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American Morning
Stunning Wave of More Mideast Violence
Aired June 12, 2003 - 08:02 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: A week ago, there was reason to be hopeful, anyway, that Israelis and Palestinians might be moving toward peace, and a peace that might be everlasting. Today the president and his peace effort seems all but lost to a stunning wave of yet more violence.
John King from the front lawn with more reaction this morning -- John, hello.
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Bill.
The administration says the president and his top aides will persevere and they hope down the road a few days to get the peace effort back on track. But there is no question the cycle of violence of the past few days have delivered a major setback to the president's effort to get the Israelis and the Palestinians to take the early steps on his so-called road map for peace.
We heard Mr. Bush yesterday condemning the suicide bus bombing in Israel and saying it was critical for everyone around the world -- and he meant especially in the Arab world -- to cut off funding and political support for Hamas and other militant groups and we do know that top aides here at the White House and at the State Department are feverishly working the phones the past few days, trying to find a way to bring a day or two of calm, trying to convince the Israeli government no more military responses, trying to convince the Palestinian Authority to do more to stop terror attacks.
As yet, though, no presidential involvement and that's asking -- raising questions around the world, because remember a week ago Mr. Bush said he would do whatever it takes, including personal diplomacy, if he felt it necessary, to get the peace process back on track.
Here at the White House, senior officials say the president does not see it as his role just yet to get involved, but you hear calls from the Palestinian Authority for presidential intervention, many analysts who have been through this process before say it will only be if President Bush picks up the phone and appeals directly to Prime Minister Sharon and Prime Minister Abbas that you might break the cycle of violence.
Again, though, here at the White House they say others are working the situation right now and they are hopeful, hoping for a break in the violence -- Bill.
HEMMER: John King from the White House.
Thanks.
Reports now out of the Gaza just crossing right now indicate that Hamas leaders are calling for more attacks against Israelis, also urging anyone from overseas now working or living in Israel proper to leave immediately. Again, that's the word from Gaza City just a few moments ago.
Let's put it all together right now and talk with Jeff Greenfield about where we go from here, if anywhere -- Jeff, good morning to you.
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
HEMMER: First the news from Gaza City -- a surprise here or not?
GREENFIELD: I don't know why anybody would be surprised. The leader, the Hamas leader, Abdel-Azizi Al-Rantissi, who the Israelis tried to kill the other day, said a couple of days ago the struggle will continue and this is, I think, a direct quote, until there is not a Jew left in Palestine. And by Palestine, Bill, he doesn't mean the West Bank or Gaza, he means what we call Israel.
That's a pretty, that's hard to split the difference if that's what the view of Hamas is. And what you've got is a situation -- I mean in my bleak, black humor moments I think I learned to read by reading the headline back when I was a child, you know, "Hopes for Mideast Peace Fade As New Violence Erupts."
HEMMER: Wow.
GREENFIELD: And as long as you have the situation where the existence of Israel as a Jewish state cannot even be uttered, where you have a tremendous political problem in Israel in terms of trying to roll back settlements, where the prime minister, Sharon, has to answer to his own people including worried about security. You have the president a little bit hemmed in by the fact that the Congress, not just Jewish congressmen, but conservatives, are passionate supporters of Israel. The president came under some criticism just yesterday in Congress for slapping the wrist of Prime Minister Sharon.
There may be light at the end of the tunnel, but as Farid Zakaria of "Newsweek" says, where's the tunnel?
HEMMER: Yes, a very good question.
What does the White House do right now? Maybe more appropriately, what can the White House do?
GREENFIELD: You know, I think that it's an American myth or belief that every problem has a solution. I mean we're a practical people. We're a can do people. That's who we've always been. And the idea that there are divisions so fundamental that they require maybe generational patience is alien to us. You know, we think let's just get a road map. We've had road maps. We've had nine point...
HEMMER: Sure, we can get it done.
GREENFIELD: ... plans...
HEMMER: Give us a couple of years and knock it out.
GREENFIELD: We've had envoys there. Here's the five point plan, here's the road map from the European Union and the Russians and the United States and the U.N. And if two people fundamentally believe that god has given them the land, you've got a problem that's not that soluble. I mean I think the notion that -- I suppose the president could dispatch half a million American troops and, you know, keep some kind of sketchy peace. But this may be a situation where until the fundamentals change -- I mean, at the least, if the new Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, doesn't have either the will or the power to say to Hamas and Islamic Jihad and the other terrorist groups, this isn't the way to go -- and until the Israelis are willing to say once that happens, we're going to have to look at these settlements and realize they can't be sustained the way they are, you tell me what the next 12 point peace plan is.
HEMMER: Yes, that's right.
Just yesterday -- a week ago yesterday we were sitting right across the room right there watching the historic handshake in Aqaba.
GREENFIELD: Yes. Yes.
HEMMER: And look where we have come eight days later.
GREENFIELD: Well...
HEMMER: And this is the reality of the Middle East.
GREENFIELD: And what we heard were words that seemed to promise some notion of change. We heard Ariel Sharon talking about a contiguous Palestinian state. That was very important. We heard Mahmoud Abbas say terrorism must end wherever, which included, you know, saying even attacks on settlements, absolutely not. Those were words. Now we've seen the deeds. And, you know, you're talking about a battle that's gone on not a few years or 50 years, but 2,000 years.
I think pessimism is realism when it comes to the Middle East, and I hate to say it, but I think that's the reality.
HEMMER: I wish you were wrong.
GREENFIELD: Me, too.
HEMMER: I don't think you are.
Thanks, Jeff.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired June 12, 2003 - 08:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: A week ago, there was reason to be hopeful, anyway, that Israelis and Palestinians might be moving toward peace, and a peace that might be everlasting. Today the president and his peace effort seems all but lost to a stunning wave of yet more violence.
John King from the front lawn with more reaction this morning -- John, hello.
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Bill.
The administration says the president and his top aides will persevere and they hope down the road a few days to get the peace effort back on track. But there is no question the cycle of violence of the past few days have delivered a major setback to the president's effort to get the Israelis and the Palestinians to take the early steps on his so-called road map for peace.
We heard Mr. Bush yesterday condemning the suicide bus bombing in Israel and saying it was critical for everyone around the world -- and he meant especially in the Arab world -- to cut off funding and political support for Hamas and other militant groups and we do know that top aides here at the White House and at the State Department are feverishly working the phones the past few days, trying to find a way to bring a day or two of calm, trying to convince the Israeli government no more military responses, trying to convince the Palestinian Authority to do more to stop terror attacks.
As yet, though, no presidential involvement and that's asking -- raising questions around the world, because remember a week ago Mr. Bush said he would do whatever it takes, including personal diplomacy, if he felt it necessary, to get the peace process back on track.
Here at the White House, senior officials say the president does not see it as his role just yet to get involved, but you hear calls from the Palestinian Authority for presidential intervention, many analysts who have been through this process before say it will only be if President Bush picks up the phone and appeals directly to Prime Minister Sharon and Prime Minister Abbas that you might break the cycle of violence.
Again, though, here at the White House they say others are working the situation right now and they are hopeful, hoping for a break in the violence -- Bill.
HEMMER: John King from the White House.
Thanks.
Reports now out of the Gaza just crossing right now indicate that Hamas leaders are calling for more attacks against Israelis, also urging anyone from overseas now working or living in Israel proper to leave immediately. Again, that's the word from Gaza City just a few moments ago.
Let's put it all together right now and talk with Jeff Greenfield about where we go from here, if anywhere -- Jeff, good morning to you.
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
HEMMER: First the news from Gaza City -- a surprise here or not?
GREENFIELD: I don't know why anybody would be surprised. The leader, the Hamas leader, Abdel-Azizi Al-Rantissi, who the Israelis tried to kill the other day, said a couple of days ago the struggle will continue and this is, I think, a direct quote, until there is not a Jew left in Palestine. And by Palestine, Bill, he doesn't mean the West Bank or Gaza, he means what we call Israel.
That's a pretty, that's hard to split the difference if that's what the view of Hamas is. And what you've got is a situation -- I mean in my bleak, black humor moments I think I learned to read by reading the headline back when I was a child, you know, "Hopes for Mideast Peace Fade As New Violence Erupts."
HEMMER: Wow.
GREENFIELD: And as long as you have the situation where the existence of Israel as a Jewish state cannot even be uttered, where you have a tremendous political problem in Israel in terms of trying to roll back settlements, where the prime minister, Sharon, has to answer to his own people including worried about security. You have the president a little bit hemmed in by the fact that the Congress, not just Jewish congressmen, but conservatives, are passionate supporters of Israel. The president came under some criticism just yesterday in Congress for slapping the wrist of Prime Minister Sharon.
There may be light at the end of the tunnel, but as Farid Zakaria of "Newsweek" says, where's the tunnel?
HEMMER: Yes, a very good question.
What does the White House do right now? Maybe more appropriately, what can the White House do?
GREENFIELD: You know, I think that it's an American myth or belief that every problem has a solution. I mean we're a practical people. We're a can do people. That's who we've always been. And the idea that there are divisions so fundamental that they require maybe generational patience is alien to us. You know, we think let's just get a road map. We've had road maps. We've had nine point...
HEMMER: Sure, we can get it done.
GREENFIELD: ... plans...
HEMMER: Give us a couple of years and knock it out.
GREENFIELD: We've had envoys there. Here's the five point plan, here's the road map from the European Union and the Russians and the United States and the U.N. And if two people fundamentally believe that god has given them the land, you've got a problem that's not that soluble. I mean I think the notion that -- I suppose the president could dispatch half a million American troops and, you know, keep some kind of sketchy peace. But this may be a situation where until the fundamentals change -- I mean, at the least, if the new Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, doesn't have either the will or the power to say to Hamas and Islamic Jihad and the other terrorist groups, this isn't the way to go -- and until the Israelis are willing to say once that happens, we're going to have to look at these settlements and realize they can't be sustained the way they are, you tell me what the next 12 point peace plan is.
HEMMER: Yes, that's right.
Just yesterday -- a week ago yesterday we were sitting right across the room right there watching the historic handshake in Aqaba.
GREENFIELD: Yes. Yes.
HEMMER: And look where we have come eight days later.
GREENFIELD: Well...
HEMMER: And this is the reality of the Middle East.
GREENFIELD: And what we heard were words that seemed to promise some notion of change. We heard Ariel Sharon talking about a contiguous Palestinian state. That was very important. We heard Mahmoud Abbas say terrorism must end wherever, which included, you know, saying even attacks on settlements, absolutely not. Those were words. Now we've seen the deeds. And, you know, you're talking about a battle that's gone on not a few years or 50 years, but 2,000 years.
I think pessimism is realism when it comes to the Middle East, and I hate to say it, but I think that's the reality.
HEMMER: I wish you were wrong.
GREENFIELD: Me, too.
HEMMER: I don't think you are.
Thanks, Jeff.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
