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CNN Live At Daybreak

Deadly Firefight in West Bank

Aired August 08, 2003 - 05:15   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 Middle East now. A deadly firefight in the West Bank rocks the one month old cease-fire.
Sheila MacVicar live in Jerusalem to tell us what happened -- good morning.

SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

Yes, indeed, an event which has taken place overnight which may have some bearing on the cease-fire which both Israelis and Palestinians have been enjoying over the course of the last month or so. In the early hours of this morning, the Israeli Defense Forces surrounded a house at a refugee camp outside of the West Bank city of Nablus. They were there in an attempt to arrest a wanted Hamas activist. The Hamas activist was apparently in the house and we are told by IDF and Palestinian sources there was an exchange of fire that resulted in the IDF firing a larger shell or a missile of some sort into the house.

In the event the Hamas activist was apparently killed. Now, this is the first time Israel has killed a wanted person since the cease- fire was declared more than a month ago. There have been a number of other arrests. They have all come about much more peacefully.

At any rate, in this instance, we have a situation now where senior Hamas representatives and spokesmen, most of them in the Gaza Strip, are saying they are studying the impact of these events very carefully and that it may have some bearing on this cease-fire.

Now, we have to say also there is one report where there is one Hamas spokesman who has already said that this will mean the end of the cease-fire. We caution that at this point we are being told that Hamas representatives are studying this very carefully.

Now, in another development, we've had more action on Israel's northern border, the border with Lebanon, where there has been an exchange of fire between Israeli Defense Forces and militants associated with Hezbollah. Now, there has been an increase, after some months of relative quiet along that border between -- with any kinds of events coming from Hezbollah -- there has been an increase in activity on that border following the assassination and what Hezbollah has termed the assassination of a senior Hezbollah activist in a car bomb south of Beirut. Hezbollah has blamed that on Israel and said it would take revenge. There has been an increase in shooting along that border with mortars and anti-aircraft fire being fired.

We saw the Israelis retaliating this morning -- Carol. COSTELLO: A little recent history for us now, Sheila. I know that Israel has been going in to arrest Palestinian militants in the past several months, but since this cease-fire was declared by Palestinian militant groups, has Israel continued to do this or is this something that's new?

MACVICAR: Indeed, it has. No, indeed it has. I mean remember that there are, while there are some parts of Palestinian cities and territories which have been returned to Palestinian security control and the Israelis are not operating any longer in those areas, there are other cities, like Nablus and its surrounding refugee camps, which remain under Israeli security control. And we have seen a number of instances over the past six weeks where Israeli forces have, indeed, gone into those areas and arrested wanted militants.

As a matter of fact, something like I think 146 Palestinians remain in Israeli custody that have been arrested since the cease-fire was declared.

This is the first incident, though, Carol, which has resulted in violence and which resulted in the death, the killing of this Hamas militant. And as I said, it is a question now for how this event plays out in terms of the thinking and the psychology around this cease-fire -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Sheila MacVicar, I know you'll stay around for us and we'll get back to you in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.

Sheila MacVicar reporting live from Jerusalem this morning.

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 8, 2003 - 05:15   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 Middle East now. A deadly firefight in the West Bank rocks the one month old cease-fire.
Sheila MacVicar live in Jerusalem to tell us what happened -- good morning.

SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

Yes, indeed, an event which has taken place overnight which may have some bearing on the cease-fire which both Israelis and Palestinians have been enjoying over the course of the last month or so. In the early hours of this morning, the Israeli Defense Forces surrounded a house at a refugee camp outside of the West Bank city of Nablus. They were there in an attempt to arrest a wanted Hamas activist. The Hamas activist was apparently in the house and we are told by IDF and Palestinian sources there was an exchange of fire that resulted in the IDF firing a larger shell or a missile of some sort into the house.

In the event the Hamas activist was apparently killed. Now, this is the first time Israel has killed a wanted person since the cease- fire was declared more than a month ago. There have been a number of other arrests. They have all come about much more peacefully.

At any rate, in this instance, we have a situation now where senior Hamas representatives and spokesmen, most of them in the Gaza Strip, are saying they are studying the impact of these events very carefully and that it may have some bearing on this cease-fire.

Now, we have to say also there is one report where there is one Hamas spokesman who has already said that this will mean the end of the cease-fire. We caution that at this point we are being told that Hamas representatives are studying this very carefully.

Now, in another development, we've had more action on Israel's northern border, the border with Lebanon, where there has been an exchange of fire between Israeli Defense Forces and militants associated with Hezbollah. Now, there has been an increase, after some months of relative quiet along that border between -- with any kinds of events coming from Hezbollah -- there has been an increase in activity on that border following the assassination and what Hezbollah has termed the assassination of a senior Hezbollah activist in a car bomb south of Beirut. Hezbollah has blamed that on Israel and said it would take revenge. There has been an increase in shooting along that border with mortars and anti-aircraft fire being fired.

We saw the Israelis retaliating this morning -- Carol. COSTELLO: A little recent history for us now, Sheila. I know that Israel has been going in to arrest Palestinian militants in the past several months, but since this cease-fire was declared by Palestinian militant groups, has Israel continued to do this or is this something that's new?

MACVICAR: Indeed, it has. No, indeed it has. I mean remember that there are, while there are some parts of Palestinian cities and territories which have been returned to Palestinian security control and the Israelis are not operating any longer in those areas, there are other cities, like Nablus and its surrounding refugee camps, which remain under Israeli security control. And we have seen a number of instances over the past six weeks where Israeli forces have, indeed, gone into those areas and arrested wanted militants.

As a matter of fact, something like I think 146 Palestinians remain in Israeli custody that have been arrested since the cease-fire was declared.

This is the first incident, though, Carol, which has resulted in violence and which resulted in the death, the killing of this Hamas militant. And as I said, it is a question now for how this event plays out in terms of the thinking and the psychology around this cease-fire -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Sheila MacVicar, I know you'll stay around for us and we'll get back to you in the next half hour of DAYBREAK.

Sheila MacVicar reporting live from Jerusalem this morning.

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