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CNN Live Today

Israel Braces for Revenge Attacks

Aired July 24, 2002 - 10:30   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, let's turn our attention back to the Middle East and the fallout from that highly controversial Israeli attack in Gaza yesterday.

Our Chris Burns is monitoring the latest developments from Jerusalem. He joins us now with the very latest -- hello, Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Leon, quite a bit of fallout. Even in Israel itself, among Israelis who were debating over whether it was really worth it, launching that attack a couple of nights ago that killed a very, very key Hamas military leader, Salah Shehade, but it also killed 14 civilians, nine of them children. Today, they were pulling out more body parts of children today, from that site in Gaza where an Israeli F-16 a one-ton bomb on that apartment building.

So the debate goes on as to whether it was justified. Some are saying, Well, this was necessary collateral damage, in cold and cruel terminology, that Salah Shehade was among -- surrounding himself by human shields. Others say this was a war crime that could actually even go to the Hague War Tribunal. So a very, very tough argument in Israel.

Of course, in Gaza, people are calling for revenge, revenge attacks, and that is what the Israelis are bracing for, if that does happen. From the Israeli government's side, they say they do regret the civilian deaths, but they justify that attack against Shehade, saying that he had to go because of the eminent attacks by Hamas that were planned.

From the Palestinian side, they say that this was the worst thing that could happen, especially since there were some peace moves or even just -- at least talks between the Israelis and Palestinians going on. Here's what both sides had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHIMON PERES, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: The effect is that Mr. Shehade, the person that we are looking after, is sort of a local bin Laden. Eight times was postponed an attack upon him, because we were worried that civilian life will be lost because of it. This time, unfortunately, a mistake happened, and we regret it very much. We would like to see neither grown-up person nor children, Arabs, being hurt or killed. SAEB ERAKAT, CHIEF PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATOR: I was meeting with Mr. Peres just 48 hours before the attack on Gaza. I think we had a very serious meeting. We have submitted to them a whole comprehensive plan, including the security obligations. We had urged the Israeli side to refrain from assassinations or what they call targeted killings, or the closure and the siege, and there is -- to give our end of it (ph) the chance it deserves, because we know that such acts will just fuel the fire. It will just complicate the complexities that already exist.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: Now, the Israelis were -- and the Palestinian were talking about this, and the Israelis are going ahead with it. They are going to unfreeze $45 million worth of Palestinian tax revenue. They are going to give it back to the Palestinian Authority to use, because the PA has been paralyzed by the cutoff of funds. They are also going -- Israelis say they are going to let thousands more Palestinians come to work inside Israel.

These are palliatives aimed at trying to get both sides to make gestures aimed at ending the violence so they can go ahead and actually have real peace talks.

Leon, this is all in question. If there is another attack, a militant attack, that could, once again, derail those efforts -- Leon.

HARRIS: Yes, but Chris, even if there is no attack coming soon, are those palliatives, as you suggested, are they going to be enough to get any talks started?

BURNS: That's a real good question. Probably the most important thing is, if there isn't any major violence that does go on in the coming days, the Israelis are offering to pullout of at least two, possibly three towns in the West Bank. They have occupied seven of the eight major towns in the West Bank in the past month.

If they do start pulling out, that could really mean a beginning of some kind of serious talks between both sides, and that is the big question the Israelis, of course, are asking and demand -- demanding from the Palestinians that they give security guarantees in those towns that the Israelis will pull out of. A lot of stuff that has to play out.

HARRIS: Yes, definitely. Chris Burns in Jerusalem. Thank you very much, Chris. Take care.

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