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CNN Live At Daybreak

Palestinian Factions Will Keep Truce Despite Killing of Militant

Aired January 15, 2002 - 05:09   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: In the Middle East, the two largest Palestinian factions say they are sticking to a truce with Israel despite the killing of a top militant from Yasser Arafat's Fatah Party. Palestinians bury Raed al-Karmi today. He was killed in the West Bank town of Tulkarem by a bomb the Palestinians say was planted by Israeli forces.

CNN's Mike Hanna is in Tulkarem -- Mike, what's the latest?

MIKE HANNA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, at the moment we are outside the mosque here in the West Bank city of Tulkarem waiting for the body of Raed al-Karmi to emerge. The body has been paraded around the streets of the city proceeded by fellow members of the Al Aqsa movement, of which he was a member, which is aligned to Yasser Arafat's Fatah organization, firing weapons in the air.

And although Israelis see Raed al-Karmi as a killer, as a murderer, here in Tulkarem he's regarded as a hero, a fighter against Israel and a fighter against Israeli occupation.

Still great debate over the circumstances of his death. He was walking near his home not too far from the center of Tulkarem here when an explosion alongside the road occurred, killing him. Palestinians are adamant that it was an Israeli assassination. Israel has refused to confirm or deny its involvement in Raed al-Karmi's death.

But within hours of that death, the Fatah movement had announced that it would no longer observe a cease-fire that had been declared by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat last month and shortly after that an Israeli soldier was killed and two injured in a drive-by shooting on the West Bank by Palestinian gunmen.

So all attempts to get a cease-fire in place here appear to be in tatters. U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni was due to return to the region at the end of the week, but his return, or the date of his return, is now in doubt while the U.S. State Department waits to see the ramifications of the death of Raed al-Karmi, whether, indeed, this produces yet another torrent of violence, whether tentative attempts to get a cease-fire in place on the ground have now been completely blown away -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Mike, thank you very much. He can't hear us. There's a lot of noise around him.

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