about it. Like hundreds of thousands of Palestinians themselves, the daily paper "Al Ayyam" has had to creatively adapt to the 24 hour curfew imposed across much of the West Bank by Israeli forces in the wake of a series of deadly terror attacks.

To get around the restrictions, journalists slept at their offices and gathered reports over the telephone. When the curfew was temporarily lifted Monday, the news hit the streets.

The headlines read, "The Occupation Assassinates Two Hamas Members In Nablus and Conducts Incursions and Widespread Arrests In the West Bank," while inside, editorials condemn President Bush's demand for a change of leadership in the Palestinian Authority.

Customers at this shop were so anxious to get a copy, they couldn't even wait for the store to open.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They need to read about Nablus, about Hebron and about every city and every place what's going on. Sometimes the TV is not enough for them.

SAVIDGE: Getting by without the daily paper is one thing. But these young people stand to lose much more. The Israeli crackdown came just as high school students were preparing to take college entrance exams. They've already missed three of the mandatory 10 tests, since they could only show up for school when the curfew is lifted. Even if the tests can be made up, they may still miss the first semester of college, and the students say given the climate of control, concentration is as hard to come by as a newspaper.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Studying with the sound of the tanks all over, it's very hard. You can't concentrate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Which, like, if I don't get the high mark, I can't study what I want in college. So that's going to influence my whole future.

SAVIDGE: A number of students we talked with say they've learned at least four language with hopes of going into careers such as international business, translation, or hotel management.

(on camera): There's another pressure these students are facing. You see, normally this test would take a couple of hours. But the lifting of the curfew is only temporary. If they don't hurry, they know they may not get home.

(voice-over): And college plans aren't the only things threatened. Each time the curfew is lifted, Palestinians flock to local hospitals, seeking medical attention they can't get when confined to their homes. Patients line the halls of the Ramallah Hospital for a chance to see a doctor. In addition to the usual cases, medical officials say they're seeing more and more stress related illnesses.

This woman brought her husband in after he suddenly became sick two days ago, and she believes she knows why.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're all under pressure. Even me, I've never had any bad dreams. Every time I woke up screaming.

SAVIDGE: The young man is expected to recover, but for some, medical help can't come soon enough. Many Palestinians seem to be adapting to life under this latest Israeli incursion, prompting one man to tell me he didn't know which was worse, the curfew or the fact he was getting used to it.

Martin Savidge, CNN, Ramallah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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