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CNN Live Today

Life Goes on After Tel Aviv Bombing

Aired July 18, 2002 - 12:06   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Palestinians throughout the West Bank are paying a price today for two straight days of terror attacks on Israelis. Israel's government has called a halt to talks aimed at easing curfews and travel bans that have been in place for a month.

Yesterday's attack in Tel Aviv struck a lower-income area that doesn't have the security precautions more affluent neighborhoods take for granted. CNN's Chris Burns is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Near the yellow spray paint, marking off where the bomb fragments lay, life goes on. In this working-class district of Tel Aviv, immigrants and expatriate workers from Eastern Europe, Asia and elsewhere shopped and lived and died.

Two guest workers and an Israeli were killed in a double suicide bombing. The bombers were packed with explosives and nails to cause as much injury as possible.

Nails showered the body of Demitri (ph), a Russian immigrant. He lies in a coma with brain damage from the attack.

Alexander (ph) and his friend, Pavel (ph), both immigrants from Turkmenistan, were luckier, but Alexander (ph) suffered deep shrapnel wounds to his elbow. He said they sat down to have some beers when the bombs went off.

(on camera): The blasts happened right outside this sex cinema. A newspaper says a prostitute approached one of the bombers, offering him her services.

"I didn't come here to have fun," he said, "I came here to die."

(voice-over): The bombers hit what's called a soft target. Shops and cafes in this area don't have the money to hire private security guards as in other parts of Tel Aviv.

The bombings came as Israelis were already in mourning, mourning for eight killed when Palestinian militants attacked a bus near the West Bank Jewish settlement of Emmanuel on Tuesday.

Israel had just begun loosening its month-old grip on the West Bank, easing curfews in some cities and starting talks with some Palestinians. But the fresh attacks have hardened the Israeli position, and plans for higher-level talks have been put on hold.

Chris Burns, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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