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CNN Saturday Morning News

Israeli Gunships Strike Palestinian Security Positions

Aired May 19, 2001 - 08:01   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Israeli helicopter gunships have again struck at Palestinian security positions in further retaliation for Friday's suicide bombing outside an Israeli shopping mall.

For the latest now, CNN's Sheila MacVicar joins us live from Jerusalem.

Sheila, I've seen your reports. It's pretty chilling.

SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kyra.

Yesterday was truly a dreadful day in the Middle East, with now as of the most recent clashes that have taken place in Nablus, 21 in total dead. There have been new helicopter gun ship attacks over the West Bank. Israeli helicopter gun ships in action over the West Bank towns of Jenine and Tulkarem today. Tulkarem, the home of that Palestinian suicide bomber who blew himself up, killing himself and five other Israelis in the coastal town of Netanya yesterday.

The targets today, as they were last night, are Palestinian security headquarters. The Palestinian Red Crescent reports that 29 people in the town of Tulkarem, many of them apparently civilians, have been wounded, one more seriously wounded.

Now, those attacks follow on after last night's reprisal raids, raids that came just hours after the suicide bomb attack in Netanya. We had Israeli F-16s, war planes in flight in action over the West Bank towns of Nablus and over Gaza last night. Now, the use of those war planes has come in for some pretty heavy condemnation from around the world. The use of, they're being called by the Egyptian foreign minister as an escalatory act of war. There have been calls of restraint from other quarters, too.

But this morning we have in Nablus the aftermath of yesterday's attack on a Palestinian police station there, an attack which left 11 Palestinian policemen dead. Tens of thousands of people have marched through the streets of Nablus this morning, chanting, "Revenge! Revenge!" and saying a million of us will march to Jerusalem. And there are reports now that there is one man dead in clashes with Israeli soldiers following those funerals -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Sheila, Secretary of State Colin Powell came out and made a statement, contacted the prime minister of Israel. What's the response been to that? MACVICAR: Well, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell yesterday called for an immediate and unconditional end to all violence. Now, just a little while ago the Palestinian minister of information, Yasser Abed Rabbo, issued his statement, basically accusing the Americans of being responsible for escalating the violence because, he said, the statement by Secretary of State Powell was simply not strong enough. He says they need more, that the United States must be more actively engaged, say the Palestinians, in pressuring the Israelis.

We've also had a statement this morning from Israel's Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Mr. Peres' statement is saying that the latest attacks today have passed all limits, that is a reference to the suicide bombing yesterday in Netanya. They are also saying if there is no initiation, if there is no Palestinian action, then there will be no Israeli retaliation -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Sheila MacVicar live from Jerusalem, thanks so much.

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