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CNN Live Saturday

Israel Comes Under International Diplomatic Attack

Aired May 19, 2001 - 12:00   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.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: We begin this hour in the Middle East, where a suicide bombing reverberates more than a full day later. Palestinian strongholds in the West Bank and Gaza are in ruins at this hour after Israeli warships opened fire on Palestinian targets. It's the first such deployment since the 1967 Middle East war and is in retaliation for yesterday's Hamas attack on a Netanya shopping mall.

CNN's Sheila MacVicar has the latest on the violence and the international response.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): In the wake of yesterday's attacks by Israeli jets over the West Bank city of Nablus, there have been funerals there today for the 11 Palestinians policemen who died when their police post was rocketed by those jets. There have been crowds up to 50,000 people, it's estimated, on the streets of Nablus, very angry people chanting "revenge, revenge," and after the funeral some of those people went to what is now a classic confrontation line with Israeli soldiers, began to throw stones, and another Palestinian man was killed there.

Israeli helicopter gunships have been in action again today over the West Bank, targeting two towns, Tulkarem and Janin, again targeting their headquarters of Palestinians security force. In Tulkarem, the Palestinian Red Cross says that up to 30 people, apparently many of them civilians, have been wounded.

In the meantime, all of this is happening in a backdrop where with the Arab League meeting in Cairo that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is attending. With the call from U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell for an unconditional and immediate seize-fire and end to all violence here, Israel is coming under increasing diplomatic pressure. Its unprecedented use of F-16s yesterday, planes that have not been used over the West Bank and Gaza in combat since the 1967 war has brought international condemnation.

U.N. secretary general, while condemning the deployment of violence that took place yesterday in the Israeli city of Natanya, the suicide bomber who blew himself and five Israelis up, sparked off these reprisals, he said that use of the war planes was excessive. Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call to Prime Minister Sharon today has said that there is -- that use of the military force in that way was improper and cannot be justified or explained. In Cairo, at that Arab League meeting, Egypt's foreign minister has called the use of these planes an act of war.

The Palestinians are saying that in their view, the United States, the U.S. government, must do more, must put more pressure on the Israelis. The Israelis are saying that as long as there continue to be acts of Palestinian terrorism, then they reserve the right to retaliate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KELLEY: That was Sheila MacVicar.

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