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CNN Sunday Morning

Israel Threatens to Expel Arafat

Aired September 07, 2003 - 07:29   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.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says leaders of the militant group Hamas are marked for death and Hamas is responding, saying Israel's failed attack on its revered founder has "opened the gates of hell." Adding to the tensions, Israel is threatening to expel Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat after a bitter power struggle led to the resignation of his prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas. The resignation leaves Israel now and the U.S. without a negotiating partner in the so-called road map to peace.
Let's go ahead and get some perspective now from a veteran newsman in the region.

CNN's Jerrold Kessel is in Jerusalem this morning with more on this developing story -- Jerrold, let's talk for a moment, if we could, about the future of Yasser Arafat.

Mahmoud Abbas has said at least one of the reasons why he resigned is because of how incredibly, I would say, constraining Arafat has been to what he has been trying to get done in the region.

Who can work with Arafat?

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think it's a big question, Heidi, and I think it's probably the question Yasser Arafat, if he allows himself to, will be mulling over in his own mind, because he really is on the rack this morning as he decides on his options.

On one hand, he could say to himself, you know, I've done, I've outstayed the Israelis and the Americans, who tried to sideline me and make me what they call irrelevant. Here I am right in the center of things, calling the shots. I'm more relevant than ever. That certainly is true.

But then what does Yasser Arafat do? And his options are to appoint somebody who can go along with the Israelis in negotiations, work with the United States and work down that peace road. Otherwise he has no other options. And that is -- Yasser Arafat has to answer the question that's always been posed to him by Israel, by the United States, even by some of the Europeans, that he is an obstructionist to peace rather than helping the peace process.

What he does over the next 48 hours, who he appoints to be the prime minister in the place of Mahmoud Abbas could be the telling factor for Yasser Arafat. Is he really going to work for peace or is he really going to prove those who say he's an obstructionist to peace? A telling moment for the Palestinian leader, especially as the Israelis are now talking more and more about the idea -- an old idea for some Israelis -- of expelling him -- Heidi.

COLLINS: And we have also heard quite a bit from Israel even today, and saying that the only way to peace now is through the complete extinction of Hamas. That brings me to the question of this latest attack on the spiritual leader of Hamas, Yassin.

Tell us about your perspective on that.

KESSEL: Yes, I think it's a very interesting thing that the Israelis have got into an out and out hold, no holds barred war with the Hamas leadership. After this attack yesterday on Sheikh Yassin and on the other top Hamas men -- Israel says they were plotting a new wave of terror attacks. We have no way of knowing whether that's true or not. But, clearly, the Israelis are in no mind to be put off by the fact that they didn't kill either Sheikh Yassin or others.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said this morning in an Israeli newspaper, the leading newspaper, "Yediot Ahronot," he said the Hamas leaders are all marked men, they will get not a moment's rest, we shall go after them, it's either them or us. That is very much the Israeli mood.

But the Israelis are bound to say that they're against Hamas. They do not want an out and out war with the Palestinians as a whole or with the Palestinian Authority. It's against Hamas that they're targeting.

Can they keep it to that? That's the big questions. Would, if they had killed Sheikh Yassin, would it have exploded into a no holds barred confrontation between the Israelis and Palestinians? That's the risk the Israelis were taking.

COLLINS: And, quickly, Jerrold, tell us, if you could, a little bit about what you see as the political or the military options now that both sides have in this.

KESSEL: Well, it's very bleak, indeed. I think you could say that those two events yesterday, the resignation of Mr. Abbas in Ramallah, the Israeli strike against Hamas, whether it was intended to wipe out the Hamas leadership or only to send them a warning or not, those two events have meant a quantum leap towards the edge of a precipice of a no holds barred war between Israelis and Palestinians. And really the only thing standing in the way of that is some kind of major new diplomatic effort by the United States, by the international community. But it seems difficult to perceive of that happening if there is no viable Palestinian leadership -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, CNN's Jerrold Kessel live for us from Jerusalem this morning.

Jerrold, thank you so very 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 September 7, 2003 - 07:29   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says leaders of the militant group Hamas are marked for death and Hamas is responding, saying Israel's failed attack on its revered founder has "opened the gates of hell." Adding to the tensions, Israel is threatening to expel Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat after a bitter power struggle led to the resignation of his prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas. The resignation leaves Israel now and the U.S. without a negotiating partner in the so-called road map to peace.
Let's go ahead and get some perspective now from a veteran newsman in the region.

CNN's Jerrold Kessel is in Jerusalem this morning with more on this developing story -- Jerrold, let's talk for a moment, if we could, about the future of Yasser Arafat.

Mahmoud Abbas has said at least one of the reasons why he resigned is because of how incredibly, I would say, constraining Arafat has been to what he has been trying to get done in the region.

Who can work with Arafat?

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think it's a big question, Heidi, and I think it's probably the question Yasser Arafat, if he allows himself to, will be mulling over in his own mind, because he really is on the rack this morning as he decides on his options.

On one hand, he could say to himself, you know, I've done, I've outstayed the Israelis and the Americans, who tried to sideline me and make me what they call irrelevant. Here I am right in the center of things, calling the shots. I'm more relevant than ever. That certainly is true.

But then what does Yasser Arafat do? And his options are to appoint somebody who can go along with the Israelis in negotiations, work with the United States and work down that peace road. Otherwise he has no other options. And that is -- Yasser Arafat has to answer the question that's always been posed to him by Israel, by the United States, even by some of the Europeans, that he is an obstructionist to peace rather than helping the peace process.

What he does over the next 48 hours, who he appoints to be the prime minister in the place of Mahmoud Abbas could be the telling factor for Yasser Arafat. Is he really going to work for peace or is he really going to prove those who say he's an obstructionist to peace? A telling moment for the Palestinian leader, especially as the Israelis are now talking more and more about the idea -- an old idea for some Israelis -- of expelling him -- Heidi.

COLLINS: And we have also heard quite a bit from Israel even today, and saying that the only way to peace now is through the complete extinction of Hamas. That brings me to the question of this latest attack on the spiritual leader of Hamas, Yassin.

Tell us about your perspective on that.

KESSEL: Yes, I think it's a very interesting thing that the Israelis have got into an out and out hold, no holds barred war with the Hamas leadership. After this attack yesterday on Sheikh Yassin and on the other top Hamas men -- Israel says they were plotting a new wave of terror attacks. We have no way of knowing whether that's true or not. But, clearly, the Israelis are in no mind to be put off by the fact that they didn't kill either Sheikh Yassin or others.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said this morning in an Israeli newspaper, the leading newspaper, "Yediot Ahronot," he said the Hamas leaders are all marked men, they will get not a moment's rest, we shall go after them, it's either them or us. That is very much the Israeli mood.

But the Israelis are bound to say that they're against Hamas. They do not want an out and out war with the Palestinians as a whole or with the Palestinian Authority. It's against Hamas that they're targeting.

Can they keep it to that? That's the big questions. Would, if they had killed Sheikh Yassin, would it have exploded into a no holds barred confrontation between the Israelis and Palestinians? That's the risk the Israelis were taking.

COLLINS: And, quickly, Jerrold, tell us, if you could, a little bit about what you see as the political or the military options now that both sides have in this.

KESSEL: Well, it's very bleak, indeed. I think you could say that those two events yesterday, the resignation of Mr. Abbas in Ramallah, the Israeli strike against Hamas, whether it was intended to wipe out the Hamas leadership or only to send them a warning or not, those two events have meant a quantum leap towards the edge of a precipice of a no holds barred war between Israelis and Palestinians. And really the only thing standing in the way of that is some kind of major new diplomatic effort by the United States, by the international community. But it seems difficult to perceive of that happening if there is no viable Palestinian leadership -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, CNN's Jerrold Kessel live for us from Jerusalem this morning.

Jerrold, thank you so very 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