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CNN Live At Daybreak

Zinni Returns to Middle East Amid Violence

Aired March 08, 2002 - 06:31   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: We'll go live now to the Middle East for more on the raging violence there today. CNN Jerusalem Bureau Chief Mike Hanna is following the developments.

Mike, what happened today?

MIKE HANNA, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well Carol, Israeli military action has been conducted with absolutely unprecedented veracity in the course of this day. Israeli forces have struck at a number of targets in the Gaza Strip, in particularly the area of Khan Younis. More than 20 Palestinians are reported to have been killed since midnight -- that's in a matter of some 10 hours.

Among them, a number of civilians including a 10-year old boy who was killed in the West Bank. Also killed in the Israeli operations, a senior Palestinian security force commander. He was killed during the Israeli operation in Khan Younis. Palestinians claim that the man, the most senior officer yet to be killed in Israeli operations, was assassinated by Israeli Special Forces troops. Israel denies this, saying that it was surprised that such a senior commander was on the scene of an ongoing gun battle between Palestinians and Israelis.

The massive Israeli operation in Gaza followed an attack on a Jewish settlement overnight, that of Atzmona, in which a Palestinian gunman gained entry to the settlement and opened fire, killing at least five Israelis in the settlement and also wounding a large number.

But Israeli action not only confined to Gaza. A number of operations ongoing in the West Bank, in particular in Bethlehem where once again, a number of Palestinians have been killed and dozens are reported to have been wounded in what is even by the standards of the past week of widespread Israeli military action absolutely unprecedented in terms of the scale, in terms of the intensity with which Israel is conducting this operation, and in terms of the number of Palestinians being killed and being wounded.

A high figure, too, of civilian Palestinians being killed and injured in these Israeli operations. This then, is seen of utter carnage. It appears at present, this the scene that awaits U.S. Special Envoy Anthony Zinni when he returns to the region next week in yet another bid (ph) to implement a cease-fire on the ground - Carol.

COSTELLO: Having said that, what could Anthony Zinni do or say to stop this violence?

HANNA: Well that's a very good question and one that may be answered when Zinni hits the region. The one different thing from Zinni's previous visits to the region, which all ended utterly in failure, is the fact that there is another plan, proposal on the table. That is a Saudi Arabian plan, which suggests in exchange of land and the return for Arab recognition of Israel. Now this is a context within which Zinni is returning to the region, although his first steps are still to implement agreements that have been on the table now for well over a year.

That is an agreement drawn up by CIA Director George Tenet and the Mitchell Report, but first Zinni has got to get a cease-fire on the ground, which is the Tenet plan. But beyond this, there is some form of overall proposal, which will be on the table within coming weeks, which many observers do believe makes Zinni's different -- visit a little bit different this time from the previous occasions when he came out. But whether even this, given the context and the hugeness of what is happening on the ground of the moment, whether this will affect the outcome or enables Zinni more easily to get to a cease-fire, well that's a deeply problematic question at the moment - Carol.

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