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CNN Saturday Morning News

Tensions Erupt in Beit Hanun

Aired December 15, 2001 - 08:13   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: Well, the United States has vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that called for a halt to the violence in the Middle East. The measure also would have established an international monitoring mechanism to protect Palestinians. The U.S. says the resolution failed to note terrorist attacks on Israel or name the organizations responsible. The U.S. ambassador says it's Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's responsibility to take a stand against terrorism.

The resolution was vetoed this morning as tensions continue to rise between Israeli and Palestinians.

Our Chris Burns is in Jerusalem with Israeli reaction to this morning's developments -- hi, again, Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, hi, Kyra.

Before I get to that, definitely these tensions exploding in the streets of Beit Hanun. That is in the Gaza Strip. That is a Palestinian town where Israeli tanks and armed forces moved in before dawn today, as part of their crackdown to seek out Palestinian militants and their weapons in the wake of a wave of attacks that have left dozens of Israelis dead.

Now, this incursion into that town sparked a Palestinian protest. According to our people on the ground there, thousands of Palestinians came to protest, some of them exchanging fire with those Israeli forces. At last word, four Palestinians are dead, 48 are wounded, among those four critically. So the death toll could mount.

Another incident overnight was in Gush Katif, a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip where Israeli forces say that a Palestinian with explosives strapped to him cut through a fence and was trying to enter when they shot him dead.

So those tensions remain high. Of course, this in the wake also of air strikes overnight that targeted some of Arafat's 417. That is his elite bodyguard unit.

Of course, this U.N. resolution being an attempt, perhaps a desperate attempt, to try to stop this violence, calling for an end to the violence, calling for monitoring, international monitoring that the Palestinians have been pushing for for quite a long time. The Israelis opposed to that. The Israelis saying that such a resolution would have taken the pressure off of Arafat to crack down on the militants.

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RA'ANAN GISSIN, SHARON SPOKESMAN: This is a clear statement and vote against duplicity, double standard and terrorism and a vote of confident support of an embattled democracy defending itself against terrorism.

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BURNS: The Palestinians come back, of course, and say that this is, these Israeli actions in the last few days are continued collective punishment against the Palestinians by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAEB ERAKAT, CHIEF PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATOR: It's very, very unfortunate to hear this American veto, to veto a resolution calling for the immediate end of violence. The American veto should have been used against Sharon's occupation, aggressions and settlement activities. At the same time, the veto was being used, Israeli tanks were resuming occupation in Beit Hanun in Gaza and Beit Jala (ph) and many parts of Ramallah.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: The American mediation effort, meanwhile, appears to have run aground. The U.S. mediator, Anthony Zinni, is spending the weekend in Jordan and Egypt. His future plans unclear -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Chris Burns.

And I know we'll be hearing from both sides live coming up pretty soon here outside of Jerusalem.

Thanks so much, Chris Burns. Appreciate it.

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