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CNN Live Saturday
Israeli Soldiers Surround Arafat's Compound
Aired September 21, 2002 - 17:05 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.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: Let us focus our attention now on the Middle East. There is concern at this hour Israeli troops are planning another attack on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's West Bank offices. Using loudspeakers, Israeli soldiers have called for everyone to leave the three remaining buildings in the compound. CNN's Mike Hanna joins us now from Ramallah in the West Bank -- Mike.
MIKE HANNA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Renay, a cold autumn wind is blowing through the last remaining buildings in the compound of Yasser Arafat. Israeli forces digging into positions around. The only occupied building it would appear at this stage is that one you see here in the live picture. That flood-lit building is a building in which Yasser Arafat and a number of other Palestinians are holed up. Isolated, says Israel. Israel says it will continue the siege until a list of wanted people it has prepared give themselves up.
Within the last hour or so, as the Israeli jeeps have driven around that compound, announcing on loudspeakers that anybody who does come out will not be harmed. However, nobody has yet come out of those buildings. Also, early on in the evening, residents in the area were told to open their windows in case there was an explosion.
You can hear in the distance, too, the sound of bulldozers operating, as they have throughout the day. This bulldozer, out of sight of the camera, behind that flood-lit building, appears to be knocking at the walls of the adjacent building to that occupied by Yasser Arafat. A number of buildings have been blown up since Israeli forces took complete control of this compound. They say that they will continue the operations until the men they want inside come out. They say, too, that they will continue to isolate Yasser Arafat in his compound here or in the one building in the compound until their demands are satisfied -- Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: Mike, one quick question. There are reports that the Israeli Defense Forces have planted its flag somewhere on or near the compound. Any confirmation of that?
HANNA: Well, yes, indeed. In the early hours of this morning, it is now midnight Ramallah time -- but in the early hours of this morning, there was the sight of Israeli troops on one part of the compound pulling down a Palestinian flag that was rising there and putting an Israeli flag in its place. We saw that earlier on in the day.
There are, however, still at two points in the compound the Palestinian flag flying. One of those points is directly above the offices of Yasser Arafat, the offices -- and indeed it's been his home since last December, when a cordon was placed around this compound, or varying degrees of stringency. Now, of course, the tanks, the bulldozers, the Israeli forces have moved right into the very doorstep of his offices, of his home, and they give every indication, and have said that they intend to remain there, saying, too, they have no intention of harming Yasser Arafat, but insisting that they want those people that they believe are responsible for the acts of terror handed over to them before they raise the siege -- Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: OK. Mike Hanna, reporting live from Ramallah in the West Bank.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 21, 2002 - 17:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: Let us focus our attention now on the Middle East. There is concern at this hour Israeli troops are planning another attack on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's West Bank offices. Using loudspeakers, Israeli soldiers have called for everyone to leave the three remaining buildings in the compound. CNN's Mike Hanna joins us now from Ramallah in the West Bank -- Mike.
MIKE HANNA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Renay, a cold autumn wind is blowing through the last remaining buildings in the compound of Yasser Arafat. Israeli forces digging into positions around. The only occupied building it would appear at this stage is that one you see here in the live picture. That flood-lit building is a building in which Yasser Arafat and a number of other Palestinians are holed up. Isolated, says Israel. Israel says it will continue the siege until a list of wanted people it has prepared give themselves up.
Within the last hour or so, as the Israeli jeeps have driven around that compound, announcing on loudspeakers that anybody who does come out will not be harmed. However, nobody has yet come out of those buildings. Also, early on in the evening, residents in the area were told to open their windows in case there was an explosion.
You can hear in the distance, too, the sound of bulldozers operating, as they have throughout the day. This bulldozer, out of sight of the camera, behind that flood-lit building, appears to be knocking at the walls of the adjacent building to that occupied by Yasser Arafat. A number of buildings have been blown up since Israeli forces took complete control of this compound. They say that they will continue the operations until the men they want inside come out. They say, too, that they will continue to isolate Yasser Arafat in his compound here or in the one building in the compound until their demands are satisfied -- Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: Mike, one quick question. There are reports that the Israeli Defense Forces have planted its flag somewhere on or near the compound. Any confirmation of that?
HANNA: Well, yes, indeed. In the early hours of this morning, it is now midnight Ramallah time -- but in the early hours of this morning, there was the sight of Israeli troops on one part of the compound pulling down a Palestinian flag that was rising there and putting an Israeli flag in its place. We saw that earlier on in the day.
There are, however, still at two points in the compound the Palestinian flag flying. One of those points is directly above the offices of Yasser Arafat, the offices -- and indeed it's been his home since last December, when a cordon was placed around this compound, or varying degrees of stringency. Now, of course, the tanks, the bulldozers, the Israeli forces have moved right into the very doorstep of his offices, of his home, and they give every indication, and have said that they intend to remain there, saying, too, they have no intention of harming Yasser Arafat, but insisting that they want those people that they believe are responsible for the acts of terror handed over to them before they raise the siege -- Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: OK. Mike Hanna, reporting live from Ramallah in the West Bank.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
