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CNN Live Saturday

Israeli Military Seizes Nearly All West Bank Towns

Aired April 06, 2002 - 12:32   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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Heavily armed Israeli troops have seized nearly all West Bank cities as the military offensive intensifies. We get the latest from CNN's Bill Hemmer in Jerusalem.

Bill, you hear part of the president, perhaps, his words -- "Israeli withdrawal without delay." How are those words likely to resonate?

BILL HEMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the reaction is quite evident on the ground throughout the West Bank, Fredricka. The fighting does continue again, heavy again on Saturday and especially in two West Bank towns, including Nablus and Jenin.

First in Jenin, Palestinians reporting that the heaviest fighting there taking place inside of a refugee camp. They report dozens of casualties, dozens of dead on Saturday alone. The Israelis say over the past 48 hours they have lost seven soldiers in the West Bank town of Jenin.

Meanwhile in Nablus, the most populated town of the West Bank, well over 100,000 living inside the city. The fighting there described to be fierce, house-to-house, taking place mostly in the old city. Also, another report that says five Palestinians are dead. We were told by the Israelis four of those deaths came as a result of Palestinians trying to set explosives, awaiting the arrival of Israeli soldiers.

Meanwhile, in Bethlehem, basically, no change inside the Church of The Nativity. We've been getting reports throughout the day that there was possibility now, possibility of mediation to allow dozens of priests out of that church.

We can't confirm the following report, but we have heard that at least five were let go earlier today, but again, our sources on the ground there cannot confirm it for us there in the town of Bethlehem.

Meanwhile, in a Ramallah, Yasser Arafat still holed up inside of what's left of that compound anyway. And just within the past hour, some peace activists now reporting that a tank shell was fired at or near Yasser Arafat's compound. They also report about machine guns being fired in the area. They say at least three of Yasser Arafat's bodyguards were hit and hurt in that incident.

Meanwhile, Colin Powell will be in the region sometime in the coming week. The Israelis say that their incursions will continue. The say it's necessary for the survivability of their own country. They say they are defending once again the loss of a 125 Israeli lives back in the month of March.

And again, Fredricka, we do anticipate Colin Powell to arrive within a couple of days' time. How that changes the situation right now is far from certain -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So Bill, it doesn't appear as though, at least on the immediate off start that Powell's visit offers any real pressure to the Israeli government?

HEMMER: Yes, an interesting reaction on both sides essentially to that. If you talk to the Palestinians, they'll say, if Colin Powell and the White House were truly serious, they would have sent the secretary of state to the region yesterday. In return, the Israelis say they will be -- quote -- "very sensitive to Powell's visit."

They're quite aware that the entire world is watching the situation right now and they point out their security cabinet will be meeting perhaps even daily to monitor the changing situation on the ground here. But at this point, they say, once again, the incursions will not stop and they put the estimate for that operation, again, about four weeks time to be completed -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks very much. Bill Hemmer from Jerusalem.

We want to take you to Ramallah now where this siege began. There our Michael Holmes is. He's joining us by phone to give us a look at the situation there, this evening, there this afternoon, here in the state.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, yes, I can tell you that at the moment, there is some regular sniper fire around Ramallah today. There has been house-to-house searches, also some machine gun fire. What, however, seems to be most interesting is since just about 4 a.m. today, it's now 25 minutes to 8:00 in the evening, we've heard more than a dozen, perhaps 15, 16, tank rounds and also the sound of stun grenades, coming from the direction of the Palestinian Authority headquarters where, of course, Yasser Arafat is isolated with some 100 or so people.

Now, we can't get there ourselves. We've been driving around the city today, but as we saw yesterday, some grenades showed up that were not welcomed at the actual Palestinian Authority compound. But Palestinian sources and people inside the compound tell us that buildings, perimeter walls have been the target of those tank shells. We're told specifically the governor's office, which is within the compound, and also, the headquarters of 417, that's Yasser Arafat's personal bodyguard have been struck by tank shells.

As Bill reported, too, we have also heard that at least one person has been injured. How he was injured when the building itself was not apparently targeted is unclear. But one of Yasser Arafat's security officers apparently has been injured in the last few hours.

Now, I can also just add to that, a Palestinian electrician, who was asked to go there today by Israeli forces to reconnect the electricity to Yasser Arafat's building, spoke today after he came out about the stench. There is no water in that office building and when you have no water, of course, the bathrooms don't work. The conditions in there, you can only imagine -- one should imagine from a sanitary point of view -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, Michael, I thought that the Israeli government had turned water and electricity, you know, limited amount to that region or at least to that compound.

HOLMES: Fredricka, it comes and goes. Our last report from there was the water was off. There was no running water at all and that's been our information for many hours now.

The electricity comes on and off. It has been off for some time. In fact, this electrician said that the wiring was so damaged it took him nearly five hours just to turn it all back on.

It comes and it goes, the water and the power. Our last information from the compound is there is no running water and that is making it a fairly desperate situation inside -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks very much. Michael Holmes reporting fro Ramallah for us.

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