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CNN Live Today

White House Reaction to Latest Middle East Violence

Aired June 12, 2003 - 11:03   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: The bloody violence that we have seen in Israel, and in Gaza as well, seems to be no end to this bloody cycle of tradeoffs of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Just a short time ago, Israel launched another helicopter attack in Gaza. President Bush says the bloodshed in the Middle East should not be allowed to derail the renewed peace initiative, but the escalating violence is testing the administration's effort to promote peace.
CNN's senior White House correspondent, John King, is tracking developments there this morning.

John -- what is the word and the response this morning from the White House to this latest cycle of violence? Last hour, we had reports here of another set of helicopter strikes by Israeli forces.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Leon, no official reaction to the latest strikes by Israeli forces. One official earlier today putting it this way: He says the road has take a dangerous turn, but this official insisting that the United States and its partners -- the Israelis and the Palestinians -- are saying all are still committed to implementing the so-called road map for peace.

The president is out of the White House this morning. He's on his way to Connecticut. He will deliver a speech on Medicare, a top domestic priority, while keeping track of developments in the Middle East.

Some are asking why isn't the president himself more involved after this cycle of violence the past 48 to 72 hours. White House officials say they hear that criticism, those questions from what they call the -- quote -- "do something crowd." They are responding with this question: Do what? They say in the middle of a cycle of violence like this, there is little the president or anyone else in the administration can do.

What we do know is going on is the president's special envoy is making his way to the region. He will be there by the end of the weekend, early next week. And there are phone conversations almost constantly from the National Security Council and the State Department to officials in both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority. What the White House is hoping for is that at some point there is a break, 10 to 24 hours of a break in the violence, and at that point they can continue to implement some of the benchmarks in the so-called road map and get more conciliatory public statements from Israeli and Palestinian officials. But, Leon, certainly there is a deep sense of frustration here in the White House. One week after a moment of hope and optimism, the road map is being tested. Also being tested, of course, is this president's commitment to intervene when necessary, to bang heads if you will, and get the parties on the path. That is the question. But the White House says, first, you simply need an end to the violence.

HARRIS: All right, let me ask you this, John, and you can just tell me this. This is just a question I have just out of curiosity about what you're hearing behind the scenes. When you talk to people there in the White House away from the microphones, do they express any surprise at just how quickly and how easily we have come to this point where we've seen things come to a point where it looks like they may be beginning to unravel?

KING: No, because they have studied the history of this problem. And remember, go back to the Clinton administration, there were several moments, not just the Camp David accords, but several hopeful moments where one thought that you were on the verge of a bigger peace agreement -- the handshake between Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, the negotiations at Camp David between Yasser Arafat and Ehud Barak.

At every turn when you get close to a promising moment, there is violence. That is the history of the Middle East. White House officials saying simply that they knew this would come. They had hoped there would be some reservoir of goodwill built up before it came, and they say they simply have to work through it.

HARRIS: Well, if there was a reservoir, it wasn't very deep. We'll have to continue to watch this development. Thanks, John -- John King at the White House.

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 12, 2003 - 11:03   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The bloody violence that we have seen in Israel, and in Gaza as well, seems to be no end to this bloody cycle of tradeoffs of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Just a short time ago, Israel launched another helicopter attack in Gaza. President Bush says the bloodshed in the Middle East should not be allowed to derail the renewed peace initiative, but the escalating violence is testing the administration's effort to promote peace.
CNN's senior White House correspondent, John King, is tracking developments there this morning.

John -- what is the word and the response this morning from the White House to this latest cycle of violence? Last hour, we had reports here of another set of helicopter strikes by Israeli forces.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Leon, no official reaction to the latest strikes by Israeli forces. One official earlier today putting it this way: He says the road has take a dangerous turn, but this official insisting that the United States and its partners -- the Israelis and the Palestinians -- are saying all are still committed to implementing the so-called road map for peace.

The president is out of the White House this morning. He's on his way to Connecticut. He will deliver a speech on Medicare, a top domestic priority, while keeping track of developments in the Middle East.

Some are asking why isn't the president himself more involved after this cycle of violence the past 48 to 72 hours. White House officials say they hear that criticism, those questions from what they call the -- quote -- "do something crowd." They are responding with this question: Do what? They say in the middle of a cycle of violence like this, there is little the president or anyone else in the administration can do.

What we do know is going on is the president's special envoy is making his way to the region. He will be there by the end of the weekend, early next week. And there are phone conversations almost constantly from the National Security Council and the State Department to officials in both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority. What the White House is hoping for is that at some point there is a break, 10 to 24 hours of a break in the violence, and at that point they can continue to implement some of the benchmarks in the so-called road map and get more conciliatory public statements from Israeli and Palestinian officials. But, Leon, certainly there is a deep sense of frustration here in the White House. One week after a moment of hope and optimism, the road map is being tested. Also being tested, of course, is this president's commitment to intervene when necessary, to bang heads if you will, and get the parties on the path. That is the question. But the White House says, first, you simply need an end to the violence.

HARRIS: All right, let me ask you this, John, and you can just tell me this. This is just a question I have just out of curiosity about what you're hearing behind the scenes. When you talk to people there in the White House away from the microphones, do they express any surprise at just how quickly and how easily we have come to this point where we've seen things come to a point where it looks like they may be beginning to unravel?

KING: No, because they have studied the history of this problem. And remember, go back to the Clinton administration, there were several moments, not just the Camp David accords, but several hopeful moments where one thought that you were on the verge of a bigger peace agreement -- the handshake between Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, the negotiations at Camp David between Yasser Arafat and Ehud Barak.

At every turn when you get close to a promising moment, there is violence. That is the history of the Middle East. White House officials saying simply that they knew this would come. They had hoped there would be some reservoir of goodwill built up before it came, and they say they simply have to work through it.

HARRIS: Well, if there was a reservoir, it wasn't very deep. We'll have to continue to watch this development. Thanks, John -- John King at the White House.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.