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Crisis in the Middle East: Yasser Arafat Installs Emergency Government
Aired October 06, 2003 - 05:09 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We want to go back now to the Middle East for the very latest impact on the escalating violence and what it is -- what is going on there.
We have Chris Burns standing by in Jerusalem on this holiest of Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur -- Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Heidi, the day of atonement for the Jewish faith, the very, very quiet here inside Israel. However, overnight, Hamas, the militant groups, says that they fired 16 mortars into Jewish settlements inside Gaza. No immediate reaction from the Israeli military, no reports of injuries, but this is, if anything, a signal, not only to the Israelis but also to the Palestinian Authority, of defiance. This coming in the wake of the suicide -- the suicide attack inside Haifa that killed 19 people, injured 50 others.
The Israeli government is under pressure from its own people to do something about that. They launched that air strike inside Syria against what they said was a training ground for Palestinian militants, but they stopped short of cracking down, and possibly even sending into exile, Yasser Arafat, the president of the Palestinian Authority.
Now Arafat feeling his back to the wall has instituted a state of emergency in the Palestinian territories and named an emergency cabinet of eight cabinet ministers under Ahmed Corei who is the Prime Minister-designate. Corei saying that he wants to re-institute control to guarantee security in the territories, telegraphing to the Israelis that the Palestinians do mean business, that they do want to crack down on the militants, but will they be able to. In any case, it is seen what the Israelis did in Syria as kind of a way to buy more time and to avoid sending Arafat into exile as Washington has pressured them not to do.
Here is an Israeli analyst.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHEMI SHALEY, POLITICAL ANALYST: Ironically what may have saved Arafat is the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. The Defense Ministry and the Prime Minister came to the conclusion that Israel could not gear itself up on this holiest of days where the whole country is, in fact, paralyzed. And so they decided to postpone any action against Arafat. And they also admit that by the time Yom Kippur is over by Tuesday, it will be too late. So Yasser Arafat's neck was probably saved this time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNS: This time, that is very, very important to underline. Because maybe the next time the Israelis will feel themselves compelled to expelling, sending into exile, Arafat, and this is seen as a reason why Mr. Arafat has taken that measure today or last night to institute a state of emergency in the territories and to name that emergency cabinet. Now we will have to see, wait and see what kind of action, actually, that the Palestinian Authority takes on the ground to try to crack down on the militants. That is the big question.
Back to you.
COLLINS: Yes, and it is such a complicated scenario. Chris, just wondering, you know we heard that President Bush, in speaking with Arial Sharon, said one of the most important things in his mind was, obviously, wanting to continue this fight against terrorism, but at the same time, not escalating tensions there. How do you do that?
BURNS: Well that is a very big question and that is in the context of two things. One is in the Syrian question is not to set off some kind of a new regional conflict and to inflame any further anger within the Arab world against the Israelis. And with the Americans supporting the Israelis that is a big question there. Urging the Syrians and the Israelis to exercise restraint.
Also on this side in the wake of that suicide attack that the Israelis be fully conscious of the actions that they take against the Palestinian militants to try to avoid causing any further problem in trying to push ahead that road map for peace. The Palestinians are asking for the Israelis to let up a little bit so that they can crack down on the militants by themselves and try to -- try to comply with that road map for peace. That would open up perhaps that process once again which is right now very blocked.
Back to you -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Chris Burns, thanks so much this morning, live from Jerusalem.
BURNS: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Emergency Government>
Aired October 6, 2003 - 05:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We want to go back now to the Middle East for the very latest impact on the escalating violence and what it is -- what is going on there.
We have Chris Burns standing by in Jerusalem on this holiest of Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur -- Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Heidi, the day of atonement for the Jewish faith, the very, very quiet here inside Israel. However, overnight, Hamas, the militant groups, says that they fired 16 mortars into Jewish settlements inside Gaza. No immediate reaction from the Israeli military, no reports of injuries, but this is, if anything, a signal, not only to the Israelis but also to the Palestinian Authority, of defiance. This coming in the wake of the suicide -- the suicide attack inside Haifa that killed 19 people, injured 50 others.
The Israeli government is under pressure from its own people to do something about that. They launched that air strike inside Syria against what they said was a training ground for Palestinian militants, but they stopped short of cracking down, and possibly even sending into exile, Yasser Arafat, the president of the Palestinian Authority.
Now Arafat feeling his back to the wall has instituted a state of emergency in the Palestinian territories and named an emergency cabinet of eight cabinet ministers under Ahmed Corei who is the Prime Minister-designate. Corei saying that he wants to re-institute control to guarantee security in the territories, telegraphing to the Israelis that the Palestinians do mean business, that they do want to crack down on the militants, but will they be able to. In any case, it is seen what the Israelis did in Syria as kind of a way to buy more time and to avoid sending Arafat into exile as Washington has pressured them not to do.
Here is an Israeli analyst.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHEMI SHALEY, POLITICAL ANALYST: Ironically what may have saved Arafat is the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. The Defense Ministry and the Prime Minister came to the conclusion that Israel could not gear itself up on this holiest of days where the whole country is, in fact, paralyzed. And so they decided to postpone any action against Arafat. And they also admit that by the time Yom Kippur is over by Tuesday, it will be too late. So Yasser Arafat's neck was probably saved this time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNS: This time, that is very, very important to underline. Because maybe the next time the Israelis will feel themselves compelled to expelling, sending into exile, Arafat, and this is seen as a reason why Mr. Arafat has taken that measure today or last night to institute a state of emergency in the territories and to name that emergency cabinet. Now we will have to see, wait and see what kind of action, actually, that the Palestinian Authority takes on the ground to try to crack down on the militants. That is the big question.
Back to you.
COLLINS: Yes, and it is such a complicated scenario. Chris, just wondering, you know we heard that President Bush, in speaking with Arial Sharon, said one of the most important things in his mind was, obviously, wanting to continue this fight against terrorism, but at the same time, not escalating tensions there. How do you do that?
BURNS: Well that is a very big question and that is in the context of two things. One is in the Syrian question is not to set off some kind of a new regional conflict and to inflame any further anger within the Arab world against the Israelis. And with the Americans supporting the Israelis that is a big question there. Urging the Syrians and the Israelis to exercise restraint.
Also on this side in the wake of that suicide attack that the Israelis be fully conscious of the actions that they take against the Palestinian militants to try to avoid causing any further problem in trying to push ahead that road map for peace. The Palestinians are asking for the Israelis to let up a little bit so that they can crack down on the militants by themselves and try to -- try to comply with that road map for peace. That would open up perhaps that process once again which is right now very blocked.
Back to you -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Chris Burns, thanks so much this morning, live from Jerusalem.
BURNS: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Emergency Government>
