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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview with Joshua Hammer
Aired September 06, 2003 - 07:41 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 CORRESPONDENT: Well, the uncertainty over the U.S.-backed Mideast peace plan increased today with the resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. At least he handed in his resignation. Abbas has had differences with Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat and his government was facing a no confidence vote.
Now, joining us right now on the telephone to talk about the ramifications of Abbas's decision to try and step down is "Newsweek's" Jerusalem bureau chief, Joshua Hammer.
Joshua, thanks very much for taking some time away from your reporting to join us.
JOSHUA HAMMER, "NEWSWEEK" JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: You're welcome.
CALLEBS: I guess first bring us up to date. Has Arafat accepted Mahmoud Abbas's resignation?
HAMMER: My understanding is that he has. I'm in Jerusalem. I don't have the latest that's actually coming out of Ramallah right now. Certainly the prime minister delivered the letter to Arafat this morning and then addressed the legislature in a closed door session and handed in his resignation. I don't have the latest developments on whether or not Arafat has accepted it. I believe he has.
CALLEBS: But that is the latest now?
HAMMER: I would assume he has, yes.
CALLEBS: Well, Joshua, tell us what this does to the U.S.-led peace plan. By all accounts, it is virtually going to derail it.
HAMMER: Well, I would say that the peace plan was already a shambles, even before this development. Arafat was -- had clearly gained the upper hand in this ongoing power struggle with Abbas. The U.S. simply does not have -- it refuses to recognize Arafat's power, refuses continuously, or has refused to acknowledge that he is not only the symbolic leader of the Palestinian people, but effectively the popular leader of the Palestinian people and the executive, the one who makes the decisions in Palestinian society.
This, more than anything else, has really crippled the road map and the downfall of Abbas essentially means that the U.S. has a choice. It can either search for some new leader and prop somebody else up in the vacuum or recognize Arafat, recognize that a deal has to be done with Arafat and hold its nose and proceed.
Of course, we all know that's not going to happen because the American government has said time and time again -- in fact, Sharon, in terms of isolating and marginalizing Arafat. So it's a real dilemma.
CALLEBS: Well, tell us how the emotions have changed there since May, when Abbas, as well as Ariel Sharon, shared the stage that one morning and now things have just collapsed in four months.
HAMMER: In June, the summit in Aqaba, which you're referring to, initiated a real period of optimism in this part of the world. There were also, at the very beginning, some substantial changes on the ground. You had a cease-fire with the radicals. You had the lightening up of some checkpoints and an easing of the burdens that Palestinians have shared under Israeli occupation. There was -- people began to talk of the hudna holiday, referring to the cease- fire.
All of that is now history. Everything has collapsed. We're right back to the pattern of revenge and retaliation and killing and violence that we've had for the last three years, and nobody can figure out a way to get out of it.
CALLEBS: OK, Joshua Hammer, a pretty bleak picture you're painting there from Jerusalem, the bureau chief of "Newsweek" there.
Thanks very much for joining us this morning.
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 6, 2003 - 07:41 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the uncertainty over the U.S.-backed Mideast peace plan increased today with the resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. At least he handed in his resignation. Abbas has had differences with Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat and his government was facing a no confidence vote.
Now, joining us right now on the telephone to talk about the ramifications of Abbas's decision to try and step down is "Newsweek's" Jerusalem bureau chief, Joshua Hammer.
Joshua, thanks very much for taking some time away from your reporting to join us.
JOSHUA HAMMER, "NEWSWEEK" JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: You're welcome.
CALLEBS: I guess first bring us up to date. Has Arafat accepted Mahmoud Abbas's resignation?
HAMMER: My understanding is that he has. I'm in Jerusalem. I don't have the latest that's actually coming out of Ramallah right now. Certainly the prime minister delivered the letter to Arafat this morning and then addressed the legislature in a closed door session and handed in his resignation. I don't have the latest developments on whether or not Arafat has accepted it. I believe he has.
CALLEBS: But that is the latest now?
HAMMER: I would assume he has, yes.
CALLEBS: Well, Joshua, tell us what this does to the U.S.-led peace plan. By all accounts, it is virtually going to derail it.
HAMMER: Well, I would say that the peace plan was already a shambles, even before this development. Arafat was -- had clearly gained the upper hand in this ongoing power struggle with Abbas. The U.S. simply does not have -- it refuses to recognize Arafat's power, refuses continuously, or has refused to acknowledge that he is not only the symbolic leader of the Palestinian people, but effectively the popular leader of the Palestinian people and the executive, the one who makes the decisions in Palestinian society.
This, more than anything else, has really crippled the road map and the downfall of Abbas essentially means that the U.S. has a choice. It can either search for some new leader and prop somebody else up in the vacuum or recognize Arafat, recognize that a deal has to be done with Arafat and hold its nose and proceed.
Of course, we all know that's not going to happen because the American government has said time and time again -- in fact, Sharon, in terms of isolating and marginalizing Arafat. So it's a real dilemma.
CALLEBS: Well, tell us how the emotions have changed there since May, when Abbas, as well as Ariel Sharon, shared the stage that one morning and now things have just collapsed in four months.
HAMMER: In June, the summit in Aqaba, which you're referring to, initiated a real period of optimism in this part of the world. There were also, at the very beginning, some substantial changes on the ground. You had a cease-fire with the radicals. You had the lightening up of some checkpoints and an easing of the burdens that Palestinians have shared under Israeli occupation. There was -- people began to talk of the hudna holiday, referring to the cease- fire.
All of that is now history. Everything has collapsed. We're right back to the pattern of revenge and retaliation and killing and violence that we've had for the last three years, and nobody can figure out a way to get out of it.
CALLEBS: OK, Joshua Hammer, a pretty bleak picture you're painting there from Jerusalem, the bureau chief of "Newsweek" there.
Thanks very much for joining us this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
