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Two Palestinian Groups Claiming Responsibility For Today's Bloody Ambush
Aired July 16, 2002 - 14:16 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Two Palestinian groups are claiming responsibility for today's bloody ambush of a bus near a Jewish settlement in the West Bank. Witnesses say they heard an explosion, then gunfire. We're joined now by Jerusalem bureau chief Mike Hanna with more on what happened today.
Mike, what can you tell us.
MIKE HANNA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, seven Israelis were killed in this attack, 15 Israelis were wounded. Among the wounded, a pregnant woman and a number of children. This attack came, as in New York, there were top-level talks about to get under way, aimed at discussing ways in which parties can effectively mediate in this ongoing conflict.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANNA (voice-over): The first major Palestinian attack in almost four weeks. The target, a busload of Israelis on their way to West Bank settlement of Emanuel. An explosive device was detonated alongside the bulletproof vehicle. As the bus stopped, a group of Palestinian gunmen emerged from the bush next to the road and opened fire. Among the casualties: Children, and at least one pregnant women.
Police later found three unexploded grenades inside the bus, saying if they had detonated, the number of deaths and injuries would have been even higher.
The attack came as new diplomatic initiative was being launched in New York. Representatives from the U.S.,the U.N., the E.U. and Russia sitting down to formulate a common position on how west to revive mediation efforts in the Middle East conflict.
Even before the Emanuel attack, few in the region held any great expectations as to the outcome of the talks.
AKIVA ELDAR, ISRAELI POLITICAL ANALYST: When I'm looking at what's going on in New York, the bottom line is that -- well, they are aware of the fact that the international community, and the United States cannot just afford to sit on the fence and watch what's happening here. The risk is too high, so they have to do something. And this something is blah, blah, is talking. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no real hope, and serious confidence that these people can deliver anything as long as the Israeli continue the incursion and nobody is stopping military aggression.
HANNA: The contention of the Israeli government, that it's troop deployment in the West Bank are necessitated by the ever-present threat of terror attacks by Palestinians.
The latest attack on Israelis in the West Bank, evidence that despite the best intentions of mediators, violence continues to defy diplomacy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANNA: Three separate radical organizations claimed responsibility for the attack. Hamas, the Islamic Fundamentalist Group, the DFLP, which is a radical nationalist Palestinian group, and the Al Aqsa Martyr's brigade, an armed offshoot of Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement. None of these claims have been independently verified.
The Israel Defense Force meanwhile conducting a massive manhunt in the region of the attack, trying to bring to brook those who actually carried out the killings -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Mike, we've been told that these terrorists actually had the military uniforms of Israeli soldiers on when they went in and started shooting at this bus. Any word on how they got their hands on those uniforms, and is this a tactic that is common?
HANNA: No word as yet. There has been Israeli uniforms used reportedly in a number of infiltration attempts into Israel proper. On this particular occasion, eyewitnesses did confirm the fact that Israeli uniforms were being worn by the group of three Palestinian gunmen was the number given by most of the eyewitnesses. No indication how these uniforms were obtained. No indication yet as to who was involved in the planning of this attack, an attack that clearly took very careful and long-term planning, an attack incidentally reminiscent of the attacks that were carried out in South Lebanon during the Israeli occupation of that region for some two decades -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Mike Hanna, live from Jerusalem. Thanks, Mike.
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