Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Saturday
Deadly Suicide Bombing Rips Through Restaurant In Israel
Aired October 04, 2003 - 14:16 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.
LINDA STOUFFER, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead of one of the holiest days on the Jewish calendar, Israel is dealering with one of the deadliest suicide bombings this year. President Bush calls todays attack in Haifa vicious.
CNN's Jerrold Kessel joins us live from Jerusalem with more on the casualties and all of the concern there -- Jerrold.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN JERUSALEM DEPUTY BUREAU CHIEF: Linda, and as Israelis try to cope and come to terms with this latest terror outrage, the latest news within the last hour is the claim of responsibility. It's the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad which is claiming responsibility and confirming what the Israeli police had been telling us, that this was a woman bomber. The Islamic Jihad saying she was a Palestinian woman in her 20s from Jenin on the West Bank.
It was just after 2:00 in the afternoon on this Saturday afternoon, as many families were sitting down to lunch in Maxim's, which is a symbol restaurant, seen as symbol by many of the coexistence between Jews and Arabs in Israel's northern port city, when the young Palestinian bomber struck. She went into the restaurant, blew her up, killed 19 people, wounded more than 50, of whom at least seven are reported in serious condition. They say there were many families sitting down to lunch and there are many children among the dead and the wounded.
And as the Israeli tries to come to terms with their grief at this latest attack, of course the political and security ramifications beginning to fan out from the attack. The Palestinian leadership, from Yasser Arafat to the Palestinian prime minister designee, Ahmed Qurei, condemning the attack in very strong terms. Mr. Qurei saying that it is an outrage which undermines Palestinian interest and their legitimate cause, he said.
But this is likely to hamper his efforts to try to get a full- scale cease-fire in place. He called for all Palestinian factions to stop such attacks on civilians. Israelis say, though, such declarations are too little, too late. They want action, and without action by the Palestinian leadership, they say Israel will simply go on doing what it deems necessary to protect its citizens.
As Israelis begin to move towards those observances for Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, the most solemn day on the Israeli -- on the Jewish calendar, the authorities here are not only under pressure to be on the highest alert, but they're also possibly under pressure for stringent action in retaliation for this attack, and possibly, also, to move to translate into action a principal decision taken by the Israeli government three weeks ago to move against Yasser Arafat.
Well, that's our situation indeed in the wake of this latest terror outrage -- Linda.
STOUFFER: Jerrold Kessel, 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
Aired October 4, 2003 - 14:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LINDA STOUFFER, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead of one of the holiest days on the Jewish calendar, Israel is dealering with one of the deadliest suicide bombings this year. President Bush calls todays attack in Haifa vicious.
CNN's Jerrold Kessel joins us live from Jerusalem with more on the casualties and all of the concern there -- Jerrold.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN JERUSALEM DEPUTY BUREAU CHIEF: Linda, and as Israelis try to cope and come to terms with this latest terror outrage, the latest news within the last hour is the claim of responsibility. It's the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad which is claiming responsibility and confirming what the Israeli police had been telling us, that this was a woman bomber. The Islamic Jihad saying she was a Palestinian woman in her 20s from Jenin on the West Bank.
It was just after 2:00 in the afternoon on this Saturday afternoon, as many families were sitting down to lunch in Maxim's, which is a symbol restaurant, seen as symbol by many of the coexistence between Jews and Arabs in Israel's northern port city, when the young Palestinian bomber struck. She went into the restaurant, blew her up, killed 19 people, wounded more than 50, of whom at least seven are reported in serious condition. They say there were many families sitting down to lunch and there are many children among the dead and the wounded.
And as the Israeli tries to come to terms with their grief at this latest attack, of course the political and security ramifications beginning to fan out from the attack. The Palestinian leadership, from Yasser Arafat to the Palestinian prime minister designee, Ahmed Qurei, condemning the attack in very strong terms. Mr. Qurei saying that it is an outrage which undermines Palestinian interest and their legitimate cause, he said.
But this is likely to hamper his efforts to try to get a full- scale cease-fire in place. He called for all Palestinian factions to stop such attacks on civilians. Israelis say, though, such declarations are too little, too late. They want action, and without action by the Palestinian leadership, they say Israel will simply go on doing what it deems necessary to protect its citizens.
As Israelis begin to move towards those observances for Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, the most solemn day on the Israeli -- on the Jewish calendar, the authorities here are not only under pressure to be on the highest alert, but they're also possibly under pressure for stringent action in retaliation for this attack, and possibly, also, to move to translate into action a principal decision taken by the Israeli government three weeks ago to move against Yasser Arafat.
Well, that's our situation indeed in the wake of this latest terror outrage -- Linda.
STOUFFER: Jerrold Kessel, 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
