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CNN Live Today

Israeli Military Thunders Back into Number of West Bank Towns

Aired June 19, 2002 - 12:05   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Major developments in the Middle East now. Israeli military forces thundered back into a number of West Bank towns today. Israel says it's part of a plan to seize and hold Palestinian land, quote, "as long as terror continues." Well Palestinians call the move an invasion that will initiate more violence.

CNN's Christiane Amanpour joins us now live from Jerusalem with more on this -- hello, Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, the Israeli government does say that this is a major policy shift. That in effect, what they're doing is reoccupying land. And for quite some time now, has been under Palestinian control, land in the West Bank. And they say they will hold on to it, so long as suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks continue inside Israel.

At the same time, we asked a government spokesman a short time ago whether the expulsion of Yasser Arafat was on the cards right now, and he said, "No, but who knows what would happen if there was another major suicide bombing, if the casualties were even higher than the one on Tuesday." Nineteen people were killed.

As they attempt to try to limit the effect of these suicide bombers, Israel has sent in troops and tanks to Jenin. They are still there. It has also sent in troops and tanks to other areas in the West Bank. But those basically went in, made some arrests and came out.

At the same time, the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, along with his defense minister, went to an area of the West Bank where they're supervising the construction of a massive security fence. Or at least what they hope will be a security fence. It involves a lot of barbed wire, concrete, roads for patrolling, all sorts of ditches and sensors. An attempt to at least try to limit suicide bombings.

Israel today buried some of the 19 people who were killed in that suicide bombing. A Hamas member boarded a bus on Tuesday, blew himself up. Nineteen people were killed, dozens were injured, about five of those are still in critical condition.

In the Palestinian territories today, a group of intellectuals put the following advert in a Palestinian newspaper called "Al Hud" (ph). It is headlined, "Appeal," it is signed by prominent members such as Hanan Ashrawi and the Palestinian official in charge of Jerusalem, whose name is Sari Musaber (ph). And they have called for an end to suicide bombings inside Israel and an end to attacks on Israeli civilians, saying that that harms their cause -- back to you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Christiane Amanpour, live from Jerusalem, thank you.

President Bush is keeping an eye on the Middle East also, even as he appears a major address that is expected to outline his vision of a provisional Palestinian state. CNN White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is live from Washington with the details.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Kyra, the president has a very ambitious public schedule that you can imagine that behind the scenes the White House is really performing a very delicate balancing act in reacting to Israel's latest move, and actually retaking some of these areas -- Palestinian-controlled areas in the West Bank until those terrorist acts cease.

The White House responding, saying that on one hand it defends Israel's action. White House spokesperson Ari Fleischer saying this morning -- and I am quoting -- "The president condemns the attack in the strongest terms, and the president understands that Israel is in the middle of recovery from a very serious terrorist attack. And the president believes Israel has the right to defend itself."

At the same time, Fleischer reminding Israel, saying there are consequences to your actions. When pressed a little bit further, what does it mean by consequences, he says to keep the political path to peace open.

And we are told the president is going to be meeting with his top aides later today to discuss all of this. There are a number of unresolved issues still. First of all, is timing. When should the U.S. peace proposal be made public in light of the activities that have been taking place on the ground?

Secondly, in terms of substance, in light of what has happened, Israel taking some of those lands in the West Bank, how much sense does it make to actually call for a provisional Palestinian state? And finally, a reality check of the goals. How realistic is it to actually expect that there'll be an international peace conference that will be able to take place in August or September, as the administration is hoping, or that even they'll be able to reach some of those goals? The more contentious issues in a number of years; namely, refugees, partitioning of Jerusalem, and other matters -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Suzanne, there has been a little bit of talk that Secretary of State Colin Powell could be going back to the region because of this. What do you think? Will it happen?

MALVEAUX: Well so far there has been no news that that trip has been canceled. But we do know that that is not going to happen until the president releases his plan. And there is still quite a bit of wrangling over that plan. We expect that a lot of those details they will be talking about is a process that will be going on for some time.

PHILLIPS: Suzanne Malveaux, live from the White House, thank you.

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