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CNN Live At Daybreak

Palestinians Stage Pro-Iraq Rally

Aired January 17, 2003 - 06:36   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: Saddam Hussein is getting moral support from the Palestinian people. They're staging a rally in Gaza.
Our Kelly Wallace is there and joins us by phone.

And you know, Kelly, it's interesting. In Saddam's speech this morning, he says, Western people (UNINTELLIGIBLE) have for years sought to interfere with events in the Middle East, in particular Zionist Jews and Zionists who are not of the Jewish people. So, he's fueling the fire.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: He seems to be doing that, Carol, and if you look at the streets today, about 1,000, maybe more, Palestinians of all ages here expressing solidarity, calling for no attacks against Iraq, calling for a salute to Iraq. You see kids holding posters of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi leader, teenagers holding flags of Iraq. You have all representatives of various Palestinian militant factions -- Hamas, Islamic jihad.

This rally coming just a day after another rally on Thursday in another city on the Gaza Strip north of where we are in Gaza City, and there you had about 1,000 people turning out again, also saying there should be no war against Iraq. People in the crowds chanting, "Saddam, Saddam, our response will come in Tel Aviv."

Now, this does appear to be a way to express support for Iraq. The Iraqis have been known to give donations and money to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers who carry out attacks against Israeli civilians. And this all comes after another rally just a week ago, a big Hamas rally, thousands turned out.

And for the first time, a leader of Hamas called for suicide attacks against the West if there is a war against Iraq, and that leader is here at this rally today. I asked him if he still stands by that call, and he says he does.

I can tell you, Carol, we spoke with leaders of the Palestinian Authority, and they are trying to distance themselves from these rallies and these comments. They say they don't support any attacks against Israeli civilians. And they also say their position when it comes to a war is that Saddam Hussein should comply with all U.N. resolutions. This is quite a difference, though, from 1991, when Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, was siding with Saddam Hussein before that Gulf War -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Kelly Wallace reporting live from the Gaza Strip in the Palestinian territory. 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 January 17, 2003 - 06:36   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Saddam Hussein is getting moral support from the Palestinian people. They're staging a rally in Gaza.
Our Kelly Wallace is there and joins us by phone.

And you know, Kelly, it's interesting. In Saddam's speech this morning, he says, Western people (UNINTELLIGIBLE) have for years sought to interfere with events in the Middle East, in particular Zionist Jews and Zionists who are not of the Jewish people. So, he's fueling the fire.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: He seems to be doing that, Carol, and if you look at the streets today, about 1,000, maybe more, Palestinians of all ages here expressing solidarity, calling for no attacks against Iraq, calling for a salute to Iraq. You see kids holding posters of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi leader, teenagers holding flags of Iraq. You have all representatives of various Palestinian militant factions -- Hamas, Islamic jihad.

This rally coming just a day after another rally on Thursday in another city on the Gaza Strip north of where we are in Gaza City, and there you had about 1,000 people turning out again, also saying there should be no war against Iraq. People in the crowds chanting, "Saddam, Saddam, our response will come in Tel Aviv."

Now, this does appear to be a way to express support for Iraq. The Iraqis have been known to give donations and money to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers who carry out attacks against Israeli civilians. And this all comes after another rally just a week ago, a big Hamas rally, thousands turned out.

And for the first time, a leader of Hamas called for suicide attacks against the West if there is a war against Iraq, and that leader is here at this rally today. I asked him if he still stands by that call, and he says he does.

I can tell you, Carol, we spoke with leaders of the Palestinian Authority, and they are trying to distance themselves from these rallies and these comments. They say they don't support any attacks against Israeli civilians. And they also say their position when it comes to a war is that Saddam Hussein should comply with all U.N. resolutions. This is quite a difference, though, from 1991, when Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, was siding with Saddam Hussein before that Gulf War -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Kelly Wallace reporting live from the Gaza Strip in the Palestinian territory. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.