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CNN Live At Daybreak

Palestinians Experience Hardships

Aired January 04, 2002 - 06:32   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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Israel says its latest military actions are important steps toward curbing terrorist attacks. The Palestinians say the heightened security is creating unnecessary hardships and as CNN's Rula Amin reports, that's fostering even more hostilities.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After months of unemployment, the Zacari Idel (ph) invested $200 in this donkey and cart. He makes his living driving people back and forth on this route deeply cut into the heart of the West Bank. Thousands of Palestinians make this journey every day prevented from using the main roads by Israeli closures.

"This is the reality of the occupation," Idel (ph) says.

Lema Zawaad (ph) has just paid her first visit to her parents in five months, and they live only a half-hour's drive away.

LEMA ZAWAAD (ph), PALESTINIAN (through translator): The Israelis don't think of us as human beings I'm sure, otherwise they wouldn't do this to us.

AMIN: Israel says these roadblocks are necessary to stop Palestinian attacks against Israelis, especially Jewish settlers traveling on those roads. So Palestinian cars were banned from using some of the major West Bank highways connecting Palestinian towns and villages.

Only Israeli cars can use them now. Students, families, and businessmen were left with no choice but to use much longer bypass roads. But even on some of these makeshift roads like this one, cars can not pass. Roadblocks and trenches block the way. Only on foot can people cross to the other side of the road.

More than 40 donkey cart owners earn their living at 30 cents a person -- a difficult journey even for donkeys and mules, and ever changing roles (ph) on who is doing the pushing and the pulling. This dentist says he used to get to his work in 15 minutes. Now he spends two and a half-hours on the road each way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Look the settlers use our roads while we have to use donkeys.

AMIN: Palestinians say this is collective punishment. Israel insists these measures are for security reasons.

"Security is just an excuse to humiliate us," says this man.

"They say we are the terrorists," Zacari Idel (ph) says, "they are exercising the biggest terror."

This mechanic makes the journey every day. He comes here to fix the cars that are parked here, since the cars can't get to his workshop in his hometown Nablus.

"I'm a mechanic and I know how it works," he says. "Pressure leads to explosions."

"This will only make people revolt more," adds this man. "It gives us more reason to hate."

(on camera): These people here are Yasser Arafat's constituency. Palestinian officials say they need to show them results. They need to give them hope their lives will change as they try to convince them to heed Yasser Arafat's call for a cease-fire, an issue Palestinian negotiators will press with U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni as he tries to consolidate that cease-fire.

(voice-over): Israel says when Palestinians stop their attacks on Israelis, it will ease the sanctions (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If they would just pull out their tanks from our land, the whole problem would be solved.

AMIN: A pause (ph) in front of the hurdles, the people around the old man yell sarcastically, "President Bush will find a solution."

Rula Amin, CNN, on the West Bank.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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