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CNN Live At Daybreak
Is There Cease-Fire in the Works?
Aired June 26, 2003 - 05:38 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: To the Mideast now, Palestinian officials say some militant groups are talking about a possible cease- fire in their attacks against the Israelis. President Bush says he'll believe it when he sees it.
So, is this all talk or is there really something in the works?
Live to Jerusalem now and Jerrold Kessel -- OK, Jerrold, answer that question, will you?
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's a good one, Carol. But I think we can say two facts. There is a preliminary agreement between three, the three most important Palestinian militant groups, the Al Aqsa Martyr Brigade, the mainstream, link to the mainstream Fatah movement, and the two major Islamic radical groups, Islamic Jihad and Hamas.
The second incontrovertible fact, there's no cease-fire in place yet. The violence goes on. Within the last hour, an Israeli has been shot and killed close to the border with the West Bank. Circumstances still unclear, but another man wounded in that incident.
Yesterday down in Gaza, Israeli helicopters targeted what they said was a Hamas man on his way to carrying out a bombing mission against a Jewish settlement. The man was seriously hurt. But in the helicopter attack, two Palestinian bystanders were killed and a dozen other people wounded.
Despite the announcement, the word that there was an agreement, Hamas leaders down in Gaza say it's premature to say there is an agreement. They say they're working on it. They're looking for more guarantees. But CNN understands from leading Palestinian officials that, in fact, that agreement has been concluded by Hamas and Islamic Jihad external leaders out in Syria, together with Palestinian mainstream leaders in the West Bank and in -- and that they have concluded this, handed it to Yasser Arafat.
So, yes, there is a deal. It isn't yet formally an agreement. But the latest word from Yasser Arafat just minutes ago, speaking at his Ramallah headquarters, the Palestinian leader saying this. He said there is no formal agreement yet, but we expect that in the coming few hours there will be a declaration, the highest level statement from a Palestinian that that truce is coming together. It will be, however, a three month truce, as the Palestinian militant groups are designating it -- Carol.
COSTELLO: It's interesting, Jerrold, that's coming from Yasser Arafat and not Mahmoud Abbas.
KESSEL: Absolutely right. And that has come about, what we understand from Palestinian officials, that neither Hamas nor Islamic Jihad wanted to give this deal to Mahmoud Abbas. He, the new Palestinian prime minister, his security chief, Mohammad Dahlan, have been engaged for weeks now in the -- in talks with Hamas, trying to convince them to come on board. It is their work which led to that.
But interestingly, the man who seemed to have brought it all together is Marwan Barghouti
. He's the grassroots Fatah leader, the grassroots Palestinian leader on the West Bank. He's actually in an Israeli prison because he's been charged by the Israelis with orchestrating many of the attacks on the Israelis during the last three years of the intifada uprising.
But Mr. Barghouti, through his attorney, was in contact with those Hamas leaders in Damascus and the word came together that all three were agreed. They sent it to Yasser Arafat. We await now for that final declaration from the Palestinian leadership that there has been a formal, total agreement from all the Palestinian groups for the three month truce -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Interesting.
Jerrold Kessel live from Jerusalem.
Many thanks to you.
Go to cnn.com and you can read up on the possible cease-fire by Palestinian militant groups. Again, that's cnn.com. AOL users, just use the keyword CNN.
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 26, 2003 - 05:38 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: To the Mideast now, Palestinian officials say some militant groups are talking about a possible cease- fire in their attacks against the Israelis. President Bush says he'll believe it when he sees it.
So, is this all talk or is there really something in the works?
Live to Jerusalem now and Jerrold Kessel -- OK, Jerrold, answer that question, will you?
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's a good one, Carol. But I think we can say two facts. There is a preliminary agreement between three, the three most important Palestinian militant groups, the Al Aqsa Martyr Brigade, the mainstream, link to the mainstream Fatah movement, and the two major Islamic radical groups, Islamic Jihad and Hamas.
The second incontrovertible fact, there's no cease-fire in place yet. The violence goes on. Within the last hour, an Israeli has been shot and killed close to the border with the West Bank. Circumstances still unclear, but another man wounded in that incident.
Yesterday down in Gaza, Israeli helicopters targeted what they said was a Hamas man on his way to carrying out a bombing mission against a Jewish settlement. The man was seriously hurt. But in the helicopter attack, two Palestinian bystanders were killed and a dozen other people wounded.
Despite the announcement, the word that there was an agreement, Hamas leaders down in Gaza say it's premature to say there is an agreement. They say they're working on it. They're looking for more guarantees. But CNN understands from leading Palestinian officials that, in fact, that agreement has been concluded by Hamas and Islamic Jihad external leaders out in Syria, together with Palestinian mainstream leaders in the West Bank and in -- and that they have concluded this, handed it to Yasser Arafat.
So, yes, there is a deal. It isn't yet formally an agreement. But the latest word from Yasser Arafat just minutes ago, speaking at his Ramallah headquarters, the Palestinian leader saying this. He said there is no formal agreement yet, but we expect that in the coming few hours there will be a declaration, the highest level statement from a Palestinian that that truce is coming together. It will be, however, a three month truce, as the Palestinian militant groups are designating it -- Carol.
COSTELLO: It's interesting, Jerrold, that's coming from Yasser Arafat and not Mahmoud Abbas.
KESSEL: Absolutely right. And that has come about, what we understand from Palestinian officials, that neither Hamas nor Islamic Jihad wanted to give this deal to Mahmoud Abbas. He, the new Palestinian prime minister, his security chief, Mohammad Dahlan, have been engaged for weeks now in the -- in talks with Hamas, trying to convince them to come on board. It is their work which led to that.
But interestingly, the man who seemed to have brought it all together is Marwan Barghouti
. He's the grassroots Fatah leader, the grassroots Palestinian leader on the West Bank. He's actually in an Israeli prison because he's been charged by the Israelis with orchestrating many of the attacks on the Israelis during the last three years of the intifada uprising.
But Mr. Barghouti, through his attorney, was in contact with those Hamas leaders in Damascus and the word came together that all three were agreed. They sent it to Yasser Arafat. We await now for that final declaration from the Palestinian leadership that there has been a formal, total agreement from all the Palestinian groups for the three month truce -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Interesting.
Jerrold Kessel live from Jerusalem.
Many thanks to you.
Go to cnn.com and you can read up on the possible cease-fire by Palestinian militant groups. Again, that's cnn.com. AOL users, just use the keyword CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
