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CNN Sunday Morning
Palestinian Officials Resolve Dispute Involving Group of Militants
Aired August 03, 2003 - 10:33 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.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: On the West Bank there's word Palestinian officials have resolved the dispute involving a group of militants being held in Yasser Arafat's compound.
CNN's Jerrold Kessel has more from Jerusalem.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sean, the standoff between Palestinian militants and loyalists of Yasser Arafat within the Palestinian Authority president's beleaguered compound on the West Bank threatened to be a very uncomfortable, even an ugly, situation for the Palestinian leadership.
The seventeen militants who are sought by Israel on their -- on Israel's wanted list -- for allegedly being involved in planning or promoting attacks against Israeli's -- refused to go -- to be transferred to another Palestinian city, and they were then held at gunpoint by loyalists of the Palestinian Authority president yesterday morning, Saturday morning, within the compound, confined to a single room there.
The Israelis and the Palestinian Authority had been involved in ongoing talks to try to get the 17 to be transferred to Jericho, on the West Bank, where they would come under custody of the Palestinian Authority, and that would be a way of easing Israel's siege of Yasser Arafat and also easing the way for the Israelis to hand over Ramallah, the Palestinian's administrative headquarters in the west Bank, to hand over Ramallah, to the authority of Yasser Arafat or the Palestinian Authority in the town.
Now, that has gone by the board, and we're back to stage one. What has happened is that perhaps the tension has gone out of the situation. The militants are again free to move around in the compound.
They have also given up their threat to end their truce and to go back to attacking Israelis, or, for their organization to do that. They've ended that.
But, at the same time, there's been a challenge to Yasser Arafat's situation and the Palestinians attempt to alleviate the situation now must start again from scratch.
So, a complicated situation ending back at square one.
CALLEBS: OK, Jerrold Kessel, as always a fluid situation in the Middle East. Thanks very much for the update.
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Militants>
Aired August 3, 2003 - 10:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: On the West Bank there's word Palestinian officials have resolved the dispute involving a group of militants being held in Yasser Arafat's compound.
CNN's Jerrold Kessel has more from Jerusalem.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sean, the standoff between Palestinian militants and loyalists of Yasser Arafat within the Palestinian Authority president's beleaguered compound on the West Bank threatened to be a very uncomfortable, even an ugly, situation for the Palestinian leadership.
The seventeen militants who are sought by Israel on their -- on Israel's wanted list -- for allegedly being involved in planning or promoting attacks against Israeli's -- refused to go -- to be transferred to another Palestinian city, and they were then held at gunpoint by loyalists of the Palestinian Authority president yesterday morning, Saturday morning, within the compound, confined to a single room there.
The Israelis and the Palestinian Authority had been involved in ongoing talks to try to get the 17 to be transferred to Jericho, on the West Bank, where they would come under custody of the Palestinian Authority, and that would be a way of easing Israel's siege of Yasser Arafat and also easing the way for the Israelis to hand over Ramallah, the Palestinian's administrative headquarters in the west Bank, to hand over Ramallah, to the authority of Yasser Arafat or the Palestinian Authority in the town.
Now, that has gone by the board, and we're back to stage one. What has happened is that perhaps the tension has gone out of the situation. The militants are again free to move around in the compound.
They have also given up their threat to end their truce and to go back to attacking Israelis, or, for their organization to do that. They've ended that.
But, at the same time, there's been a challenge to Yasser Arafat's situation and the Palestinians attempt to alleviate the situation now must start again from scratch.
So, a complicated situation ending back at square one.
CALLEBS: OK, Jerrold Kessel, as always a fluid situation in the Middle East. Thanks very much for the update.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Militants>
