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CNN Sunday Morning
Deadly Explosion in Israeli Market Kills at Least One
Aired May 19, 2002 - 1:02 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Our top story now that deadly explosion today at an Israeli open-air market. It happened in Netanya, the same coastal city where 29 died in what's been called the Passover Massacre. In this explosion today, at least one person is believed dead. We go to CNN's Jerrold Kessel who is live in Jerusalem. Hi there, Jerrold.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka, and the casualty figures now the latest one person killed by the suicide bomber and 44 people treated in hospital, one reported in critical condition, seven others severely hurt in this blast, which came just 4:15 in the afternoon in the open-air market of Netanya.
A suicide bomber walked into the alleys between the vendors selling fruit and vegetables, household appliances, set off the explosion and within minutes, medical relief services on the scene ferrying the wounded away to hospital in Netanya and regional hospitals nearby.
The police had said that they had a warning that there was someone who had intended to launch an attack from the Palestinian town of Tulkarem. That's on the West Bank, just on the edge of the West Bank between Israel and the West Bank, just less than 15 miles away.
But they say that they don't believe this is the same alert that they got there from the area around Tulkarem, just to the east of Netanya. Now Netanya as we rightly reported, a place which has taken, been at the brunt of several Palestinian attacks in the past, suicide bombers, other forms of attack, and indeed that most serious attack, the deadliest Palestinian attack against Israeli civilians.
Twenty-nine people were killed at the end of March and that triggered the massive Israeli military onslaught into the West Bank, which lasted more than five weeks, Israel going over, as I said, the sources of Palestinian terror.
Now in the last hour and we're speaking here, we're reporting this news on CNN. We spoke to the top Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erakat, who said that he had spoken to Yasser Arafat shortly after the news came out of the attack in Netanya and the Palestinian spokesman saying that the Palestinian Authority condemned this attack and attacks on civilians, Israeli civilians, absolutely and without condition. And now, we are joined - there has been one claim of responsibility but so far it's only been an anonymous telephone call to the Associated - to the (inaudible) press news agency here in Jerusalem, claiming that the Hamas, the militant Islamic group, claimed responsibility, that that's the only claim of responsibility today.
Now we're not joined here on CNN by telephone by Danny Nevir (ph), Senior Israeli Cabinet Minister, close confidante of Prime Minister Sharon. Thanks very much, Mr. Nevir for joining us; your reaction to this terror attack and also to the response of the Palestinian Authority that swift condemnation by the Palestinian Authority of this attack.
DANNY NEVIR, SENIOR ISRAELI CABINET MINISTER (via telephone): This is a terrible, another terrible result of the Palestinian Authority terror policy. Under Arafat, the Palestinian Authority has become a supporting, encouraging, and actively operating body of terror, and we have hard evidence that Arafat and his close aides are directly responsible for the cold-blooded murder of many Israeli citizens during the last year and a half, and unfortunately those kind of statements that you have just referred to by Dr. Erakat and others, are meaningless.
Arafat hasn't taken any serious steps to stop terrorism, probably for the simple reason that Arafat himself was involved for a long time in terrorist attacks against innocent Israelis.
KESSEL: When the last terror attack took place, that suicide bombing south of Tel Aviv just under two weeks ago, Israel had masked forces on the edge of Gaza, threatening to strike at Hamas and other described as terror suspects in Gaza. That attack was eventually called off. How is Israel going to respond to this latest attack?
NEVIR: We would have to consider our response. Our main aim is to prevent further terrible suicide bombers like the one that we've just had in our town of Netanya.
Unfortunately, although we have achieved significant results in our last military operation Defensive Shield, in terms of the eradication of terrorist infrastructure over there, there are still terrorist groups and wanted killers that walk free under the Palestinian Authority in different places and we will have to consider what are the necessary steps that we will have to take in order to prevent further terrorist and murderous attacks like that.
KESSEL: Thank you very much, Danny Nevir, Israeli Cabinet Minister. And just as this attack took place, indeed the Palestinian- Israeli confrontation seemed to be shifting or at least there were attempts to shift it away from the active and military confrontation and the violent confrontation into a diplomatic realm.
No doubt, however, whatever Israel's response will be on the ground that those - this latest attack will have to be factored into those attempts here in Israel, among the Palestinians and beyond of trying to push the Palestinian-Israeli confrontation into a diplomatic realm. Back to you for now, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks very much, Jerrold Kessel from Jerusalem.
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