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CNN Live At Daybreak

Conflict in the Middle East: Israelis, Palestinians Accept U.S. Cease-Fire

Aired June 13, 2001 - 07:01   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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to a U.S.-authored blueprint for a cease-fire. But a major question remains: Would any cease-fire, at this point, hold?

CNN's Jerrold Kessel is in Jerusalem with the very latest on that.

Morning -- Jerrold.

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Morning, Carol.

And that really is the question: Have we reached a turning point in this eight and more months of confrontation between the Israelis and Palestinians? Unclear, but what is clear is we have a new situation in that we've had cease-fires before, we've had commitments to cease-fire, we've even had two independently self-proclaimed cease- fires of the two sides in the recent weeks -- now we have common agreement, but only verbal agreement, not written agreement, from the two sides to that blueprint -- the working papers the United States is calling it -- brought to the two sides by CIA Chief George Tenet.

And this morning, having secured the yesses of the two sides -- yesses with buts -- from both the Israelis and Palestinians, Mr. Tenet is seeking to work and to consolidate on his efforts of last night. He's meeting, at this moment, with the security chiefs of the two sides -- a third such meeting is held in recent days but the first since the two sides have agreed to work on the basis of his working paper.

And having said that, we still see plenty of opposition on both sides. Last night, as Mr. Tenet was engaged in meeting with Yasser Arafat, at his Ramallah headquarters, on the West Bank, in the streets nearby, there were demonstrations as there were down in Gaza from various Palestinian groups opposed to Yasser Arafat agreeing to this attempt to get a cessation of hostilities, those Palestinian groups saying they have the right to and they want to go on with the so- called Palestinian intifada against the Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza.

On the Israeli side, too, plenty of misgivings, plenty of doubt, plenty of suspicions, particularly from the right wing, from the Jewish settlers, fearful that there will be a continuation of attacks by Palestinian militants on them in the West Bank, on West Bank roads -- indeed, this morning, two such shooting incidents, and one Israeli woman settler reported in fairly serious condition in a Jerusalem hospital, after just one such shooting incident.

But over and above the opposition from without the two administrations, as you might call them, in the Israeli government, considerable reservations. In the Palestinian camp, from the Palestinian Authority, even more reservations.

Big question: What does the United States do now? Does the United States go on and keep this involvement, keep prodding the two sides so that it makes it worthwhile for them to test the cease-fire and to test whether U.S. diplomacy can lead them firmly away from violence and back to negotiations -- Carol.

LIN: So Jerrold, is there a prediction that there still is a future role for American involvement here, then?

KESSEL: I think that is the key question. President Bush telephoned, from his visit in Europe, to Mr. Tenet, after hearing that he had managed to secure the Palestinian yes along with that Israeli yes. And even if it is a yes-but, it clearly delighted President Bush.

The big question is how Mr. Tenet reflects this back to both Secretary of State Powell and the president himself. Does he say this is so tenuous we now let it see if it can settle and the two sides adopt it, or does he say, no, the United States has to keep involved in a very engaged way -- That's the only way in which the cease-fire can consolidate? That's the big question now -- Carol.

LIN: Many questions indeed. Thank you very much, Jerrold Kessel, reporting live, from Jerusalem, today.

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