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CNN Live Saturday

Israel Cabinet Meets on Sabbath, Discusses Recent Violence

Aired June 02, 2001 - 13:22   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: As we've been telling you, there was a suicide bombing outside of disco in Tel Aviv last evening. There are now 19 dead, 114 hurt. The Israeli cabinet met today on the Sabbath. They have a full closure in the West Bank and Gaza and the unconditional cease-fire or the cease-fire, rather, the unilateral cease-fire is off. So they want to wait and see if diplomacy will work.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat says that he is ready for an immediate and unconditional cease-fire. Secretary of State Colin Powell has now called off trip to Costa Rica because of the Middle East situation. Outside where the bombing happened in Tel Aviv is our correspondent Ben Wedeman with the latest for us -- Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN: Yes, Donna, this street right next to the Pasha (ph) Nightclub, which was hit last night by that bomber, which left 18 people dead, has become the focus of Israel's anger. Throughout the day, we saw there was a running battle between Israeli police and Israeli demonstrators, many of them very angry about the situation, focusing their anger in fact on a mosque very near by here.

Police trying to keep the crowd under control. They had to use horse mounted police, a water cannon. And eventually, the crowd did disperse. But behind me, more people are coming to see the site of the bombing.

Now in those -- that running street battle today, approximately 16 policemen were hurt, as well as 6 demonstrators. Now obviously the main concern right now in Tel Aviv and other large Israeli cities is the question of security very much on the minds of many people. And we've seen, in fact, that those concerns have led to the cancellation of many public performances.

And the Israeli Book Fair, which was scheduled to open tomorrow throughout the country has been postponed until Monday. So people here trying to maintain a semblance of normalcy to their lives, trying to show themselves and the rest of the world that despite these bombings, the problems of the last eight months, that they can go on and live a normal life.

At the same time, there is building mounting pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to hit back, to strike at the Palestinians following last night's bombing. Very much the discussions in the street and here. In fact, outside the club, what to do? We spoke to many of these people who have come to the site of the bombing, many of them strongly urging their leader to strike back at the Palestinians -- Donna.

KELLY: Ben Wedeman in Tel Aviv. Thanks very much for the information.

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