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CNN Live Saturday
A History Of Palestinian/Israeli Peace Agreement
Aired September 13, 2003 - 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.
WHITFIELD: The latest developments in the Middle East come 10 years to the day after the signing of the historic Oslo Accords. They were seen as the most hopeful sign of a lasting peace for the troubled region. But since that day, one peace plan after another has shattered, leaving thousands dead on both sides of the divide.
CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney with a peace plan history lesson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The White House lawn September 13, 1993. A famous handshake between old foes, signifying an agreement which has since become infamous. The Oslo Accords embodied the dreams and aspirations of two entities, as it turned out, perhaps ultimately different aspirations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most Israelis today feel that the Oslo process was probably the single worst disaster that Israel ever voluntarily inflicted on itself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It weakened the Palestinians, isolated the Palestinians. And we lived a fantasy that we are doing a great thing by establishing an authority under occupation.
SWEENEY: But in those heady days of 10 years ago, Palestinians celebrated in east Jerusalem. The then Israel prime minister, Itzak Rabin, accepted the well wishes of the Israel peace camp.
Ten months later, the Palestinian authority leader arrived triumphantly in Gaza, after 27 years in exile. Oslo seemed to be working.
But Oslo had its opponents, too, opponents on both sides who felt each had given too much for too little.
That opposition was to have deadly consequences for Israel Prime Minister Rabin. In November in 1995, while leaving a peace rally in Tel Aviv, he was assassinated by a young right wing extremist Israeli Jew. Shimon Perez took over.
But by the spring of 1996, Palestinian militant opponents of Oslo were also making themselves heard, also in a deadly fashion, in a campaign of suicide bombings.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Instead of unequivocally condemning the bombings and going after the terrorists, Arafat played his double linguistic game. He condemned the terrorists when he spoke to CNN. He condemned the terrorists in English and praised the terrorists when he spoke to Arab media.
SWEENEY: Ten years on, militant suicide bombers wreak havoc on Israel streets and Israeli lives.
For Palestinians, the dream of their own state is unfulfilled. The last 10 years, in their view, have brought only broken promises and unilateral Israeli actions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oslo gave us that small window of hope to build on it. The Palestinian witnessed more than five Israel prime ministers. Each one of them changed that course of Oslo. Each one of them changed the idea and the performance on the ground.
SWEENEY (on camera): Oslo allowed Yasser Arafat to return to Gaza. Ten years after the White House handshake, the Israel government is drawing up plans to remove him.
Most say Oslo is dead and attempts to replace with it the U.S.- sponsored road map are struggling, in the face arguably of the worst crisis to hit this region since Oslo.
Fionnuala Sweeney, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 September 13, 2003 - 12:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WHITFIELD: The latest developments in the Middle East come 10 years to the day after the signing of the historic Oslo Accords. They were seen as the most hopeful sign of a lasting peace for the troubled region. But since that day, one peace plan after another has shattered, leaving thousands dead on both sides of the divide.
CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney with a peace plan history lesson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The White House lawn September 13, 1993. A famous handshake between old foes, signifying an agreement which has since become infamous. The Oslo Accords embodied the dreams and aspirations of two entities, as it turned out, perhaps ultimately different aspirations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most Israelis today feel that the Oslo process was probably the single worst disaster that Israel ever voluntarily inflicted on itself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It weakened the Palestinians, isolated the Palestinians. And we lived a fantasy that we are doing a great thing by establishing an authority under occupation.
SWEENEY: But in those heady days of 10 years ago, Palestinians celebrated in east Jerusalem. The then Israel prime minister, Itzak Rabin, accepted the well wishes of the Israel peace camp.
Ten months later, the Palestinian authority leader arrived triumphantly in Gaza, after 27 years in exile. Oslo seemed to be working.
But Oslo had its opponents, too, opponents on both sides who felt each had given too much for too little.
That opposition was to have deadly consequences for Israel Prime Minister Rabin. In November in 1995, while leaving a peace rally in Tel Aviv, he was assassinated by a young right wing extremist Israeli Jew. Shimon Perez took over.
But by the spring of 1996, Palestinian militant opponents of Oslo were also making themselves heard, also in a deadly fashion, in a campaign of suicide bombings.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Instead of unequivocally condemning the bombings and going after the terrorists, Arafat played his double linguistic game. He condemned the terrorists when he spoke to CNN. He condemned the terrorists in English and praised the terrorists when he spoke to Arab media.
SWEENEY: Ten years on, militant suicide bombers wreak havoc on Israel streets and Israeli lives.
For Palestinians, the dream of their own state is unfulfilled. The last 10 years, in their view, have brought only broken promises and unilateral Israeli actions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oslo gave us that small window of hope to build on it. The Palestinian witnessed more than five Israel prime ministers. Each one of them changed that course of Oslo. Each one of them changed the idea and the performance on the ground.
SWEENEY (on camera): Oslo allowed Yasser Arafat to return to Gaza. Ten years after the White House handshake, the Israel government is drawing up plans to remove him.
Most say Oslo is dead and attempts to replace with it the U.S.- sponsored road map are struggling, in the face arguably of the worst crisis to hit this region since Oslo.
Fionnuala Sweeney, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
