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CNN Sunday Morning
Suicide Bomber Kills 7 in Israel
Aired May 18, 2003 - 08:00 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.
ROBIN MEADE, CNN ANCHOR: We are going to begin in Israel where terrorists strike again. A suicide bomber blew himself up on a bus in Jerusalem today killing seven people and wounding dozens of others. Now that comes at a critical time in efforts to get Israel and the Palestinians on the road to peace.
CNN's Jerrold Kessel is joining us now from Jerusalem with the very latest there.
Jerrold, I suppose we can start by talking about the perhaps obvious, but intended message of these bombings.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think so, Robin, that there clearly are political implications of the series of bombings. There were four in all, two last night in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and two this morning in the northern, northeast outskirts and northern neighborhoods of Jerusalem. And clearly the message is as much to -- from militant Palestinian groups that the attack going on -- or the attacks on Israel is a message to their own Palestinian authority.
But at 6:00 this morning, it wasn't the political implications that were being counted; it was the number of dead on that No. 6 bus as it was heading into the city center and the need to care for the wounded. The need afterwards to take care of the grim aftermath of clearing up of another harrowing attack in an Israeli city. But this attack this morning aboard that bus which left seven people killed and more than 20 wounded, several in serious condition clearly does have political implications. And one of the top Israeli ministers to whom we spoke on the scene said that he doesn't believe in any which way that these series of attacks, the timing was in any way coincidental.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EHUD OLMERT, ISRAELI CABINET MINISTER: Obviously, I think that the timing of these efforts can be incidental. It's part of an effort by the terrorist organizations to prove to the whole world, and particularly to the Palestinian community that the government of Abu Mazen is not in control.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KESSEL: Well, the militant Palestinian groups, Hamas the militant Islamic group is not specifically claiming responsibility; although there are reports that man who may have carried out the attack in here in Jerusalem is a Hamas adherent from Hebron who had been missing from his home. That's not been confirmed. That comes from Palestinian sources.
But leading Hamas spokesman, while not claiming responsibility, say this is proof that the Palestinian people don't support the commitment of their new Prime Minister Abu Mazen and Mahmoud Abbas to go on along with that peace Road Map. And say that heir approach of the Palestinian people as they claim is simply going to go on striking at Israelis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHMOUD AL ZAHAR, HAMAS OFFICIAL: This is a reflecting that the people are not going to waste their time by hoping that America or Israel will give us our demand. I think the only option now considered by every Palestinian is to push the Israeli -- the Israeli occupation outside, including Jerusalem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KESSEL: Well these deadly attacks came after that meeting -- three-hour meeting in Jerusalem between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister and the newly installed Palestinian prime minister. And it continues with the charges and countercharges of who should be going first to try to breakup this logjam of the going violence.
The Palestinians saying that Ariel Sharon must lend a helping hand to the new Palestinian prime minister to work in concert to accept the Road Map. The Israelis saying no. First, the Palestinians must show that they are not only declaring themselves willing to go after the militant groups, but it actually takes action in that direction.
For the moment, while that logjam continues of who is responsible, who ought to be going first, Prime Minister Sharon has decided to postpone for now his departure to Washington for that scheduled meeting with the president at the White House on Tuesday, while the world awaits to see which direction Ariel Sharon will go in handling this latest spate of terror attacks -- Robin.
MEADE: All right. Surely a frustrating situation there.
Jerrold Kessel, thank you.
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 May 18, 2003 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROBIN MEADE, CNN ANCHOR: We are going to begin in Israel where terrorists strike again. A suicide bomber blew himself up on a bus in Jerusalem today killing seven people and wounding dozens of others. Now that comes at a critical time in efforts to get Israel and the Palestinians on the road to peace.
CNN's Jerrold Kessel is joining us now from Jerusalem with the very latest there.
Jerrold, I suppose we can start by talking about the perhaps obvious, but intended message of these bombings.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think so, Robin, that there clearly are political implications of the series of bombings. There were four in all, two last night in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and two this morning in the northern, northeast outskirts and northern neighborhoods of Jerusalem. And clearly the message is as much to -- from militant Palestinian groups that the attack going on -- or the attacks on Israel is a message to their own Palestinian authority.
But at 6:00 this morning, it wasn't the political implications that were being counted; it was the number of dead on that No. 6 bus as it was heading into the city center and the need to care for the wounded. The need afterwards to take care of the grim aftermath of clearing up of another harrowing attack in an Israeli city. But this attack this morning aboard that bus which left seven people killed and more than 20 wounded, several in serious condition clearly does have political implications. And one of the top Israeli ministers to whom we spoke on the scene said that he doesn't believe in any which way that these series of attacks, the timing was in any way coincidental.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EHUD OLMERT, ISRAELI CABINET MINISTER: Obviously, I think that the timing of these efforts can be incidental. It's part of an effort by the terrorist organizations to prove to the whole world, and particularly to the Palestinian community that the government of Abu Mazen is not in control.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KESSEL: Well, the militant Palestinian groups, Hamas the militant Islamic group is not specifically claiming responsibility; although there are reports that man who may have carried out the attack in here in Jerusalem is a Hamas adherent from Hebron who had been missing from his home. That's not been confirmed. That comes from Palestinian sources.
But leading Hamas spokesman, while not claiming responsibility, say this is proof that the Palestinian people don't support the commitment of their new Prime Minister Abu Mazen and Mahmoud Abbas to go on along with that peace Road Map. And say that heir approach of the Palestinian people as they claim is simply going to go on striking at Israelis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHMOUD AL ZAHAR, HAMAS OFFICIAL: This is a reflecting that the people are not going to waste their time by hoping that America or Israel will give us our demand. I think the only option now considered by every Palestinian is to push the Israeli -- the Israeli occupation outside, including Jerusalem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KESSEL: Well these deadly attacks came after that meeting -- three-hour meeting in Jerusalem between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister and the newly installed Palestinian prime minister. And it continues with the charges and countercharges of who should be going first to try to breakup this logjam of the going violence.
The Palestinians saying that Ariel Sharon must lend a helping hand to the new Palestinian prime minister to work in concert to accept the Road Map. The Israelis saying no. First, the Palestinians must show that they are not only declaring themselves willing to go after the militant groups, but it actually takes action in that direction.
For the moment, while that logjam continues of who is responsible, who ought to be going first, Prime Minister Sharon has decided to postpone for now his departure to Washington for that scheduled meeting with the president at the White House on Tuesday, while the world awaits to see which direction Ariel Sharon will go in handling this latest spate of terror attacks -- Robin.
MEADE: All right. Surely a frustrating situation there.
Jerrold Kessel, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
