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CNN Live At Daybreak

Israel Rejects Temporary Cease Fire Offer

Aired December 10, 2001 - 05:19   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: From Israel today, there is word the government is rejecting an offer of a temporary cease-fire, and officials warn that Israeli strikes on Palestinian targets may even intensify.

CNN's Chris Burns joins us from Jerusalem with more details -- Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, the latest violence we have is overnight on the West Bank. An Israeli settler was ambushed, according to some fellow settlers, ambushed near their settlement on the West Bank. His car was riddled with more than a dozen bullets. One of those bullets entered his neck. He is severely, seriously wounded.

That, of course, comes hours after an Israeli raid into two Palestinian villages in the West Bank in which four Palestinian police were killed in exchanges of gunfire. Their cars, according to the Israelis, ran two roadblocks during those raids. Those raids also, according to the Israelis, turned up two bomb labs in which they found a number of, quite a bit of explosives as well as belts that you could strap explosives with. That, of course, indicating that perhaps those labs were involved in past or future planned suicide attacks.

Those suicide bombings have, of course, inflamed the situation and caused the Israelis to strike back very hard. They had their 9-11 of sorts on December 1st, in which 11 young Israelis were killed. And that, of course, sparked the strong Israeli reaction.

What happens now amid the diplomacy, amid this continuing violence? Will Anthony Zinni stay or will he go? That's the big question right now. The U.S. special envoy is meeting once again today with -- separately with the Palestinians and with the Israelis. However, a security meeting among all three yesterday turned up no progress. In fact, Zinni reportedly expressed a lot of frustration, is about ready to throw up his hands at this point and according to even U.S. sources, the Israelis and Palestinians are going to be trying over the next couple of days to persuade him to stay to seek more meetings.

These security meetings aren't even talking about peace. They're talking about a cease-fire and trying to make it stick for at least a week so that the Israelis are happy enough to start again these peace talks, which have been held back for the longest time. So this, these meetings expected to continue today and there are hopes on all sides that they'll produce enough progress so that Zinni will stay and pursue his peace effort -- Carol.

LIN: Chris, we'll see if that happens.

Thank you very much.

Chris Burns reporting live from Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, a majority of Americans have strong concerns about the outcome of events in the Middle East. So you can read the results of our latest poll on CNN.com. For AOL users, the keyword is CNN.

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