Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Hamas Calls Halt to Violence

Aired December 21, 2001 - 05:08   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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Getting back now to the breaking news that we have this morning, stunning news, in fact, out of the Middle East. The militant group Hamas says that it has ordered a halt to mortar and suicide bomb attacks in Israel.

We're going to go right now to CNN's Chris Burns, who's in Jerusalem this morning with some new information now from the Palestinian spokesman -- Chris, what do you have?

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Catherine, first of all, the Hamas statement said, as I quote, "we declare the suspension of what they call martyrdom attacks inside the occupied land of 1948" -- that being Israel, according to them -- "and a suspension of mortar fire until further notice."

A very, very important step in the wake of the latest clashes that happened yesterday in the territories between the Palestinian Authority police and Hamas as well as other militants. One clash yesterday left one person dead in Gaza, that raising the tensions between the Palestinian Authority of Yasser Arafat and those militant groups. So that being a very important step.

The reaction from the Palestinian Authority we just got from Saeb Erakat, the chief negotiator for the Palestinian Authority. He says it was a very positive step in response to Mr. Arafat's speech last Sunday, which called for an end to what he called terrorist activity. That's the first time he called, he referred to terrorist activity and that the Palestinian Authority would crack down on any of that activity.

The Palestinian Authority also hopes that Israel will stop its assassinations of militants and withdraw from areas in the territories in which they have moved into as well as ease the closure of various Palestinian towns that are surrounded by Israeli checkpoints.

Also, they called on a U.S. time line for what's called the Mitchell Report. That Mitchell Report calling for not only an end to militant activity, but also for the Israelis to stop or freeze their building of settlements, the Jewish settlements in the territories.

So a very strong call from the Palestinians for continued action toward peace negotiations, peace efforts.

On the Israeli side, Ra'anan Gissin, the spokesman for the Palestinian government -- for the Israeli government says there is no difference between attacks, between those in Israel and those outside of Israel. He says that we will, they will continue to act, will continue in our relentlessness fight against terrorism, any kind of terrorist attack that would happen within Israel or within the occupied -- in the territories, the Palestinian territories where there are Jewish settlements.

And that is a very key thing because this Israeli crackdown against the Palestinians happened after suicide attacks, including one in the territories where 10 Jews, Jewish settlers were killed in an attack on a bus, an ambush.

So the efforts obviously being by the Palestinians to -- the Palestinian Authority to crack down on these militants seeming to show fruit by this step by Hamas, which says that they have, they're acting in, "in the interests of Palestinian unity."

So we'll have to see how that plays out. There are, of course, other militant groups, the Islamic Jihad as well as other groups that have as yet, have so far defied Arafat's call for an end to that activity. We'll have to see if perhaps they follow suit -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: Yes, Chris, you may have answered this already but, you know, I have to say this has been going on for some -- this has been going on for some time now. Why Hamas issue this, why does Hamas issue this statement now? Could it, indeed, be the actions by Israel into the, into Gaza?

BURNS: Well, certainly there has been pressure by the Israeli forces on Palestinian militants. But really this came after the increased, stepped up operations by the Palestinian Authority, including this clash yesterday which was very key because the Palestinians were trying, the Palestinian Authority was trying to arrest one of the key leaders, the key founders of Hamas, Abdel Aziz Rantisi. Now there is, there had been increasing worry among the Palestinians of civil war if Arafat's people do crack down on these militants.

So it appears that there is perhaps an arrangement now between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to end, to stop, to at least suspend that activity and look forward to some kind of peace moves, peace negotiations. And that is, that would put the ball not only in the Israelis' court, but also the American mediator's court -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: Yes, and let's see how long this holds, right?

Chris Burns reporting to us from Jerusalem. Thank you, Chris.

Once again, the militant group Hamas saying that it has ordered a halt to mortar and suicide bomb attacks in Israel.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com