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CNN Live Sunday

More Violence Shakes Middle East

Aired March 17, 2002 - 18:09   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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: In Bahrain earlier today, Vice President Cheney talked about the violence between Israelis and Palestinians. He said he hopes both sides agree to a cease-fire by the time he arrives tomorrow in Israel. While more violence shakes the region, the U.S. is pushing hard for peace. The story from CNN's Sheila MacVicar.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was just lunchtime in the Israeli town of Kafar Sabba (ph), north of Tel Aviv, when a Palestinian gunman opened fire. The restaurants and streets were crowded. A teenage girl was killed, nine others wounded.

An hour later, an Israeli suburb of East Jerusalem, a suicide bomber, with what police described as a large explosive device, detonated his bomb next to the #22 bus.

FIL KLEINMAN, JERUSALEM POLICE: As the bus (UNINTELLIGIBLE) red light, the suicide bomber runs toward the bus and blows himself up outside the bus, between the bus and (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MACVICAR: The bomber died. There were no other serious injuries. More terror in Israel, but this time it seems Israel will hold its retaliatory fire.

RANAN GISSIN, SHARON ADVISER: We can't sit back and play dead when somebody is attacking us, but we will not engage in any initiated military activity in the air, for example, or on the ground, except for those actions where we have pending attacks.

MACVICAR: Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said again on Sunday, a cease-fire was his government's number one priority, and there is no sense that this violence threatens to derail those already complex negotiations.

When General Zinni met later on Sunday with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, he told him again that he must take responsibility and act against terror. Palestinian negotiators say they want to help the general help them.

SAEB EREKAT, CHIEF PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATOR: I think it's time to exert every possible effort to stop the killings of Palestinians and Israelis, and I believe as Palestinians as President Arafat told General Zinni tonight, the Palestinian side is willing to help in any way possible to insure the success of the Zinni mission.

MACVICAR: There are many sticking points. Israeli tanks remain in the heart of the Palestinian city of Bethlehem. The Palestinians say they must leave. The Israelis say that if they leave, they must have assurances Palestinian security forces will prevent attacks on neighboring Jerusalem suburbs.

(on camera): The language is cautious, the process described as very delicate and difficult, but it seems some small progress has been made, progress that would be derailed by a major terrorist attack or Israeli military strike. The next step, separate meetings for Israeli and Palestinian security chiefs, to begin to find some of the technical answers to some very complex questions.

Sheila MacVicar, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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