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American Morning

Conflict in the Middle East: Palestinians Hold General Strike

Aired August 13, 2001 - 11:33   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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Other world news, this one's from the Middle East today: Palestinians held a general strike, shutting down shops and government offices, they're protesting Israel's takeover of Orient House, that's their official headquarters in east Jerusalem.

The strike comes on the heels of two suicide bombings by Islamic militants over the past four days.

President Bush commented on the latest Mideast tensions this morning.

Our Kelly Wallace joins us live now from Crawford, Texas with more on that -- Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, President Bush called that bombing, which killed the suicide bomber yesterday at an Israeli cafe, and then that other suicide bombing last week, which killed 15 people, he called these "despicable terrorist acts." And then he reiterated a message he said his administration is continuing to send to the Israeli and to the Palestinian leaders, and that is the only way for the two sides to get to the peace table, to begin discussions about peace, is for the cycle of violence to come to an end.

Here's what Mr. Bush said to reporters earlier today during a break on the golf course.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think he can do a lot more to be convincing to people on the street to stop these acts of terrorism and the acts of violence. I've said in the Oval Office, it's very important for Mr. Arafat to show a hundred percent effort, do everything he can to convince the different parties, on the West Bank and in Gaza, to stop the violence.

And we recognize that there could be isolated incidents of terror, but these are not isolated, this is a continuing terrorist campaign, and we've got stop.

WALLACE: Now in that sound bite, Mr. Bush actually talking about Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat and how he believes Mr. Arafat could do more to stop the violence. He also said, though, that both leaders, the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, and Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat, must do everything that they possibly can to bring an end to the terrorism and to stop the violence. Now the president saying that Secretary of State Colin Powell has repeated and sent that message to the Israeli and the Palestinian...

(VIDEO GAP)

KAGAN: It was nothing that Kelly said, we just lost our signal there. We'll work on that.

That was our Kelly Wallace reporting from Crawford, Texas. Thank you.

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