Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
Hamas Calls for More Terror in Middle East
Aired June 11, 2003 - 06:02 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: A call for more terror in the Middle East this morning from a hospital bed. The public face of Hamas threatens, we will not leave one Jew in Palestine, certainly troublesome for President Bush's road map to peace.
Live to Jerusalem now and Jerrold Kessel.
Jerrold -- what happens now?
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, Philadelphia may not be on the weather map, but this is the place which is on the world news map because there is that concern that peace initiative launched by President Bush with such fanfare only last week is in real jeopardy. And there are a number of challenges to it and a number of questions that need to be answered of whether that peace initiative can be kept alive.
The first, of course, is whether Hamas and the Palestinian militants will simply try to shoot it down by carrying out those revenge threats against Israelis after the Israeli helicopter attack on the leading Hamas official yesterday, an attempt which failed to kill him. He was only wounded, although other Palestinians died in that helicopter attack. Israel is bracing for the possibility.
But Israel is also encountering that criticism it heard from President Bush, although President Bush's forceful intervention, personal intervention, seems to be the one glimmer of hope that can keep this peace initiative alive. But the president was very -- chastised Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, for going ahead with those attacks.
And the question is: Will Ariel Sharon respond to that? Israel is answering by saying that it is justified in going after what it calls terrorists, and the Hamas, says Israel, are terrorists, including Mr. Rantissi, whom Israel was targeting. And therefore, the United States should understand Israel's message.
But at the same time, there's a question of whether Mr. Sharon can keep in line with his commitment to President Bush by continuing these attacks, a big question.
It's not only the president who is really challenging Mr. Sharon. Let me show you a headline in one of Israel's leading newspapers today, the tabloid "Marid" (ph), which says over this picture showing the Palestinian crowd around that burnt-out car of the Hamas leader, the headline says: "Why now?" A lot of Israelis questioning the wisdom of the operation, or at least the timing. And the over headline it says: "You tried" -- this is quoting a Palestinian official -- "You tried to eliminate Rantissi, the Hamas man, but you're really eliminating Abu Mazan, the Palestinian prime minister."
That's the third big question: Has the Palestinian prime minister, Abu Mazen, Mahmoud Abbas, lost ground in his ability to try to contain Hamas?
These are the big questions under way in the wake of that Israeli action yesterday. The peace process perhaps in jeopardy, but perhaps still with a chance of being salvaged -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Jerrold Kessel live from Jerusalem.
And by the way, Egypt is sending an envoy over to Israel to meet with Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas. We'll keep you posted on that.
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 June 11, 2003 - 06:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A call for more terror in the Middle East this morning from a hospital bed. The public face of Hamas threatens, we will not leave one Jew in Palestine, certainly troublesome for President Bush's road map to peace.
Live to Jerusalem now and Jerrold Kessel.
Jerrold -- what happens now?
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, Philadelphia may not be on the weather map, but this is the place which is on the world news map because there is that concern that peace initiative launched by President Bush with such fanfare only last week is in real jeopardy. And there are a number of challenges to it and a number of questions that need to be answered of whether that peace initiative can be kept alive.
The first, of course, is whether Hamas and the Palestinian militants will simply try to shoot it down by carrying out those revenge threats against Israelis after the Israeli helicopter attack on the leading Hamas official yesterday, an attempt which failed to kill him. He was only wounded, although other Palestinians died in that helicopter attack. Israel is bracing for the possibility.
But Israel is also encountering that criticism it heard from President Bush, although President Bush's forceful intervention, personal intervention, seems to be the one glimmer of hope that can keep this peace initiative alive. But the president was very -- chastised Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, for going ahead with those attacks.
And the question is: Will Ariel Sharon respond to that? Israel is answering by saying that it is justified in going after what it calls terrorists, and the Hamas, says Israel, are terrorists, including Mr. Rantissi, whom Israel was targeting. And therefore, the United States should understand Israel's message.
But at the same time, there's a question of whether Mr. Sharon can keep in line with his commitment to President Bush by continuing these attacks, a big question.
It's not only the president who is really challenging Mr. Sharon. Let me show you a headline in one of Israel's leading newspapers today, the tabloid "Marid" (ph), which says over this picture showing the Palestinian crowd around that burnt-out car of the Hamas leader, the headline says: "Why now?" A lot of Israelis questioning the wisdom of the operation, or at least the timing. And the over headline it says: "You tried" -- this is quoting a Palestinian official -- "You tried to eliminate Rantissi, the Hamas man, but you're really eliminating Abu Mazan, the Palestinian prime minister."
That's the third big question: Has the Palestinian prime minister, Abu Mazen, Mahmoud Abbas, lost ground in his ability to try to contain Hamas?
These are the big questions under way in the wake of that Israeli action yesterday. The peace process perhaps in jeopardy, but perhaps still with a chance of being salvaged -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Jerrold Kessel live from Jerusalem.
And by the way, Egypt is sending an envoy over to Israel to meet with Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas. We'll keep you posted on that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
