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American Morning

New Violence Erupts in Southern Gaza

Aired May 01, 2002 - 07:15   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We are going to move on to the Middle East now, where efforts continue this morning to end the standoff at Yasser Arafat's compound. New talks are under way, even as we speak, at this hour. And now, the U.N., frustrated by Israel's lack of cooperation, is thinking about completely scrapping the Jenin fact- finding team.

Also developing this morning, new violence erupts in Southern Gaza. CNN's Jerrold Kessel joins us now from Jerusalem with details on that -- good morning, Jerrold.

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Paula. And it is very much a waiting mode, but it does seem as if we aren't going to be waiting that much longer for that standoff to be completely resolved with regard to Yasser Arafat's future.

Of course, after President Bush's intervention just several days ago on getting the Israelis and Palestinians to agree that with British and American guards to take over the custody of the six Palestinians wanted by Israel when they will be transferred to another jail from out of that Palestinian headquarters, the battered headquarters of Yasser Arafat, and that to resolve that standoff.

Now, there is another meeting again this morning in Ramallah to try and iron out all of the final procedures for the transfer of the six to the jail down in Jericho. Once that is completed, that transfer will go ahead. The Israelis -- all indications are the Israeli troops have been putting Yasser Arafat, under that tight isolation in his beleaguered headquarters, will be withdrawing their forces.

The indications are it could happen by this afternoon, by this evening at the latest, and then Yasser Arafat will be free of that tight isolation into which he has been held by Ariel Sharon, Israel's prime minister, for the past month or more and able to travel freely both in the Palestinian territories and abroad.

Also, something of a waiting game with respect to what the United Nations will do after Israel dug in its heels adamantly refusing to go along with the fact-finding mission until its terms of conditions were addressed by the United Nations. And now, we will see how the Security Council tonight will address that question of whether to go forward with that probe into Jenin or to scrap it and send out an investigator or try to send out a full investigation. That remains very much the issue on the table.

But while that has been happening, there has been no breakthrough, no dramatic breakthrough with regard to the standoff at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, although there was action today in respect of a shooting incident, Israeli snipers hitting a man. The said he was an armed man in the courtyard of one of the church premises within the Church of the Nativity. He was wounded, taken out with another man who came out.

And the most violence down in Gaza where Palestinians are reporting four people killed in clashes with the Israelis, including a two-year-old toddler in a home. The Israelis said it was an attempt to blow up a tank there. They sustained no casualties. That's more of the regular violence of the attempts to get the standoffs resolved, both in Bethlehem and now more urgently, and it seems in the hours ahead in Ramallah with respect to Yasser Arafat's future -- Paula.

ZAHN: Jerrold, we've got about 15 seconds left. Let's talk a little bit about the meeting Yasser Arafat will be holding with British and U.S. envoys. What is expected to be accomplished?

KESSEL: Well, he wants -- there will be those final details given for the transfer of the six to that jail in Jericho. Once that happens, the Israelis are about to withdraw their forces that have been besieging Mr. Arafat, and once that happens, he will be able to go free in Ramallah and beyond in the other Palestinian territories and able to travel abroad too. These are the developments, and then the key will be whether Yasser Arafat can live up to those commitments, which President Bush has said he wants him to live up to, to earn, as he said, his trust -- Paula.

ZAHN: All right. Jerrold Kessel, thank you very much. We will be getting back to you a little bit later on this morning.

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