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CNN Live At Daybreak

Israel Continues Counter Strikes Against Palestinians

Aired February 21, 2002 - 05:07   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: Israel is pressing forward with widespread attacks on Palestinian targets after six Israeli soldiers died in an ambush earlier this week.

CNN's Jerrold Kessel is in Jerusalem this morning with the latest developments there -- good morning, Jerrold.

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

And, indeed, Israel pressing on relentlessly with its counter strikes, revenge attacks, if you like, after the killing of those six soldiers. But even apart from this Israeli military action, which has been rather extensive during the night and early this morning, there's been a potentially an important political development within the last hour and that is the arrest by Palestinian security officials of the three members for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

That's a ultra nationalist group. And they're held, those suspects are held responsible for the killing back in October, four months ago, of an Israeli cabinet minister.

Now, the reason this is important or potentially so is that Israel had been demanding and saying that Yasser Arafat would remain penned up in the town of Ramallah, in his headquarters there on the West Bank, unless he arrested all those responsible for the killing of that Israeli cabinet minister.

If this is, as Palestinian security officials are confirming to CNN, that they have made these arrests overnight, early this morning in the town of Nablus to the north of Ramallah, if that does satisfy the Israelis, it could be the first key tentatively put in the lock of that metaphorical door which has been surrounding Yasser Arafat and keeping him penned up in the town of Ramallah on the West Bank -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Jerrold Kessel reporting live for us from Jerusalem this morning. Thank you.

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