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CNN Live At Daybreak
Israel Begins Releasing Palestinian Prisoners
Aired August 07, 2003 - 06:35 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: The jail cell doors are opening and more than 300 Palestinian prisoners are being released by Israel, but the two sides can't even agree on this -- the Israelis and the Palestinians that is.
Live to northern Israel and Jerrold Kessel.
Is it enough -- Jerrold?
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Palestinians certainly think it isn't, Carol. And to be sure, the Israelis have been saying they'd release just over 500; it will be only 339 Palestinian security prisoners who are being released today here.
We're at the border between Israel and the West Bank. This is a place called the "solemn checkpoint," and an hour from now, precisely an hour from now, as in five other locations between Israel and the West Bank, Israel and Gaza, there will be a handover of the 339 prisoners.
We've set the scene for you. See there in the background the man in the blue shirt and the two Israeli military officers alongside him, he's a Palestinian official. He'll be given the -- he's been given the list of those 45 who will be handed over at this point and released within an hour from now. They're discussing the exact procedures.
Then down below that, beyond this unit of Israeli police -- military police have just gone by -- you see a whole lot of Palestinians. They were right up here by the border fence just a short while ago. The Israeli military moved them off. These are family members and friends of the Palestinians who are going to be released in the next hour.
The mood, I can tell you, Carol, is not exuberant; it's delight of the particular families. We spoke to one woman who said, well, of course, I'm delighted, I'm absolutely ecstatic that my son is coming out. But the others were saying, well, of course, we're happy for ourselves, we're happy for the men who are coming home, but what about the 7,000 or so other Palestinians? We can't have a party, is what they say.
And that's in contrast to the kind of things that we've seen when there had been previous Palestinian -- releases of Palestinians by Israel.
So, all in all, Israel saying it is a goodwill gesture. It's not really likely to change the Palestinian attitudes. It may even make them even more bitter that Israel isn't doing more -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jerrold Kessel live from northern Israel this morning.
And, by the way, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat calls this prisoner released a defeat. That's because most of the prisoners being freed have nearly completed their prison terms. Israel doesn't really want to hear from Arafat. He is not included in their negotiations.
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 August 7, 2003 - 06:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The jail cell doors are opening and more than 300 Palestinian prisoners are being released by Israel, but the two sides can't even agree on this -- the Israelis and the Palestinians that is.
Live to northern Israel and Jerrold Kessel.
Is it enough -- Jerrold?
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Palestinians certainly think it isn't, Carol. And to be sure, the Israelis have been saying they'd release just over 500; it will be only 339 Palestinian security prisoners who are being released today here.
We're at the border between Israel and the West Bank. This is a place called the "solemn checkpoint," and an hour from now, precisely an hour from now, as in five other locations between Israel and the West Bank, Israel and Gaza, there will be a handover of the 339 prisoners.
We've set the scene for you. See there in the background the man in the blue shirt and the two Israeli military officers alongside him, he's a Palestinian official. He'll be given the -- he's been given the list of those 45 who will be handed over at this point and released within an hour from now. They're discussing the exact procedures.
Then down below that, beyond this unit of Israeli police -- military police have just gone by -- you see a whole lot of Palestinians. They were right up here by the border fence just a short while ago. The Israeli military moved them off. These are family members and friends of the Palestinians who are going to be released in the next hour.
The mood, I can tell you, Carol, is not exuberant; it's delight of the particular families. We spoke to one woman who said, well, of course, I'm delighted, I'm absolutely ecstatic that my son is coming out. But the others were saying, well, of course, we're happy for ourselves, we're happy for the men who are coming home, but what about the 7,000 or so other Palestinians? We can't have a party, is what they say.
And that's in contrast to the kind of things that we've seen when there had been previous Palestinian -- releases of Palestinians by Israel.
So, all in all, Israel saying it is a goodwill gesture. It's not really likely to change the Palestinian attitudes. It may even make them even more bitter that Israel isn't doing more -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jerrold Kessel live from northern Israel this morning.
And, by the way, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat calls this prisoner released a defeat. That's because most of the prisoners being freed have nearly completed their prison terms. Israel doesn't really want to hear from Arafat. He is not included in their negotiations.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
