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CNN Sunday Morning

Israelis, Palestinians at Stalemate

Aired August 25, 2002 - 07:53   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Israeli troops have killed one Palestinian militant, and wounded two others in the West Bank town of Janin, after the militant opened fire. It is the latest example of the catch-22 stalemate between the two sides. Israel says it can't withdraw from Palestinian areas until terrorism stops. Palestinian officials say they can't do much to stop the violence until Israel withdraws.
CNN's Walter Rodgers has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Israeli troops still policing the streets of overwhelmingly Palestinian Hebron. The planned Israeli pullback here and from Gaza has stalled. One top Israeli general saying, "Any withdrawal from Hebron now would be less than prudent.

And in Gaza, where an agreement in principle exists for an Israeli troop pullback, again the army is having second thoughts -- especially after two armed Palestinians carrying hand grenades were killed as they tried to infiltrate the Kathar-Jurom (ph) Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip.

MAJ. GEN. GIORA EILAND, ISRAELI MILITARY PLANNING CHIEF: In Gaza, there has been even some increase of the level of violence. The locals promises in announcements that the Palestinian security officials that they would take measures, and exert efforts to calm down that situation.

So far, we have not seen very much.

RODGERS: Earlier this week, there was an Israeli pullback from Bethlehem. Palestinian police were back on the streets for the first time in months.

But Israelis claim Palestinians have since made no effort to root out Hamas and Islamic extremists responsible for earlier terrorism.

A meeting Thursday between Palestinian Interior Minister Abdul Rosic Abdehea (ph) failed to persuade militants to end their attacks on Israel, and Hamas and the Islamic Jihad reject any truce that would lead to further Israeli troop pullbacks.

Unable to move their own extremists, Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority has called on Israel to move first. NABIL ABU RUDEINEH, SENIOR ARAFAT ADVISER: There must be an immediate withdrawal, so we can find a political solution. The problem with Israelis as well as they're really implementing what we reach, or what we agree upon.

RODGERS: Delay again dominates nearly all Israeli-Palestinian relations.

(on camera): The Israelis admit they are not longer trying to solve the current crisis, just manage it. The deadlock is rooted in the Israeli belief that it is impossible to create a new climate here until, the Israelis say, Yasser Arafat is completely removed from the equation.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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