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American Morning

Palestinian Authority

Aired August 09, 2001 - 10:01   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get and update right now on a breaking story that we've covered quite a bit this morning, that explosion in central Jerusalem today, a deadly one. The suspected suicide bombing ripped through a lunchtime crowd at a pizza parlor, killing at least 19 and injuring dozens more.

Our Jerusalem bureau chief, Jerrold Kessel of our Jerusalem bureau has been following these developments. He is there at the scene and he joins us now live -- Jerrold?

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leon, the first official confirmation to CNN just minutes ago from the Israeli police commissioner, national police commissioner Schlomar Anusti (ph), that this was, in fact, a suicide bombing. He said the suicide bomber had walked into the small perhaps on this very busy intersection in the heart of Jerusalem just before 2:00, at the height of the lunch hour, and set off his explosives that he had on him.

The exact amount of explosives not yet clear, said the police commissioner, but he said the bomb also included a good deal of nails and steel pellets which had explode and splayed themselves around among the people eating in the small diner and in the, waiting on the streets outside at the busy intersections to cross the road, also cars riding by.

And the official toll is now 13, but according to Israeli government officials, 19 people have died as a result of this suicide bombing and among them five or six are infants, according to the medical, the head of medical relief services here. Five or six of them infants around the age of one.

The cleanup work is now continuing at the bomb squad, the bomb demolition squad has gone away from the site, having ascertained that there were no further explosives. And the grim business of picking amidst the rubble of this once pizza parlor continues. And there are also religious volunteers gathering up parts of body, bits of skin and so forth, to be buried along with those who have died -- that is according to Jewish religious tradition -- Leon.

HARRIS: Well, Jerrold, last hour we heard an Israeli official place responsibility for this bombing squarely on the shoulders of Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader, and the Palestinian Authority. Any word now on what the Israeli response is going to be to this, or has there been any word at all from the Palestinian Authority about this incident?

KESSEL: Palestinian Authority a short time ago -- Apech Kananastrali (ph), one of the chief spokespeople for the Palestinian Authority -- are saying very firmly that the Israelis should not point their fingers in the direction of the Palestinian Authority but should try to get to the root of this ongoing violence, as Mrs. Astrah (ph) reported. And the Palestinian Authority contends that they are not to be held responsible for bombs that may have been set off by some of the Islamic militants in areas controlled by the Israeli army in the occupied territories, or, indeed, within Israel itself.

We have heard yet unconfirmed claims that from Beirut and from Amman, telephone claims to news organizations there from the Islamic Jihad group, claiming responsibility. When we asked both the internal security minister, the top man in charge of internal security in Israel, and the police commissioner a short while ago what was their response to the claim by Islamic Jihad, and, indeed, a collateral threat that they would carry out more bombs, their answer was simply the Islamic Jihad have been trying to carry out bombs whenever and wherever they can and if they can get through, they carry them out.

Some have not succeeded. Many have been thwarted, they pointed out. This was one when the bomber got through and with very, very, very deadly results.

HARRIS: Jerrold Kessel reporting live for us this morning there at the scene of that bombing in Jerusalem. Thank you very much. We'll have more updates on this throughout the hour so make sure you stay with us.

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