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CNN Saturday Morning News
Palestinians, World Leaders Are Denouncing Israel's Threat to Remove Yasser Arafat
Aired September 13, 2003 - 07:59 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: More now on the furor over Yasser Arafat. Palestinians and world leaders are denouncing Israel's threat to remove the Palestinian leader. Israeli leaders say Arafat is an obstacle to peace and they're defending their decision.
For more now, let's go live to Jerusalem, where our Fionnuala Sweeney is following the tensions -- good morning to you, Fionnuala.
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi.
Indeed, as you say, the Israelis defending their position. The Israeli government spokesman, a senior adviser to the prime minister, Ariel Sharon, Ra'anan Gissin, giving this statement to CNN some time ago, saying, "What are they crying about?," a reference to the international community. He says, "We are defending ourselves according to U.N. Article 51, which is the right to self-defense." Going on to quote him, "No international organization is defending Israel. No one except for Israel is defending Israel. We have no other choice. Arafat is the main obstacle to peace and that is why we've decided in principle to expel him."
Well, the object of their intention, Yasser Arafat, was in Ramallah, where he has been holed up now for more than a year. And he greeted supporters today waving to them. He had a number of meetings with visiting diplomats earlier in the day and he said that Israel was trying to eradicate Palestinian self-rule and repeated that he had no intention of leaving Ramallah, the West Bank.
Also in Ramallah, there were demonstrations by thousands of Palestinians in support of Yasser Arafat and against that Israeli security cabinet decision Thursday evening to, at some point, remove Yasser Arafat.
Also, we understand clashes, small clashes taking place in the West Bank city of Nablus between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers and also demonstrations in the West Bank town of Jenin.
This, of course, all happening on a day of the 10th anniversary of the Oslo Peace Accords signing in the Clinton administration at the White House. Those signatories there hoping for a better future and on that day is a day, indeed, just days before, that the decision to expel Yasser Arafat had been taken.
Many here in Israel saying that the Oslo Accords were doomed from the start and the -- for their part, the Palestinians are saying that they want to see the road map to peace implemented.
And I should just add, Heidi, that there was a meeting between the senior Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erakat, also today, and the Bush administration envoy to the region, John Wolf, at which John Wolf reiterated the American position that they wanted to see a strong Palestinian cabinet, a credible Palestinian government, a clampdown on security -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Very strong demands, indeed.
All right, Fionnuala Sweeney, we appreciate your time this morning, live from Jerusalem today.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
to Remove Yasser Arafat>
Aired September 13, 2003 - 07:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: More now on the furor over Yasser Arafat. Palestinians and world leaders are denouncing Israel's threat to remove the Palestinian leader. Israeli leaders say Arafat is an obstacle to peace and they're defending their decision.
For more now, let's go live to Jerusalem, where our Fionnuala Sweeney is following the tensions -- good morning to you, Fionnuala.
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi.
Indeed, as you say, the Israelis defending their position. The Israeli government spokesman, a senior adviser to the prime minister, Ariel Sharon, Ra'anan Gissin, giving this statement to CNN some time ago, saying, "What are they crying about?," a reference to the international community. He says, "We are defending ourselves according to U.N. Article 51, which is the right to self-defense." Going on to quote him, "No international organization is defending Israel. No one except for Israel is defending Israel. We have no other choice. Arafat is the main obstacle to peace and that is why we've decided in principle to expel him."
Well, the object of their intention, Yasser Arafat, was in Ramallah, where he has been holed up now for more than a year. And he greeted supporters today waving to them. He had a number of meetings with visiting diplomats earlier in the day and he said that Israel was trying to eradicate Palestinian self-rule and repeated that he had no intention of leaving Ramallah, the West Bank.
Also in Ramallah, there were demonstrations by thousands of Palestinians in support of Yasser Arafat and against that Israeli security cabinet decision Thursday evening to, at some point, remove Yasser Arafat.
Also, we understand clashes, small clashes taking place in the West Bank city of Nablus between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers and also demonstrations in the West Bank town of Jenin.
This, of course, all happening on a day of the 10th anniversary of the Oslo Peace Accords signing in the Clinton administration at the White House. Those signatories there hoping for a better future and on that day is a day, indeed, just days before, that the decision to expel Yasser Arafat had been taken.
Many here in Israel saying that the Oslo Accords were doomed from the start and the -- for their part, the Palestinians are saying that they want to see the road map to peace implemented.
And I should just add, Heidi, that there was a meeting between the senior Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erakat, also today, and the Bush administration envoy to the region, John Wolf, at which John Wolf reiterated the American position that they wanted to see a strong Palestinian cabinet, a credible Palestinian government, a clampdown on security -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Very strong demands, indeed.
All right, Fionnuala Sweeney, we appreciate your time this morning, live from Jerusalem today.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
to Remove Yasser Arafat>
