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Jerusalem: Church Standoff Comes to End

Aired May 10, 2002 - 20:00   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.
ANNOUNCER: They came out in triumph, or bowing down in prayer. Some walked to freedom into the waiting arms of loved ones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to see him and to hug him, to kiss him very, very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Some left for exile.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is not fair. Absolutely it is not fair.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Others for a hero's welcome.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hamed! Hamed!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Tonight, the ending of the siege at the Church of the Nativity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The basilica is quite a mess. People have been sleeping in there, obviously, for 38 days, so there are cushions on the floor and old blankets and a very horrible smell from people living here for a very long time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: The damage done, the cleanup ahead, and what's next in the search for peace?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SHIMON PERES, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: We didn't have any intention to conquer Gaza or something like that, but really to reach points where we have centers of terror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIVE FROM JERUSALEM, the Bethlehem standoff. Now, here is CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

WOLF BLITZER, HOST: It has been a day of dramatic developments and unforgettable images. Just after sunrise the standoff at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem ended peacefully.

About 124 people had been holed up in the church, some since April 2. Most were allowed to go free, but Israel got its way on an important point. Twenty-six Palestinians who had been in the church were deported to Gaza.

Thirteen others, whom Israel calls senior terrorists, were exiled to Europe. The big question now, will the cycle of violence start again?

And there are other indications tonight that the Israeli military may be having some second thoughts about opening up another incursion into Gaza. Our coverage of the day's events begins in Bethlehem.

That's where CNN's senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers has been spending most of the time during the siege, and he was waiting this morning when the ordeal finally ended.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The evacuation of Palestinians from Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity was nearly perfectly scripted, in marked contrast to the awkward diplomatic maneuverings to end the standoff earlier this week.

Each of the Palestinians voluntarily left his gun inside the church, built over the site where Christian tradition holds Jesus was born. But some of the men Israel accused of blatant acts of terror were defiant to the end.

Others showed gunshot wounds suffered during Israel's 5 1/2-week siege. 13 Palestinians knew they were being exiled and would never see their homeland again if Israel has its way.

Israel demanded those 13 deported, exiled in Europe. They are now in Cyprus waiting for other countries to take them. Twenty-six others face internal exile in Gaza. Many are under age 30.

Their families grieved, wept and wailed. Deportation and exile are perceived worse than death by this people so attached to land. There never was a chance to say good-bye.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I went to the Israelis and said, don't you have a mother? I just want to see him, for God's sake. RODGERS: Most of the Palestinians inside the church, however -- those simply caught up in the rush to escape Israeli tanks 5 1/2 weeks ago, look forward to happier homecomings.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hamed! Hamed!

RODGERS: Bethlehem's Palestinians heaved the biggest sigh of relief.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to see him and to hug him, to kiss him very, very much.

RODGERS: In what seemed a deliberate attempt to avoid humiliating Palestinians, Israeli soldiers stayed far back from the door of the Church of the Nativity. Men the Israeli government called terrorists, alleged engineers of suicide bombings, were treated by Israeli soldiers almost as worthy adversaries. An Israeli brigadier general expressed a readiness to quickly evacuate his soldiers from Bethlehem.

EIVAL GILADY, BRIGADIER GENERAL, IDF: I think we want to get out of here, or I'd say we want to get free of the occupation more than they do.

RODGERS: When Palestinians left this church, it looked more lived in than damaged, with plenty of debris and trash left about.

And when the doors reopened, Bethlehem residents -- Christians and Muslims -- quickly came to inspect their shared landmark. Most precious, the grotto, said to be the birthplace of Jesus. It appeared to have suffered no damage.

RODGERS (on camera): While this venerable old church was not as badly damaged as originally feared, it will take some time to repair it, and it may be much, much longer before Christians feel comfortable enough to again return to Bethlehem on their pilgrimages. Walter Rodgers, CNN, inside the Church of the Nativity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Walter will be back in about ten minutes with a more in-depth look inside the Church of the Nativity.

A hero's welcoming was ready for the 26 Palestinian deportees who came from the church to Gaza. Our Matthew Chance is on the scene in Gaza, as well. And he spoke to some of those departees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): After weeks holed up in Bethlehem, a defiant walk into Gaza and the relative freedom of Palestinian control. But these 26 men Israel says are dangerous militants know they are entering an internal exile that could last for years to come.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thank God for this. We have left one Palestinian city, and come to another. God willing, we will return to our homes in better times, and under better circumstances.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel free because Gaza is part of our nation, but only God knows when I'll see my family again.

CHANCE: And with their families in the West Bank, countless Israeli checkpoints away, they say confinement to the isolated Gaza Strip is less a lucky escape than a grueling prospect.

Still, these men, as they're bused through Gaza, are now clearly popular figures. Hamas says at least eight are their activists. But all have become symbols not of terror here, but of resistance to Israel. The Palestinian authority can't politically afford to treat them otherwise.

The pressure given throughout the course of these negotiations, rightly or wrongly, was that these men would face possible imprisonment and trial by the Palestinian authority. But the reality, the fact on the ground here, is that they have returned to Gaza to receive a hero's welcome.

Back from Bethlehem, both sides agreed these men did not have a serious case to answer. If they are heroes now in Gaza, in Israel, they're the ones that got away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: The period of short elation here is just a respite, though, for the residents of Gaza, many of whom are still very concerned about what the coming days or even the coming hours will bring.

Israel is, of course, massed its forces on the outskirts of this Palestinian territory just outside, and is threatening an incursion. There are reports that there is a debate going on within the Israeli government about whether military action is appropriate right now.

Certainly residents of Gaza are preparing for the worst, building barricades across roads and stockpiling food in their homes, in case of an attack -- Wolf.

BLITZER: But beyond that, Matthew, are there indications that Palestinians are prepared to fight if the Israelis do actually move into Gaza?

CHANCE: There's every indication of that. It's not like the West Bank here. People have much harder attitudes towards Israel, and there are a lot more weapons on the street, and virtually every Palestinian man and woman that I've spoken to in the last few days has told me that they would be prepared to fire guns and use every weapon at their disposal to defend the territory and their homes here in Gaza, and so, what they are saying is that if Israel dares to come into Gaza City, there will be a heavy price exacted upon them.

BLITZER: As you know, Matthew, the Hamas militant movement has been very active in Gaza, very visible in Gaza. Is that still the case now, given that Hamas claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing Tuesday night just south of Tel Aviv, and they presumably know they would be target No. 1 of the Israeli military?

CHANCE: Well, still, Wolf, Hamas are a very visible aspect of Palestinian society down here in Gaza. They play a very strong role in the community. They're not just a military force, of course.

There was a period over the past few days when Hamas leaders had told us they'd been advised or told by the Palestinian Authority not to give interviews to the media. Their leaders, we were told, had gone into hiding. That does not appear to be the case now. There had been 14 Hamas activists arrested by the Palestinians. And so, the Palestinian Authority has been trying to give the impression that it's tightening its grip on the militant groups.

It's still not clear though, whether that is a determined attempt by Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority to crack down on Hamas this time or whether it's some kind of just a show to give the appearance that they're trying to take action -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Matthew Chance in Gaza, thank you very much.

And Israel may, may be rethinking some aspects of its earlier planned assaults on Palestinian targets in Gaza. Troops were called up, reserve units were called up early Thursday morning following that emergency cabinet meeting upon Prime Minister Sharon's return from the United States, a cabinet meeting that resulted in the aftermath of that suicide bombing just south of Tel Aviv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): There are indications the Israeli military may be having some second thoughts about launching a quick and large scale retaliatory strike against suspected Palestinian targets in Gaza. The defense minister, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, went on Israeli television Friday night to disclose that the Gaza operation had been delayed. He cited what he said were leaks by Israeli cabinet ministers to the news media. But other Israeli officials insist a delay is not the same as a cancellation. In Rome for meetings with Italian officials, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres promised the operation would be limited in scope.

SHIMON PERES, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: We didn't have any intention to conquer Gaza or something like it, but really to reach points where we have centers of terror.

BLITZER: But there's already some debate within the Israeli military and intelligence establishment over the expected Gaza operation. For one thing, critics say there's still no conclusive evidence the Palestinian suicide bomber who killed 15 Israelis Tuesday night and injured dozens of others came from Gaza. There's some indication he may actually have come from the West Bank, where the Israeli military recently wrapped up a month-long incursion. There's also concern that any Israeli operation in Gaza could result in numerous civilian casualties, given that the Palestinian refugee camps there have some of the highest concentrations of people anywhere in the world.

Beyond that, Palestinians in Gaza are clearly prepared to fight. They've had time to establish strong defenses, including, Palestinian sources say, an extensive complex of explosives and booby traps. Israeli military planners fear heavy Israeli casualties.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat meantime, attended Friday prayers in Ramallah, even as he's come under enormous pressure from the Bush administration to clamp down on terrorism, end corruption in his Palestinian Authority and impose democratic reforms. Arafat welcomed the end of the Bethlehem standoff.

YASSER ARAFAT, PRESIDENT, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY: But what had been achieved is a really important step.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (on camera): And LIVE FROM JERUSALEM returns in just a moment.

Also, an opportunity for you to vote, for you to express your opinion. Should Israel forego a retaliatory strike on Gaza because of the risks? To take the quick vote, head to cnn.com. The AOL keyword, of course, is CNN. Right now, look at the numbers: 41 percent say yes, 59 percent say no.

ANNOUNCER: Next, a look inside the scene of the standoff.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RODGERS: We had heard reports of bullet holes in the walls. But if you look at those frescoes up there, there is no evidence that the Israelis fired in and no evidence at all of Palestinian vandalism here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: We'll get a first-hand account of the damage done at the holiest church in the Holy Land.

Also ahead, a day of reunions for those unfortunately trapped during the five-week siege.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The whole family is finally reunited, one brother at a time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: And later, Israeli concern over the 13 Palestinian gunmen exiled to Europe. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PERES: They will be set free, then we have the right to ask for their extradition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: LIVE FROM JERUSALEM returns in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: The main entrance to the Church of the Nativity is called the door of humility. It's only four feet high. Humility, forcing pilgrims to bow down, isn't its only function. For centuries, the tiny door has also kept out horses, carts and looters.

BLITZER: There have been many important dates in the 1,700-year history of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Now add May 10, 2002, to that important and long list. The old building, I must say, is now a mess. But the damage, of course, could have been so much worse. We asked our senior CNN correspondent, Walter Rodgers, to go in with a camera crew, and take a long and detailed look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RODGERS (voice-over): This venerable old church, which has seen more than a few battles over the years between crusaders and Muslims and between warring elements here in the Holy Land, has survived another onslaught. This time surprisingly with little damage.

We had heard reports of bullet holes in the walls. But if you look at those frescoes up there, there is no evidence that the Israelis fired in and no evidence at all of Palestinian vandalism here, as was previously reported.

Obviously, the Palestinians who lived in this church for five and a half weeks, and there were 200 of them at one point, were commandeered some stoves from the rectories and the priories next door. Those being owned by the Franciscans and by the Orthodox priests. And you can see that cooking vats were brought in here. Over here you can see a very large area again turned into a sleeping quarters by the Palestinians.

But, while it's messy, while it's trashy, while it's untidy and full of debris, again we see no evidence at all of damage. There's a crucifix there. If someone was going to be an iconoclast here, an of these icons along the walls might have been smashed. Again, that does not appear to have been the case.

In the grotto, where many Christians believe Jesus was born, a place revered, not a tile out of order. There's the star marking the original manger. The sanctity of the shrine was also maintained. Unfortunately, other buildings adjacent to the church did not fare so well.

(on camera): This is the Franciscan priory adjacent to the Church of the Nativity just next door over there. This is where the fire was about a week ago, when there was a sharp firefight between the Israelis and the Palestinians. This is where we see the most damage in the Church of the Nativity compound. You can see it was so hot, there's molten metal here on the floor. The walls are badly, badly scorched. All the windows are shattered. And you can see just how very, very close this fire was to the Church of the Nativity about 40 or 50 feet over there, no more than a few meters. That's how close we came to seeing a tragedy here in this ancient church.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Bethlehem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And here are a few points that the Israeli Defense Forces have put out. A spokesman tells CNN that they found what they say were 40 explosive devices inside the church. They say they also found a number of devices that, in their words, were booby trapped. They didn't get any other details.

In addition, the IDF, the Israel Defense Forces, say they found 90 weapons, including rifles and pistols. They also found ammunition, knives and communication equipment.

With me now is Charles Sennott. He's the European bureau chief of the "Boston Globe." He's also the author of an important book "The Body and the Blood," about Christians here in the Holy Land during this millennium. Charles, thanks for joining us.

You got in there. You spent all day inside that church. You know the place well. Give us your impressions.

CHARLES SENNOTT, "BOSTON GLOBE": Well, I think the damage was about what we expected. As you pointed out, it was largely a mess. I mean, that's the big thing. Severe destruction to the parish center by the Franciscans.

But I think what's really happened here, what's really been broken is the sense of the sanctity of the place. And I think that the Franciscan priests who we spoke to and some of the other denominations really feel that both sides are to blame in this. Certainly, the Palestinian gunmen who broke in in the first place and came in with their weapons, but also the Israeli forces who ringed the church and whose snipers were firing into the church and killed seven people.

So as one Franciscan priest pointed out to me, there's the sanctity of the stones of the church. But then there's the sanctity of life within the sanctity of that church. And they feel that the fact that the Israeli snipers killed seven people inside that church, eight if you include the bell ringer outside the church, wounded 22, including an Armenian monk, that this is a real violation, too, and that they are going to be working very hard to get the facts on this, to really examine it and to assess how both sides are responsible.

BLITZER: The Israelis say they were shooting, they were sniping inside because there was gunfire coming from inside, and they were just doing it in defense. Did you find any information to reject that?

SENNOTT: I think there are instances where that was definitely true. And I think there are also some instances where that may not be true. It looks like a few of the people were shot when they were trying to get water. Two were shot apparently going to the bathroom. And one was apparently shot trying to put out the fire of about a week or so ago. So there's some conflicting details there.

And I think one of the things a Franciscan, very senior Franciscan official said to me is, whether or not they were shooting or whether or not they were, in fact, terrorists, which they may very well be, those people who were killed, that's still killing in the birthplace of Jesus. And that is a violation of the church as well.

BLITZER: Were the priests, the monks, the nuns with whom you spoke today, were they more angry at the Israelis or the Palestinians who entered that holy place to begin with?

SENNOTT: It's a good question. I really think it's both. You know, I was standing there in that charred ruins of the parish center, and talking to a woman who was in tears. She was a Palestinian Christian from Bethlehem. And she was just standing there crying because this is where four of her children had been baptized, where she herself had been married. And she was saying, we blame both sides. We really blame both sides. Look what they've done to our church.

So I think both among the priests and among the Palestinian Christian community there's a sense of a violation of both sides, a sense that the Christian presence, once again, feels caught in the middle of this conflict. And that really is what I think the Church of Nativity saga or siege is all about. That is that the Christians in this land feel very much caught in the crosshairs, caught in the middle.

BLITZER: You and I spoke the night of that fire that broke out near the church or in the church, in the compound. Did you have a chance to check out how much damage was actually done as a result of that?

SENNOTT: Not only that, we were able to confirm exactly where it was now. And it was in the parish center, and the damage is severe. I don't think it's structural damage. But everything in that room was destroyed, and that included clerical garb, things that were used in the mass and most importantly, as the parish priest pointed out to me, a brand new pipe organ. So you can see the actual pipes of the organ that looked strangely like missiles. And some reporters were saying are these missiles? Were actually the pipes to the organ that was destroyed.

BLITZER: You know, the Palestinians said the Israelis caused the fire. The Israelis say the Palestinians inside deliberately set the fire. What did you find out?

SENNOTT: We talked to the Franciscan priests who were inside during this siege, who said that there was evidence of flare canisters that appeared to have come from the outside in, which would presumably be an Israeli flare that may have set the fire. Still undetermined, but I think the Israelis themselves have said they're investigating that and it's quite possible they unintentionally started that fire.

BLITZER: Charles Sennott, you know a lot about that church. You know a lot about Christians in the Holy Land, and your book "The Body and the Blood," excellent book. Thanks for joining us.

SENNOTT: Thank you.

BLITZER: Appreciate it very much, Charles Sennott of the "Boston Globe."

We have much more coming up. Stay with us.

ANNOUNCER: Next...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: An Israeli border guard looks on as dozens of families cry in the street.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: A day of happy reunions and you're invited.

And later, will it be with him, or without him? The future of Palestinian self-rule.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For our interests, for our people's interests, I think that some drastic change should take place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: When LIVE FROM JERUSALEM, THE BETHLEHEM SIEGE continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

The ancient town of Bethlehem was the early home of King David, who ruled about 1000 B.C. Today, some 25,000 people call Bethlehem home. Many thousands more live in nearby refugee camps.

BLITZER: The five-week standoff inside the Church of the Nativity was as difficult for some people outside the church as it was for those inside, especially the Rahal (ph) family, which watched their two sons on live television emerge from the church early this morning. CNN's Carol Lin was in Bethlehem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIN (voice-over): The hours dragged on for the Rahal (ph) family. The wait was agonizing. Raghida Rahal (ph) imagines the worst about her husband and his brother. She says she worries they might have problems with the Israeli troops when they're released.

After 10 long hours, the phone rings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

LIN: It turns out the two brothers, trapped inside the Church of the Nativity for more than a month, were now held up on an Israeli army bus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So that's what he had from his brother, who was on the bus. He told him, he instructed him not to go anywhere, to stay in the house, wait for them at home, because he does not want his brother to break the curfew and go anywhere else.

LIN: But Wai Rahal (ph), the oldest son, and his mother rush to the drop point anyway. The Rahal family is finally reunited, one brother at a time.

An Israeli border guard looks on as dozens of families cry in the streets. Back at home, the father is waiting. And so is Kusai Rajold's (ph) wife and 10-month-old son. More than five weeks ago, this dental technician was delivering supplies with his brother near Manger Square when they were shoved into the church by a crowd of people running from Israeli troops.

Vaha Rahal (ph), a 22-year-old student, lost 20 pounds after weeks of eating rice and lemon leaves. Every day, he thought he might die in the crossfire. "The Israeli troops tried to provoke the gunmen to shoot from the inside," he says, but the gunmen were committed to the sanctity of the holy shrine.

His brother, Kusai, insist the gunmen only fired to keep Israelis from storming in. The brothers say the experience has only strengthened their commitment to a Palestinian homeland and that their time in the church is their service to that cause.

Carol Lin, CNN, Bethlehem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: The pullback.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we want to get out of here, or let's say we want to get free of the occupation more than they do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: What's next for the Israeli military, Gaza? Plus, living in limbo.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHIMON PERES, ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER: These people have the scent blood on their hands. They killed other people and I think that every country that have them should keep an eye on them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: What will happen to the 13 Palestinian gunmen forced into exile? Stay with us for more LIVE FROM JERUSALEM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Go in-depth on the crisis in the Middle East at cnn.com. For a closer look at the issues, the players, a historical timeline and interactive segments, check out our special report, Mid East Centuries of Conflict. For AOL users, the keyword is CNN.

BLITZER: Welcome back. Let's update the latest developments here in the Middle East. Israel's defense minister is saying that his country's military operation in Gaza has been delayed because of leaks to the news media.

Israeli tanks are poised on the border of Gaza in anticipation of a strike against areas where Israel contends there's a concentration of suicide terrorists. And Israeli forces pulled out of Bethlehem Friday after the standoff at the Church of the Nativity ended peacefully.

As European Union leaders consider what to do with those 13 Palestinians the Israelis brand as senior terrorists, Israel's foreign minister is offering one suggestion, extradition back here to Israel. CNN's Chris Burns reports from Rome.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Just hours after 13 Palestinian militants are escorted to their new temporary home in Cyprus, a warning from Israel. It will take action if the militants ever taste real freedom.

Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres tells a Rome news conference that in such a case, his country would do what it tried to do in Bethlehem, get its hands on the militants.

PERES: If they will be sent free, then we have the right to ask for their extradition. There are many possibilities. Look, to tell things as they are, it's not a clear cut judicial arrangement. Let's be open about it. Mainly it's a political arrangement to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and extremely complicated judicial situation. So if there is some ambiguity, I would say this is sort of a constructive ambiguity in order to solve the problem.

BURNS: That immediate problem solved the standoff at the Church of the Nativity. But now the European Union has to decide what to do with the 13 militants. Italy and other EU members have been cited as possible hosts for the Palestinians. There has been no public decision over what status the militants would have, as refugees or prisoners, where they would stay and for how long. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is suggesting that kind of decision could be postponed. "Maybe there are other solutions" he says. "Maybe Cyprus will say, I will keep them here for a certain period of time. In that case, there would be no need to take on this responsibility." After his meeting with Berlusconi, Peres offers words of caution to countries that eventually take in any of the militants.

PERES: Those people have the scent of blood on their hands. They killed other people, and I think every country that will have them should keep an eye on them.

BURNS (on camera): The militants contend Israel's accusations are unfounded, that they're innocent and should be able to return to their daily lives. But Israel appears determined. If it can't bring the militants to justice, that it force them into what could prove to be a very uncomfortable legal limbo.

Chris Burns, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Coming up, he's a hero to the Palestinians, but is he a has been to the Palestinian cause? Yasser Arafat's future when LIVE FROM JERUSALEM returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: The Palestinian Authority was set up in 1994 with Yasser Arafat as its leader. It has authority over parts of Gaza and the West Bank. Arafat was elected president of the Palestinian Authority in 1996.

BLITZER: There are calls for serious reforms in the Palestinian Authority, both from within the Palestinian community, as well as from outside the Palestinian community, especially from the Bush Administration. But as CNN's Rula Amin reports, the reforms that are proposed are taking on very different forms.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The pressure on Yasser Arafat to reform the Palestinian Authority is coming from all directions.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I would hope that all the responsible Palestinian leaders understand that reform is in their interest. It's in the people's interest.

ARIEL SHARON, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We emphasized about the need for reform in the Palestinian Authority and I think that is very important.

BARGHOUTI: Reform and democratization is now a precondition for the national survival of the Palestinian people.

AMIN: From the Palestinian streets, the call is for the rule of law, a separation of powers, a fight against corruption and for accountability. The calls are coming from the opposition, from Yasser Arafat's own Fatah faction, from his closest advisers, ministers and security chiefs, and even from those who have been publicly accused of corruption.

JIBRIL ALRUJOUB, PALESTINIAN SECURITY CHIEF: For our interest, for our people's interest, I think that some drastic change should take place.

AMIN: This Palestinian Authority cabinet minister resigned to advance his call for change.

NABIL AMER, PALESTINIAN LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL (through translator): Because all our faults have been exposed, especially during Israel's invasion into Palestinian towns, the security forces evaporated and the other institutions didn't deliver.

AMIN: And it's not just Palestinians demanding reform. Israel has its own agenda. It wants to see all the different Palestinian security divisions united under one strong command. The U.S. agrees. President George Bush is sending CIA Director George Tenet to help Palestinians rebuild their security forces.

AMIN (on camera): Palestinians too have long wanted a change in the security establishment, many of them resentful of overly powerful security officers who have used their authority to advance their private interests whose roles have overlapped each other and who are recently perceived as having failed to protect Palestinians during Israel's military campaign.

AMIN (voice over): While many Palestinans say they want a force that will protect them against Israel, Israel and the U.S. want to see a Palestinian force more active in cracking down on Palestinian militants to prevent attacks against Israelis.

BARGHOUTI: Reform means just creating one security structure that would be subjected to the imposition of the Israeli side and will become a collaborating structure with Israel, oppressing its own people. This is not reform. This is the creation of a dictatorship.

AMIN: The Palestinian Authority has been using the confrontation with the Israelis as an excuse not to change. Palestinians usually rally around Yasser Arafat whenever Israel applies pressure, not this time. Even as the Israeli prime minister calls for a change in the Palestinian leadership.

BARGHOUTI: Each time we demand reform, they say it's not time for that, and each time we wait it becomes worse. I think now we need reform more than ever.

AMIN: The last time the Palestinians had an election was in 1996, choosing a legislative council and a president. Yasser Arafat won more than 94 percent of the vote. The term officially expired three years ago. A lot of people now are calling for reform.

ARAFAT: Who are against it? Who are against it? I always used to make this reform. AMIN: So you are going to introduce more reforms?

ARAFAT: Definite.

AMIN: The question many Palestinians are asking, whose version of reforms is Yasser Arafat talking about? Rula Amin, CNN, Ramallah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And one well placed U.S. source tells me that the CIA Director George Tenet may not be coming back here next week as originally planned to discuss reforming the Palestinian Security Services. That trip on hold at least for now.

It's been six weeks since Israeli forces went into the West Bank. We'll add up the pluses and the minuses. How successful was the Israeli operation? We'll check it out when LIVE FROM JERUSALEM returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Israeli called it Operation Defensive Shield, their move into the West Bank some six weeks ago. Our CNN Jerusalem Bureau Chief Mike Hanna takes a look at the pluses and minuses of the operation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE HANNA, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF (voice over): The resolution of the siege in Bethlehem an end to Israel's biggest military deployment in decades, the final act in what Israel calls Operation Defensive Shield.

On March the 27th, a Palestinian suicide bomber set off explosives in a hotel in the coastal city of Netanya. Twenty-nine Israelis killed in an attack all the more horrific as it came on the first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover.

Two days later, Ariel Sharon declares Yasser Arafat an enemy and Israeli forces batter down the walls of the Palestinian leader's compound in Ramallah and place Arafat under siege.

Operation Defensive Shield was underway the aim of which, said Israel, to dismantle terrorist structures wherever they might be. The suicide bombings continued though. Ariel Sharon says Israel is at a war for its survival and Israeli forces continue deploying throughout the West Bank, Tulkarem, Qalqilya, Alcoda (ph), Frachela (ph), all occupied by the Israeli Defense Force.

Then on April the 2nd, the tanks rumble into Bethlehem, an estimated 200 Palestinians, including several dozen gunmen flee the advancing forces and seek sanctuary in the Church of Nativity compound. The siege of Bethlehem begins.

Elsewhere, the West Bank's largest city, Nablus, is invaded by Israeli forces and the city of Jenin is surrounded by a ring of tanks. U.S. mediator Anthony Zinni is permitted to meet Yasser Arafat in his Ramallah compound on April the 5th. Journalists attempting to cover the meeting are driven away by rubber coated bullets and stun grenades, ordered to leave what Israel had declared a closed military area.

Jenin as well is declared a closed area and no independent verification of what transpired in that city. By all accounts, there was intense close quarter combat in the city's refugee camp. Twenty- three Israeli soldiers killed; the exact number of Palestinian dead still a matter of dispute. Human Rights Watch would later issue a report calculating the number of Palestinian dead at 52, including 21 non combatants.

On April 19th, the U.N. Security Council agrees to dispatch a U.N. fact-finding team to investigate Jenin. (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Israel subsequently announces it will not cooperate. The team is disbanded.

Then on May the 2nd, Yasser Arafat is freed from his confinement in Ramallah, this following a deal negotiated by the U.S. in which six men wanted by the Israelis, holed up in his compound, were transferred to a prison in Jericho under supervision of U.S. and British guards.

HANNA (on camera): And here in Bethlehem, all those who had been in the Church of Nativity compound emerge, some on their way to exile, some transported to the Gaza Strip, and others returning to their normal lives.

HANNA (voice over): But even as this crisis ends, Palestinians detonate an explosion in the Israeli city of Beersheba, four Israelis injured, at least one of the Palestinian attackers arrested, this attack following a massive suicide bombing in the town of Rishon Letzion, the Israeli death toll there at least 16.

The bomb a signal from Palestinian militants that despite Operation Defensive Shield, they still have the capacity to carry out terror attacks.

HANNA (on camera): The challenge now in Bethlehem to repair and clean up a city after weeks of Israeli military occupation and round- the-clock curfews. The question still to be answered with Operation Defensive Shield officially concluded but with terror attacks resuming, is another massive Israeli offensive about to begin. Mike Hanna, CNN, Bethlehem.

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BLITZER: That's it for LIVE FROM JERUSALEM. I'm Wolf Blitzer.

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