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CNN Live Sunday
Israeli Pullout Follows Palestinian Ceasefire
Aired June 29, 2003 - 16:10 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Lots of developments today in the Middle East. Israeli troops began pulling out of Gaza just hours after some militant -- Palestinian militant groups announced a cessation of all violence for several months.
CNN's Jerrold Kessel joins us from along Israel's border with Gaza with more -- Jerrold.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, the Israeli force is now out of north Gaza other than a very small unit that remains, that according to Israeli military sources, and that means that the first stage of the implementation of that long-awaited roadmap for peace initiated by President Bush some three weeks ago at Aqaba, is now seriously on the road. There have been two major developments today. That is the declaration by Palestinian militant groups, the two Islamic groups, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas, pronouncing that they will cease their military activities for three months.
The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade of the mainstream al-Fatah movement, saying that they will stop their attacks for six months. And alongside this, the first stage of the implementation of this agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority for the transfer of areas which Israel had reoccupied in Gaza and down the line also in the West Bank in the town of Bethlehem and Palestinian security to come in.
Well, it was earlier this evening here along the Israel-Gaza border that those first steps took place. And the steps are in the form of the convoy of Israeli forces. A battalion strength, including a few tanks, armored personnel carriers, and armored bulldozers, like the ones here behind me, pulling out with a small infantry unit as well, pulling out from a part of northern Gaza where Israel had gone in to reoccupation some two months ago to stop the rocketing of an Israeli town in southern Israel from that part of northern Gaza.
That was the first stage of this implementation. All afternoon there was to and froing of military vehicles as they made the preparations for this Israeli pullback. And this will enable Palestinian security forces to assume control in the parts of Gaza along the main road that runs from north to south along the Gaza Strip and free up Palestinian traffic, which will no longer be subject to Israeli controls. That's if everything goes well by tomorrow, the first stage of the implementation of this roadmap for peace -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jerrold Kessel, thanks very much. And we'll evaluate what all of this means in a moment.
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 June 29, 2003 - 16:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Lots of developments today in the Middle East. Israeli troops began pulling out of Gaza just hours after some militant -- Palestinian militant groups announced a cessation of all violence for several months.
CNN's Jerrold Kessel joins us from along Israel's border with Gaza with more -- Jerrold.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, the Israeli force is now out of north Gaza other than a very small unit that remains, that according to Israeli military sources, and that means that the first stage of the implementation of that long-awaited roadmap for peace initiated by President Bush some three weeks ago at Aqaba, is now seriously on the road. There have been two major developments today. That is the declaration by Palestinian militant groups, the two Islamic groups, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas, pronouncing that they will cease their military activities for three months.
The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade of the mainstream al-Fatah movement, saying that they will stop their attacks for six months. And alongside this, the first stage of the implementation of this agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority for the transfer of areas which Israel had reoccupied in Gaza and down the line also in the West Bank in the town of Bethlehem and Palestinian security to come in.
Well, it was earlier this evening here along the Israel-Gaza border that those first steps took place. And the steps are in the form of the convoy of Israeli forces. A battalion strength, including a few tanks, armored personnel carriers, and armored bulldozers, like the ones here behind me, pulling out with a small infantry unit as well, pulling out from a part of northern Gaza where Israel had gone in to reoccupation some two months ago to stop the rocketing of an Israeli town in southern Israel from that part of northern Gaza.
That was the first stage of this implementation. All afternoon there was to and froing of military vehicles as they made the preparations for this Israeli pullback. And this will enable Palestinian security forces to assume control in the parts of Gaza along the main road that runs from north to south along the Gaza Strip and free up Palestinian traffic, which will no longer be subject to Israeli controls. That's if everything goes well by tomorrow, the first stage of the implementation of this roadmap for peace -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jerrold Kessel, thanks very much. And we'll evaluate what all of this means in a moment.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
