Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

New Violence Casts Shadow On Possible Cease Fire in Mid-East

Aired January 09, 2002 - 05:06   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 COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: New violence on the Israeli border with Gaza could hinder efforts towards a cease-fire in that region.

CNN's Jerrold Kessel is in Jerusalem with the story -- Jerrold, what's the latest?

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

And a very serious incident on the Gaza-Israel border before dawn this morning when two armed Palestinians cut the border fence and infiltrated an Israeli armed position, a fortification on that border inside Israel, used automatic weapons and hand grenades to fire at the soldiers. And the Israelis reporting now four of their men killed, three soldiers and an officer. The two Palestinians who attacked that Israeli Army post were also killed in the subsequent shootout after they penetrated the Israeli armored position.

The Israelis identifying all four dead men. We see two wounded who were taken to a hospital in southern Israel after being evacuated from the scene. The four dead are all identified as belonging or being Bedouin tribesmen who serve in the Israeli Army.

And this is an incident which is, as you say, bound to cast a very heavy shadow over the efforts to reach a cease-fire between the two sides, as it comes after what the Israeli defense minister called perhaps the quietest week in the 15 months of ongoing battles and confrontation between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

The Israelis saying that the two men were dressed in Palestinian police uniforms. This has not been, this has been denied by the Palestinian sources who do, however, confirm that there are two Palestinian dead.

The Israeli security cabinet, which had been set to convene anyway in a regular session this morning, is now meeting and it could be that they will come out with some strong position in the wake of this incident.

One Israeli government spokesman said that this was simply so serious an incident it could not be allowed to pass by.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AVI PAZNER, ISRAELI GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON: It is clear that Israel will not remain indifferent to such an incident, especially since it comes only a few days after we seized a ship load of arms and ammunition which was destined to the Palestinian Authority and which clearly indicates what are the true intention of Arafat towards Israel. And what happened today coupled with the seizure of that ship renders the situation very serious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KESSEL: Well, no formal reaction from Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority. As you heard there, the Israelis are already pointing fingers at Mr. Arafat directly and at his Authority for that attempted smuggling of the arms on that arms boat that the Israelis seized in the Red Sea at the end of last week. But perhaps even more worrying for Yasser Arafat could be the fact that in the last few minutes there's been a claim of responsibility from the militant radical Islamic group Hamas. One of the leaders in Hamas in Lebanon saying it was his men, their men that carried out this operation and that would be a direct challenge from the militant, the radical Islamic group Hamas to Yasser Arafat's authority.

This is certainly the most serious incident since Mr. Arafat declared that Palestinians would observe a cease-fire when he made a speech to that effect to the Palestinian people back on December 16 and seemed to have got the support of a large degree of the radical movements to abide by that call for a cease-fire, at least in respect of attacks inside Israel, as this attack today was, indeed -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Got you.

Thank you, Jerrold Kessel, reporting live for us from Jerusalem this morning. Thank you very much.

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