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CNN Live At Daybreak
Cease-Fire in Middle East Between Hasn't Stopped Violence
Aired July 01, 2003 - 05:33 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: That cease-fire in the Middle East between Israel and Palestinian militant groups hasn't stopped all of the violence. Israeli soldiers today killed a Palestinian gunman who fired on them in the West Bank.
Let's get more on the situation at this hour from our Jerrold Kessel.
He's live in Jerusalem -- Jerrold, what happened?
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, just how fragile the situation is underlined by another shooting incident in the West Bank between the towns of Kalkilea (ph) and Tulkarem at an Israeli checkpoint. The Israelis say a young Palestinian with a pistol attacked the soldiers at the checkpoint. They shot and killed the man, identified as a 20-year-old. But no claim of responsibility for this attack, unlike yesterday's incident, when a 45-year-old Bulgarian citizen working for an Israeli construction company was shot and killed in the West Bank.
But this underlined the fact that there is the possibility that renegade elements within the mainstream political factions and military factions of the -- on the Palestinian side, those militants that have been attacking Israelis but whose organizations announced a cease-fire a day before yesterday, just how much of a threat there is from those renegade elements. It seems that this could be a challenge to the leaderships of those militant organizations, to the Palestinian leadership, and also to this very fragile cease-fire.
Efforts will be under way, no doubt, on the Palestinian side to get a grip on these renegade elements -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Something interesting, Jerrold, you don't hear Ariel Sharon coming out and condemning Mahmoud Abbas for the recent violence. He's sort of keeping things quiet this time.
KESSEL: You're absolutely right. It's a very, very different mood that you have here. And, in fact, after yesterday's incident with the killing of that Bulgarian man on the West Bank, Mr. Sharon was pestered by his right flank within his own Likud Party. And they said Israel shouldn't go ahead with its obligations under the terms of the peace arrangements to try to move things forward until this violence has been curbed.
Mr. Sharon, unlike the situation every time there was an incident in the past, casting blame on the Palestinian leadership, saying Israel wouldn't get into negotiations, said something very pertinent. He said you can't expect, however committed they are, the Palestinians to get a grip with terror in a single day.
Mr. Sharon suggesting that there is leeway for the Palestinian Authority to get a grip with any of the elements within the militant groups who want to go on not abiding by the cease-fire -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Jerrold Kessel live from Jerusalem.
And Mahmoud Abbas and Ariel Sharon will get together today, I think 7:45 Eastern time. We'll update you when that happens.
Follow the crisis in the Middle East, the latest on peace efforts and the history. It's all on our Web site. The address, cnn.com, AOL keyword -- oh, you know it by now -- it's 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 July 1, 2003 - 05:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: That cease-fire in the Middle East between Israel and Palestinian militant groups hasn't stopped all of the violence. Israeli soldiers today killed a Palestinian gunman who fired on them in the West Bank.
Let's get more on the situation at this hour from our Jerrold Kessel.
He's live in Jerusalem -- Jerrold, what happened?
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, just how fragile the situation is underlined by another shooting incident in the West Bank between the towns of Kalkilea (ph) and Tulkarem at an Israeli checkpoint. The Israelis say a young Palestinian with a pistol attacked the soldiers at the checkpoint. They shot and killed the man, identified as a 20-year-old. But no claim of responsibility for this attack, unlike yesterday's incident, when a 45-year-old Bulgarian citizen working for an Israeli construction company was shot and killed in the West Bank.
But this underlined the fact that there is the possibility that renegade elements within the mainstream political factions and military factions of the -- on the Palestinian side, those militants that have been attacking Israelis but whose organizations announced a cease-fire a day before yesterday, just how much of a threat there is from those renegade elements. It seems that this could be a challenge to the leaderships of those militant organizations, to the Palestinian leadership, and also to this very fragile cease-fire.
Efforts will be under way, no doubt, on the Palestinian side to get a grip on these renegade elements -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Something interesting, Jerrold, you don't hear Ariel Sharon coming out and condemning Mahmoud Abbas for the recent violence. He's sort of keeping things quiet this time.
KESSEL: You're absolutely right. It's a very, very different mood that you have here. And, in fact, after yesterday's incident with the killing of that Bulgarian man on the West Bank, Mr. Sharon was pestered by his right flank within his own Likud Party. And they said Israel shouldn't go ahead with its obligations under the terms of the peace arrangements to try to move things forward until this violence has been curbed.
Mr. Sharon, unlike the situation every time there was an incident in the past, casting blame on the Palestinian leadership, saying Israel wouldn't get into negotiations, said something very pertinent. He said you can't expect, however committed they are, the Palestinians to get a grip with terror in a single day.
Mr. Sharon suggesting that there is leeway for the Palestinian Authority to get a grip with any of the elements within the militant groups who want to go on not abiding by the cease-fire -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Jerrold Kessel live from Jerusalem.
And Mahmoud Abbas and Ariel Sharon will get together today, I think 7:45 Eastern time. We'll update you when that happens.
Follow the crisis in the Middle East, the latest on peace efforts and the history. It's all on our Web site. The address, cnn.com, AOL keyword -- oh, you know it by now -- it's 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
