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CNN Sunday Morning
Israel Kills Senior Hamas Leader
Aired June 22, 2003 - 07:00 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.
SOPHIA CHOI, CNN ANCHOR: We begin this hour in the Middle East. Those who drew the road map to peace are meeting in Jordan today to discuss ways to salvage their efforts. This comes amid an atmosphere of more violence yesterday. Israel killed a senior Hamas leader in the West Bank. CNN's Jerrold Kessel joins us from Jerusalem with the latest.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sophia, no dispute about the identity of the man who was killed in the heart of the West Bank town of Hebron, late last night. Abdullah Kawasme was a top man in Hamas, the militant Islamic group whose ongoing policy of striking at Israelis is at the heart of the tussle of how to get that peace initiative really on the road.
A dispute, though, over the circumstances of the killing. Palestinian officials are calling it a premeditated assassination, which could sabotage the peace efforts. But Israel is saying that the troops went in only to arrest Kawasme and that he was killed when he tried to escape from the area.
The Israelis are also saying that they will continue with their policy of premeditated killings of those who may be described as ticking bombs. And they say Kawasme was a prime example of a ticking bomb. That's the description they use for militants who set out to carry out operations, but recently they've broadened that term include also those who mastermind such operations.
Hamas is already vowing revenge, but top Hamas officials say they are still considering the proposals and the advances of the Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to talk them into agreeing at least a temporary truce with Israel.
Here the top Hamas officials Abdel Aziz Rantissi:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDUL AZIZ RANTISSI, HAMAS OFFICIAL: Up until now we haven't (UNINTELLIGIBLE), but we said that we are going to answer Abu Mazen in the coming few days. We will continue in dialogue with the Palestinians as if there is no Israeli terror and we will continue resisting terror as if there is no dialogue with Palestinians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KESSEL: And a top position also from Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, saying after the operation in Hebron that there would be more unless the Palestinian Authority moves in. He says if they move and they begin operations to curb Hamas, well and good. If not, Israel will have to do that to protect its own citizens.
So, a very delicate situation as those peacemakers meet again to try to advance the peace road -- Sophia.
CHOI: And Jerrold, put this into context for us. What do you think this does to those peace talks?
KESSEL: Well, down in the Dead Sea, in Jordan, the Quartet, the so-called Quartet, including U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, and Kofi Annan, the U.N. secretary-general, are considering the first measure to get that peace road map in action. And that would include, primarily include, Israeli forces withdrawing from some areas they occupy in Gaza and the West Bank and for Palestinian security to take over the responsibility there to control Hamas.
But now, those peacemakers will have to first consider how their primary efforts to get a truce between Hamas and the Israeli military in place, might have been complicated by this latest incident in Hebron, the killing of the top Hamas man, Kawasme.
CHOI: Jerrold Kessel in Jerusalem, thank you so much.
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 22, 2003 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOPHIA CHOI, CNN ANCHOR: We begin this hour in the Middle East. Those who drew the road map to peace are meeting in Jordan today to discuss ways to salvage their efforts. This comes amid an atmosphere of more violence yesterday. Israel killed a senior Hamas leader in the West Bank. CNN's Jerrold Kessel joins us from Jerusalem with the latest.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sophia, no dispute about the identity of the man who was killed in the heart of the West Bank town of Hebron, late last night. Abdullah Kawasme was a top man in Hamas, the militant Islamic group whose ongoing policy of striking at Israelis is at the heart of the tussle of how to get that peace initiative really on the road.
A dispute, though, over the circumstances of the killing. Palestinian officials are calling it a premeditated assassination, which could sabotage the peace efforts. But Israel is saying that the troops went in only to arrest Kawasme and that he was killed when he tried to escape from the area.
The Israelis are also saying that they will continue with their policy of premeditated killings of those who may be described as ticking bombs. And they say Kawasme was a prime example of a ticking bomb. That's the description they use for militants who set out to carry out operations, but recently they've broadened that term include also those who mastermind such operations.
Hamas is already vowing revenge, but top Hamas officials say they are still considering the proposals and the advances of the Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to talk them into agreeing at least a temporary truce with Israel.
Here the top Hamas officials Abdel Aziz Rantissi:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDUL AZIZ RANTISSI, HAMAS OFFICIAL: Up until now we haven't (UNINTELLIGIBLE), but we said that we are going to answer Abu Mazen in the coming few days. We will continue in dialogue with the Palestinians as if there is no Israeli terror and we will continue resisting terror as if there is no dialogue with Palestinians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KESSEL: And a top position also from Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, saying after the operation in Hebron that there would be more unless the Palestinian Authority moves in. He says if they move and they begin operations to curb Hamas, well and good. If not, Israel will have to do that to protect its own citizens.
So, a very delicate situation as those peacemakers meet again to try to advance the peace road -- Sophia.
CHOI: And Jerrold, put this into context for us. What do you think this does to those peace talks?
KESSEL: Well, down in the Dead Sea, in Jordan, the Quartet, the so-called Quartet, including U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, and Kofi Annan, the U.N. secretary-general, are considering the first measure to get that peace road map in action. And that would include, primarily include, Israeli forces withdrawing from some areas they occupy in Gaza and the West Bank and for Palestinian security to take over the responsibility there to control Hamas.
But now, those peacemakers will have to first consider how their primary efforts to get a truce between Hamas and the Israeli military in place, might have been complicated by this latest incident in Hebron, the killing of the top Hamas man, Kawasme.
CHOI: Jerrold Kessel in Jerusalem, thank you so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
