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American Morning

Conflict in the Middle East: Israel Goes on the Offensive

Aired August 14, 2001 - 10:09   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: Now to a place where emotions and tempers are flaring. We're going to go now to the Middle East and an Israeli offensive there that some see as signaling a dangerous new level of military action.

Let's get the latest now. CNN's Ben Wedeman checks in from Jerusalem -- Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Leon.

In the early hours of the morning, Israeli helicopters and bulldozers and tanks entered into the northern West Bank Palestinian town of Jenin, where they destroyed a Palestinian police headquarters. They withdrew several hours later. Now, according to Israeli officials, they did this action because Jenin has been the staging point for a variety of terrorist attacks, as they describe them, against Israel, and therefore they felt that this was appropriate action given that this city, they believe, has become such a source of attacks against Israel.

Of course, this operation is the deepest incursion by Israeli forces into Palestinian territory. Palestinian officials reacting very strongly to this. According to one Palestinian official, this incursion has, in his words, opened the gates of hell.

Now this incursion, of course, sparked further fighting in the area just outside of Jerusalem between the southern Jerusalem suicide bomber of Gilo and the Palestinian town of Beit Jalla. There was an intense gun battle between Palestinian gunmen and Israeli soldiers. This went on for quite a while. These gun battles have, in fact, become quite frequent over the last few months.

Significantly, the mayor of Jerusalem, Ehud Olmert, suggested that a similar operation to that which took place in Jenin could be undertaken in Beit Jalla to, they believe, suppress those sources of fire onto the Israeli settlement of Gilo. Therefore, once more raising the temperature here in the area. Back to you.

HARRIS: Well, Ben, what are you hearing from civilian sources there in the media or in politics or whatever? What are they saying right now about this move by Israel? Are they saying they're a bit concerned that this is going too far?

WEDEMAN: Well, we've heard from one Israeli military analyst that he feels that this sort of operation, very high profile operation, doesn't really accomplish very much. It certainly assuages some of the calls from the Israeli public for strong action, but it doesn't really make much difference. After all, what are they doing? They're going after and destroying an empty Palestinian police building.

Therefore, although the Israelis say that Jenin has become a source of Palestinian suicide bombers against the Israelis, it's hard to understand how destroying an empty building is going to make much difference and certainly among the Palestinians they see the significance of the Israeli action and the fact that this is the deepest incursion into Palestinian territory and therefore it certainly doesn't look like, at this point, that this sort of action is going to calm the situation on the ground -- Leon.

HARRIS: Ben Wedeman reporting for us from Jerusalem. Thank you very much, Ben. We'll talk with you later on.

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