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CNN Live At Daybreak

Israeli Reaction to Hamas Leader Being Killed

Aired July 23, 2002 - 06:41   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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: While expressing sorrow over the deaths of civilians, Israeli officials are praising an air strike that killed a major Hamas figure.

CNN's Chris Burns joins us now from Jerusalem with some reaction -- Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, Sheikh Salah Shehade was the official, the Hamas Palestinian official who was killed. He was head of the military wing of Hamas. The Israelis blame him for hundreds, masterminding anyway, hundreds of attacks that killed scores of Israelis in the last two years during this intifada.

Now the Israelis say they were perfectly justified in sending that F-16 over Gaza City in rocketing Mr. Shehade's apartment building. That apartment building, however, collapsed and caused other buildings in the area to collapse. Some 12 people killed so far, according to Palestinian medical authorities. So not only Mr. Shehade, but also mainly children died in this attack, including his three children, plus his wife; 150 other people are injured, 15 critically.

The reaction by Palestinians: immediate, spontaneous protests demanding, calling for blood, Israeli blood, calling for retaliation. And this is what the Israelis are now girding themselves, preparing themselves for.

This comes in the wake of two attacks last week that killed some dozen civilians, among Israelis and foreigners, inside Israel and in the -- in the -- in the West Bank. So the Israelis had been looking towards some kind of retaliation. And -- but it happened at the same time that there were talks, initial peace talks, going on.

The Israelis, however, Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister, saying today, however, with this air strike, mission was accomplished.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARIEL SHARON, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We, of course, have no interest in harming civilians, and we are always sorry when civilians are hurt. But the point is that this operation was, in my view, one of the biggest successes. Of course it requires us to be on high alert. And as we said, we must not and cannot reach a compromise with terrorism. Terrorism has to be fought. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: And now the reaction from the -- the reaction from the Palestinians, their chief negotiator, Saeb Erakat, calling this a war crime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAEB ERAKAT, CHIEF PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATOR: I believe Sharon is insisting to send a message by the F-16s, because once we began a meaning -- you know to talk about reviving the peace process, Sharon, by this message, is insisting that the language we speak (ph) us with is through the missiles, through the guns, through the F-16s. And it's time for President Bush to stand up and condemn such atrocities and war crimes and still (ph) terror being conducted against the Palestinian people by this Israeli government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: Now there had been some initial talks at a fairly high level, the first in weeks, between the Israelis and Palestinians in the last couple of days. And pointing to, perhaps, an easing of Israel's operation determined path, that being the reoccupation of seven of the eight main cities in the West Bank, trying to lock down those areas, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians aimed at trying to prevent any further terror attacks against the Israelis. The Israelis considering, perhaps, loosening that.

Now though with that attack in the West Bank -- in the Gaza against the Hamas military leader, it does appear, at least at this point, that any progress appears to be on hold as the Israelis wait and see what happens in the wake of that attack -- Anderson.

COOPER: All right, Chris Burns in Jerusalem, thanks very much. No doubt you'll be following this story all day. Thanks for joining us this morning.

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