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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Will Islamic Militants Sabotage Middle East Peace Deal?; Workers Clean Up Jenin Refugee Camp
Aired April 16, 2002 - 17:00 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.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Now, on a special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, LIVE FROM JERUSALEM: Time is running out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: I think we're making progress and look forward to proving it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: But, will Islamic militants do their best to sabotage any peace deal? I'll ask one of the founders of Hamas.
Aid workers say it looks like an earthquake zone. We will take you inside the Jenin refugee camp.
They have been flying around the clock since September 11. Is it time for them to stand down?
And big payoff, big odds, Big Game: They are lining up for the lottery.
It's independence day here in Israel, normally a joyous time. But, it's hard for many of the citizens in this country to be very joyous celebrating Israel's 54th year of independence right now. Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting live from Jerusalem
The secretary of state has been trying desperately to achieve some sort of breakthrough in the tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, but at this hour, there's no guarantee he will emerge following nine days of negotiations with much on hand. At the same time, later this hour, I will speak with one of the founders of a militant Palestinian group that doesn't believe there should be any Jewish state in this part of the world. But first, this Mideast "News Alert."
Secretary of State Colin Powell insists he is making headway, but he may not be able to pull out a cease-fire from his Middle East negotiations. Powell met once again today with the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, seeking a timetable for a West Bank withdrawal. He will see the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, tomorrow, hoping for a commitment to stop suicide bombings. Powell will then move on to Egypt. While Israel says its West Bank campaign is winding down, tanks and troops moved into Palestinian suburbs of east Jerusalem earlier today. A curfew was declared, keeping tens of thousands of people in their homes. Military sources say the incursion stemmed from reports that terror attacks would be launched from those areas.
There has been heavy gunfire at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity. Up to 200 armed Palestinians and dozens of church workers are holed up inside, surrounded by Israeli troops. Prime Minister Sharon says Palestinians have rejected a proposal to end that siege. He made it clear Israeli troops won't leave Bethlehem until the standoff is resolved.
The fiercest battle in this West Bank war was at the Jenin refugee camp. The smoke has long since cleared, but the death toll is far from clear. Palestinians say hundreds were massacred. Israel says dozens were killed in the fighting. Some bodies have been recovered from the rubble, which international relief workers liken to a quake zone.
And perhaps you can hear some of the fireworks going on in the background. Fireworks throughout this city, fireworks designed to celebrate Israel's 54th year of independence. Nothing sinister in those fireworks, but the secretary of state, Colin Powell, is hoping to wrap up his mission to this part of the world with something tangible. But as he prepares to leave, there are many doubts what, if anything, he will have in his hand.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Colin Powell and Ariel Sharon were all smiles at the start of their third meeting since the secretary's arrival in Jerusalem last Thursday night.
POWELL: We're making progress and look forward to proving it over the next 24 hours. But I don't want to get into specifics as to what I'm able to achieve and unable to achieve.
BLITZER: Since the moment he arrived here, he's been trying to achieve an Israeli/Palestinian cease-fire. But that no longer seems realistic. Powell said he was looking forward to his meeting Wednesday with Yasser Arafat, their second round of talks.
Like the first round on Sunday, Powell will drive to Arafat's besieged headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah. U.S. officials are hoping this second meeting will lead to a strongly worded Palestinian pledge to renounce terrorism. They're also hoping Powell will be able to pin down Sharon on a specific timetable for a full withdraw from West Bank territories recently reoccupied by the Israeli military.
The secretary did find time to squeeze in a meeting with Israeli opposition political figures, who have been critical of Sharon's tough stance. Powell will leave Jerusalem Wednesday for Cairo before heading back to Washington. Meanwhile, the Israeli Defense Force released pictures of Monday's arrest of top Palestinian official Marwan Barghouti. The secretary-general of Yasser Arafat's Fatah group is accused by Israel of having links to the recent wave of suicide bombings. Barghouti is still being held in Israeli custody.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(on camera): Joining us now, CNN state department correspondent Andrea Koppel, who is traveling with the secretary. Andrea, realistically, what are aides telling you? What do they believe the secretary of state will be able to achieve?
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Realistically, Wolf, they are not terribly optimistic. They believe that the best that they'll get out of this is perhaps a commitment from Yasser Arafat to work towards, you know, a cease-fire; and from Ariel Sharon, a commitment to eventually withdraw, which is what they have right now, and an improvement in the atmosphere so that the next time Powell comes back here, perhaps they'll be able to make more headway then.
BLITZER: It doesn't sound, Andrea, like that's a whole lot for nine days of very, very hard work?
KOPPEL: Well, that's true. I mean, definitely there were high hurdles coming into this trip, Wolf, and low expectations. Nobody had any illusion that this was going to be easy. No one really thought Powell was going to be able to achieve a cease-fire. They just felt that they couldn't afford for him not to come, that the situation had reached such a boiling point, not only here in Israel and in the Palestinian territories, but also within the Arab world. So Powell felt he had to give it a shot.
BLITZER: Will there be any finger pointing, do you sense, Andrea? Will he blame the Israelis more or the Palestinians more for the impasse?
KOPPEL: Publicly, probably not. But privately, it is our understanding, and we should make a distinction between the criticism that we're hearing from state department officials and those around Secretary Powell and others in the White House, the vice president's office and over in the Pentagon.
Secretary Powell's team privately saying that Ariel Sharon should have given that firm commitment to withdraw from all the territories, that it was not reasonable to expect Yasser Arafat to really negotiate while he's under siege. But those back in the White House, as I said, the Pentagon and the vice president's office, really felt that it was Yasser Arafat's position. It was his -- he was the one who needed to reign in the terrorists, and that Ariel Sharon was -- is simply doing what he has to do to fight terrorism, Wolf.
BLITZER: Andrea Koppel, our state department correspondent. We'll have another busy day tomorrow. All of us, indeed, will be busy. Thank you very much for that report. Palestinians say it was a full scale massacre. Israelis insist it was simply tough battles, hard fighting in an area that is contested. We're talking about the Jenin refugee camp, which has been the scene of some intense fighting over these past two weeks. Our Sheila MacVicar went inside there earlier today and filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before the Israeli forces invaded two weeks ago, this was the crowded center of Jenin refugee camp. There were apartment houses on twisting, narrow streets, bustling and busy.
That neighborhood is now gone, erased by Israeli bulldozers, turned into a river of concrete and twisted steel spreading over two city blocks. Everywhere, there is evidence of life interrupted.
The Israeli military say this was the scene of some of the fiercest fighting, and not a neighborhood, they say, but a fortress.
(on camera): This camp, say the Israelis, was the heart of the Palestinian terror infrastructure, and the civilians who lived here, the women and children, they say, were used as shields.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see another explosive device over here, and another one over there, and another one over there.
MACVICAR (voice-over): On Tuesday, the Israeli military took journalists to the camp to show what they say is evidence of a highly- prepared terrorist fighting force. Over and over, they denied Palestinian allegations there had been a massacre here. They say they evacuated civilians. They now claim Israel's military was held off by only 200 Palestinian fighters.
MAJ. RAFI LADERMAN, ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES: We have apprehended 150 of them, and we estimate that the amount of people that killed totally in the camp were about 50. Let's say, to be a bit more accurate, it will be a few dozens of people.
MACVICAR: That is a far cry from Israeli Defense Force claims last week that about 200 Palestinians had died. After a ruling by Israel's high court, the military was required to permit international medical teams to supervise the recovery of the bodies, to try to provide some answers.
How many bodies, how many fighters, how many civilians? No one yet knows. No one even knows how many might be missing. Only a few hundred of the camp's surviving inhabitants are still in their own homes. The rest are scattered and have not yet been counted. It is mostly women and children who are left. Some of them wandered the camp weeping, crying for lost brothers and sons. And they point to that mountain of rubble and say that is where they lie.
Sheila MacVicar, CNN, Jenin refugee camp.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER: Tomorrow morning, Secretary of State Colin Powell will travel to Ramallah for yet another round of talks with the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat. Our Nic Robertson, he's in Ramallah. He joins us now live. Nic, what is happening on the streets of Ramallah right now?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it has been very quiet on the streets of Ramallah today. The reason: a curfew is still in place. Everyone, the residents of this town, are being kept in their homes. They're not allowed out on the streets. There are on the streets patrols by the Israeli army in APCs, tanks, jeeps, out on the streets.
Also, they appear to be going about some of their operations, rounding up people they're arresting. We witnessed this afternoon a group of people being talked to, and two people, we were told, were arrested, two journalists taken away from a broadcasting house inside Ramallah earlier on this afternoon. But the streets, Wolf, very quiet, everyone in their houses here.
BLITZER: And, Nic, what's the mood among Arafat's aides on the eve of this very important meeting tomorrow morning with Colin Powell?
ROBERTSON: Expectations are low. They believe that the Palestinian view is that because they -- Colin Powell has not been able to get Ariel Sharon to agree to a timetable for a withdrawal of the Israeli army from the towns in the West Bank, that for that reason they're not able to move forward on any peace proposal. And all the Palestinian aides are saying now is that they hope that in any statement that Colin Powell may make, that he would in that statement reiterate what President Bush has already said, and that is to call on Ariel Sharon to pull out, that is the Israeli army, from towns in the West Bank.
They also say that they hope that there may be something in that statement regarding economic help and assistance in rebuilding areas such as Jenin and other areas affected in the last few weeks and months. Also, they believe as well that the meetings that Yasser Arafat has had with Colin Powell have in some ways helped to break the isolation.
BLITZER: Nic Robertson in Ramallah. Thank you so much for that report.
And our Web question of the day is this: Do you think there will be peace under Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's watch? You can vote. Go to my Web page, cnn.com/wolf. While you are there, let me know what you're thinking. There's a "click here" icon right on the left side of the page. Send me your comments. I will read some of them on the air each day at the end of our program. That's also, by the way, where you can read my daily online column.
When we come back, a rare glimpse inside the mind of Hamas, a group that doesn't support the normal road towards peace with any Israel.
And later, I will take you on a walking tour of Jerusalem on this Israel independence eve. Wait until you see what happened to me.
And the day's other news, including a horrific crime, siblings who police say admitted killing their six-year-old brother. First, with more on our top story, here's our "News Quiz."
When Israel gained independence in 1948, its population was 806,000. What's its population today: 4.3 million, 5.7 million, 6.5 million, 8.2 million? The answer coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. We'll have much more on what's happening here in the Middle East on the eve of this meeting tomorrow between Secretary of State Colin Powell and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
But first, let's check all the day's other news. Here's Kate Snow in Washington -- Kate.
KATE SNOW, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Wolf.
The Roman Catholic church has released more information about its plan to call America's cardinals to the Vatican next week. A church statement says the conference is aimed at returning security and happiness and trust to the clergy and the faithful. The Vatican says the conference will study reports of child sexual abuse by priests and consider new guidelines. One American Catholic leader says the scandal has hurt both the church and its followers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARDINAL THEODORE MCCARRICK, WASHINGTON ARCHDIOCESE: Now, because of this, I think people are hesitant. Young priests are hesitant to work with children, and that's such a shame because that's what so many children need, to be able to have someone in whom they can trust and whom they can have confidence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: The two-day Vatican conference is scheduled to begin a week from today.
Here's a developing story we're watching in Santa Rosa, California. After three days of deliberations, a jury has reached verdicts on two of three counts in the rape and molestation trial of a Catholic priest. Those verdicts have not yet been announced, and deliberations continue on the third count. Donald Kimball is inactive as a priest, but has not yet been defrocked. He's accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in 1977 and molesting a 13-year-old girl in 1981. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years and four months in prison.
Please join Connie Chung tomorrow evening for more on that story. You can see "FALL FROM GRACE: Crisis in The Church" tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and 5:00 Pacific.
A disturbing story from a suburb outside Dallas: Police say a 15-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy have admitted killing to their little brother. The body of 6-year-old Jackson Carr was found buried in mud in a wooded area about 100 feet from the family home with a puncture in the neck. Police still are investigating the motive, but they have charged the brother and sister with murder. A neighbor says the sister's behavior shocked him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HOUSER, NEIGHBOR: Like she had no earthly idea what had happened to him, when in all reality she knew exactly where he was and exactly what happened to him. So the whole thing, talking to the sister, walking by here and not even knowing that the body was here and this happening in the neighborhood, it is just devastating. I can't believe it. It just blows me away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: Counselors are trying to help the boy's classmates cope with his death.
President Bush says the law should do more for the victims of violent crimes. Today, he endorsed a proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution to guarantee victims' rights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our legal system properly protects the rights of the accused in the Constitution, but it does not provide similar protection for the rights of victims and that must change.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: The proposed amendment would require courts to notify victims of court proceedings, allow victims to be heard during sentencing hearings and require courts to consider restitution claims.
John Walsh, host of "America's Most Wanted", is a longtime advocate of victims' rights. He joins us now to discuss this a little bit further. Thanks for being with us.
I would think that these kind of rights already exist. I would think that victims' families would already have access to the courts and to hearings and to sentencings and things like this. Why doesn't that happen now?
JOHN WALSH, HOST, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": Well, the criminal justice system really should be called the criminal injustice system. Since 1982, I've been testifying before Congress. Back in 1982, President Reagan had a task force on violent crime and crime victims. And that task force recommended a Constitutional amendment, and we still haven't gotten one. Now, the Constitution has been amended 27 times in the history of this country: three times for criminals' rights and never has the word victim been mentioned in any of the Constitutional amendments.
SNOW: Although some on Capitol Hill have said this is a pretty big step, to amend the Constitution. In fact, Senator Leahy has said let's pass a law instead of amending the Constitution.
WALSH: We need a federal Constitutional amendment. I know Senator Leahy and I think he's absolutely dead wrong. If you look at this simple chart right here, here's the scales of justice. Here are all the rights that criminals have federally, on a Constitutional status. Three Constitutional amendments, they got passed. What is Senator Leahy talking about? Here's the rights for victims over here: none. We can't do it state by state. There has to be uniform victims' rights legislation and it needs to be done in a Constitutional amendment.
SNOW: One of the things the ACLU and some others have said about this particular amendment is it is going to allow the federal government to figure out who is a victim sort of ahead of time before a jury even gets to hear a case. Do you worry about that?
WALSH: No. The ACLU is wrong. Did they oppose the three Constitutional amendments for criminals? No. You know, they are talking out of both sides of their mouth. There were 8 million victims of violent crime in this country last year. Now, the ACLU should stick to the facts. Three constitutional amendments for criminal rights. Let's let the victims have the same rights in the courtroom.
SNOW: Talking a little bit about the provision that would allow restitution, that would allow families of victims to get money from the criminal. Does that not already happen? Again, go back to -- you would think that they could already do that in a civil case.
WALSH: Absolutely does not. I don't know if you remember John Wayne Gacy, the clown in Illinois that was on death row for 14 years. He killed 33 boys. Well, while he was in prison, he sold his perverted paintings and t-shirts of him sodomizing and torturing his child victims to perverts around the country and made almost a quarter of a million dollars. That money shouldn't go to criminals. We shouldn't reward people for their horrible acts. That money should go to the victims. It should go to counseling and to the victims.
SNOW: What happens if under these new guidelines, if they were to pass, a victim has to be told of any kind of hearing so they can be there. What happens if the victim or the victim's family doesn't show up? Then do they have to hold the hearing again or how would that work?
WALSH: They should be notified. You're a woman. I've profiled many rapists on "America's Most Wanted." As a matter of fact, a guy who kidnapped a woman, jumped on her chest, broke every bone in her body and slit her throat. And when it came up for his parole hearing, she was never notified. He got out and raped again. The second parole hearing on the second victim, she wasn't notified.
Parole boards need to know, especially for child and women victims, that they should be allowed to testify at those parole hearings. And if they aren't there and if they aren't notified, yes, they should postpone the parole hearing. SNOW: John Walsh, host of "America's Most Wanted", also, of course, a long-time advocate for victims rights. Thanks very much for being with us.
WALSH: Thank you. Tell your viewers to call their Congressmen, particularly Senator Leahy.
SNOW: Thanks so much.
When we return, we will rejoin Wolf Blitzer in Jerusalem. Witness his walking tour that went awry. You will have to wait to see the surprise ending.
Also, scaling back in the skies. Is it wise to end 24-hour patrols over New York and Washington, D.C.?
And it is the big ticket tonight. Is the Big Game worth buying?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SNOW: Wolf Blitzer will be back reporting from Jerusalem in just a moment. But first, our "News Alert."
The U.S. warship damaged by suicide bombers in Yemen is ready to return to service after a year and a half of repairs. The Navy says the USS Cole will leave a Mississippi shipyard on Friday and head back to its home base at Norfolk, Virginia. The attack on the Cole killed 19 Americans in October 2000. Authorities blame followers of Osama bin Laden.
U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan have launched their first major operation since last month's Operation Anaconda. The sweep is aimed at finding Taliban and al Qaeda fugitives in the eastern part of that country. The U.S.-led offensive includes Afghan troops. It is also the first major Afghanistan operation for Britain's Royal Marines.
The Supreme Court today struck down a congressional ban on simulated child pornography. In a 6 to 3 ruling, the justices said the law is too broad. The statutes banned media depiction of child sex including computer-generated images. Critics said the legislation also could be used to ban simulations in mainstream movies, such as "American Beauty," "Traffic" and "Lolita."
Secretary of State Colin Powell held another meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon today. He is scheduled to hold another meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat tomorrow. Powell says he still hopes to work out some sort of agreement before he leaves the Middle East, but he concedes it probably will be something less than a formal cease-fire.
With time running out on Colin Powell's mission to the Middle East, let's go back to Jerusalem and Wolf Blitzer for reaction to the latest developments -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Kate. The Islamic fundamentalist group Hamas has been the focal point often in these tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. Joining me now live from Gaza is one of the founders of Hamas, Ismael Abu Shanab. Mr. Abu Shanab, thanks so much more joining us.
And let me ask you a blunt question. Do you support these suicide bombing attacks against Israeli civilians?
ISMAEL ABU SHANAB, HAMAS FOUNDER: Nobody likes and nobody support killing innocent people. But the Palestinian position is in a self-defense position, that Palestinian who suffer from Israeli occupation and from Israeli military forces, who kill and massacre and assassinate and destroy all of their infrastructure and all of their improprieties, I think they have to expect the Palestinian to react against this.
We have been suffering for more than 35 years of this Israeli brutality and Israeli savageness. And nobody just listen to us.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Mr. Abu Shanab, let me interrupt you for a second and ask you this follow-up question. Do you encourage young people, men and women, to go out, strap themselves with explosives belts and go into a pizzeria or a supermarket and kill, randomly, Israeli civilians?
SHANAB: No. Totally, they do it by their initiative, but impressed and incited by Sharon's plan to kill more Palestinians and by Sharon's soldiers and tanks and airplanes, who kill more Palestinians. And so Palestinians react according the Israeli behavior against their families and their brothers and sons.
BLITZER: Did you support the statement that Yasser Arafat released on Saturday condemning the suicide bombing attack in Jerusalem last Friday?
SHANAB: We support one thing: Israeli full withdrawal from our land. If this is achieved, we support any plan which can get this Israeli occupation to withdraw. We are willing to live in peace.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Mr. Abu Shanab, if Israel were to withdraw completely to the 1967 lines, would then accept an independent Jewish state in this part of the world?
SHANAB: We accept Israeli withdrawal. And we said it many times, that we support Israeli withdrawal to 1967. Sheik Ahmed Yassin declared clear message to the Israelis that he will accept Israeli withdrawal from the 1967 border, with dismantling all Israeli settlements through those borders, and releasing all Palestinian prisoners, and maintaining or letting Palestinians have an independent Palestinian state in these borders.
So we support it. And the Israeli propaganda all the time tries to hide these facts.
BLITZER: Mr. Ismael Abu Shanab, thank you so much for joining us from Gaza and explaining the views of Hamas.
Joining me now is the chief foreign policy adviser to the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, Daniel Ayalon.
Mr. Ayalon, thanks so much for joining us.
He seemed to say that Hamas would support a Jewish state in Israel if Israel were withdraw to the '67 lines. Did you hear him say that?
DANIEL AYALON, SENIOR SHARON FOREIGN POLICY ADVISER: Yes, I did.
Well, I would say that actions speak louder than words. And, right now, they are bent on the destruction of Israel. This is what they say. This is what they teach their people. This is what they teach their children in their textbooks.
There was a plan on the table of withdrawal, where they would have a Palestinian state. And let me remind you, Wolf, that the Palestinian terror began after that. So, you cannot blame us for being over suspicious about their destruction policies.
BLITZER: What do you expect the secretary of state to emerge from this region with tomorrow?
AYALON: Well, we would like to see two things from the Palestinians: first, acceptance of a cease-fire, a meaningful cease- fire; and be in compliance with the Zinni proposals, which is a security plan describing what their responsibilities, how they should fight terror and how should they prevent the violence and incitement.
BLITZER: How can they fight terror when your Israeli military and security forces have basically, what they say destroyed their entire security operation? They have such limited capabilities right now.
AYALON: Well, this is not true. And we see here some ominous signs, where they try, again, to shirk their responsibilities and not to make good on their promises to fight the terror.
First of all, we did not hit their security operations or the security forces. We have in our hand about 356 of them who were engaged in terror. But they still have tens of thousands well equipped, only waiting for an order.
BLITZER: But their security headquarters buildings and the apparatus, the infrastructure, most of those places were destroyed.
AYALON: Right, but they still have the men. They still have the men well equipped. It's a matter of strategic decision, of getting the orders.
One thing they can certainly do, the Palestinian leadership, is stop paying the checks for the Tanzim, which make and perpetrate most of the terror organizations. They should stop the incitement and give orders. There is also a model here in Gaza. We didn't go in Gaza. So, all their apparatus in Gaza is intact. So, if they want to really show seriousness and commitment, they can certainly start working in Gaza.
BLITZER: The U.S. also wants your government, the Israeli government, to withdraw from those areas recently reoccupied. We heard from the prime minister yesterday a commitment to do so within a week, except for Bethlehem and Ramallah. Will that be a complete withdrawal, though, to the positions that existed before two weeks ago?
AYALON: Well, Israel has no intention to stay. We are going to withdraw. We said right from the start we are not there for the duration. We are there for one thing only, is to uproot terror. And we have been doing it in a tremendous success. And we will keep doing it until we make sure the terror doesn't bounce back.
We have a well-planned pullout schedule. And I believe, in a week, as the prime minister mentioned, we will be out of most of the areas, except some flashpoints which we hope to be resolved soon.
BLITZER: All right, Daniel Ayalon, chief foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister Sharon, thanks so much for joining us.
AYALON: Thank you.
BLITZER: Appreciate it very much.
In a moment, we will show you a surprise I encountered here in Jerusalem earlier tonight. And later, Kate Snow will join us once again from Washington. She has some news that pilots patrolling over the nation's capital and New York, they may be getting a break -- what that means for all of us on the ground when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SNOW: For people in many U.S. cities, the sound was both reassuring and ominous in the days after September 11: American fighter jets patrolling the skies, guarding against further terrorist attacks. But CNN has learned that, over the past few days, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, known as NORAD, has discontinued mandatory, around-the-clock air patrols over Washington D.C. and New York City. Continuous air patrols had been flown in those two cities since September 11.
But Pentagon officials say the cost of those deployments and new security measures on the ground to deter potential terrorists make 24- hour air cover unnecessary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICTORIA CLARKE, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS: It's a very different context now, security arrangement, then we had September 10. And you start with better security and screening at airports. You go to hardened doors in cockpits. You go to heightened awareness of passengers and flight attendants and pilots. So it's best to look at the combat air patrols as one piece of a broader security arrangement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: From now on, combat air patrols will be sent up at NORAD's discretion, based on threat conditions.
One person who has flown on a patrol of New York: CNN's Miles O'Brien. Miles joins us now.
Miles, this is a pretty big change. I know, as somebody who lives in Washington D.C., I did find it almost reassuring to have those planes flying overhead. Is there a safety net now? How quickly would they, without these patrols, be able to get up in the sky?
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, even without those 24- by-7 patrols over Washington and New York, there still is a tremendous alert readiness, Kate.
There are 20 locations across the continental United States where a pair of fighters, either F-15s or F-16s, are on what's called alert. And that means, technically, they're supposed to be able to get into the air within 15 minutes after getting the call. Of course, fighter pilots being fighter pilots, there's been a competition there. And, quite frequently, they are in the air as quickly as five minutes.
So, it is a spring-loaded system. And 20 sites is about three times more than the number of sites that were sufficiently capable with that level of alert prior to 9/11. So, there's a lot of capability out there.
SNOW: The Pentagon talked about how there's added security now, and so perhaps not as much need for these patrols. Were there other reasons the you know of going into, factoring into the decision?
O'BRIEN: Well, primarily, the mission has fallen to the National Guard. And this has been a very difficult mission for them to withstand.
The wear and tear on the planes, for one thing -- the plane you just saw me flying in was built when I was a junior in high school. These are some of the older F-15s and F-16s in the inventory. And this flying, three times their normal flying, takes a lot of maintenance and a lot of care. And that taxes the ground crews as well as the equipment, but also the pilots.
The pilots sign up for the Guard in order to live their lives: be with their families, be airline pilots, do other things in their lives. And they have had to sort of resume almost an active-duty status. And the concern is that, over time, fewer and fewer good pilots will volunteer for the Guard, because it won't be as attractive. There's a certain problem with the esprit de corps, if you will.
SNOW: So, with these changes, are we back to the world the way it was before September 11, essentially?
O'BRIEN: Well, I don't think the world will ever be the same, of course.
As they were saying at the Pentagon today, the entire system is spring-loaded for this. Of course, on the day of September 11, FAA controllers, when they saw a commercial aircraft disappear from radar screens, immediately assumed there was a technical problem. Well, that's never going to happen again. The minute they see an aircraft disappear from a radar screen, they are going to scramble those aircraft at those 20 locations.
And, even by then, passengers on board that plane might have stopped it. So, there is a tremendous layering of security which has existed since 9/11. And the fact that they're not doing 24-by-7 combat air patrols is more of a function of it's not necessary than anything else.
SNOW: Miles O'Brien in Atlanta, thanks so much.
It is a big prize, but the odds of your winning aren't so big. Coming up: the Big Game hysteria and details of the drawing. And later, see how the Independence Day celebrations in Israel have fun at Wolf Blitzer's expense.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SNOW: It's called the Big Game. And the odds of winning are one in 76 million. But with a jackpot over $325 million and the drawing just hours away, many Americans have lottery fever.
CNN's Sean Callebs is following the action.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Kate.
We're at Pilots. It is a service station/truck stop in Augusta, Georgia on the border between Georgia and South Carolina. Now, what makes that important: Georgia is one of the seven states taking part in the Big Game lottery. South Carolina isn't.
So, if you look at this line behind me, which now stretches dozens deep, I can pretty much guarantee most of these people are going to be from South Carolina. Now, this is pretty much what the day has been like: dozens of people waiting patiently for their chance to come up to the lottery machines, drop a dollar down, at least. Some have spent hundreds of dollars for a chance at winning $325 million.
Well, the odds certainly aren't with you. Lottery officials tell us it's about one in 76 million. And to give you an idea of just how farfetched that is, there's a better chance of the world ending after being hit by a killer meteor than you being able to pick the six numbers needed to win the Big Game lottery later on this evening.
The drawing will be at 11:00 Eastern time. And the seven states taking part: Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts, Virginia, Maryland, Georgia and New Jersey. They have had 18 consecutive drawings without a winner. So, certainly, if everything continues as it has been going, we could set a new record for a one-time payout for the lottery. The old record: 360-plus million dollars.
Now, lottery officials, of course, are offering some words of caution out there, saying, look, spend wisely. Don't spend money that you don't have. Don't spend the kids' college fund or your mortgage payments. And, if you win, the first thing you should do: Get a good sound financial adviser and do it quickly.
That's the very latest here from Augusta, Georgia -- Kate, back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Sean Callebs on the state line there.
A special homecoming in Central City, Kentucky today: Seven months ago, doctors equipped Tom Christerson with a self-contained artificial heart. The 71-year-old is the second person to receive the AbioCor device. Christerson says he feels like he is back to normal and his new heart won't slow him down.
After a six-year battle with cancer, actor Robert Urich has died. Best known for his roles in television's "Spencer: For Hire" and "Vega$," Urich died today in Los Angeles of a rare soft-tissue cancer. Urich was 55.
CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has more on his struggle with cancer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Robert Urich had a rare kind of cancer called synovial sarcoma. Sarcomas are cancers of soft tissue such as fat and muscle and can be found all over the body. Urich was diagnosed in 1996 after he found a lump in his leg. He had surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, but the disease still spread to his lungs.
Then Urich made a remarkable, although temporary recovery. His doctors say he became a medical pioneer by becoming the first sarcoma patient to try Gleevec, a drug used for other types of cancer. On Gleevec, his tumors shrank and it seemed like he had beaten his cancer. He was able to go back to work, co-starring on "The Emeril Show" last fall. But six weeks ago, the tumors in his lungs started to grow again and Urich lost his six-year battle with cancer.
Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Time now to go back to Wolf Blitzer live in Jerusalem -- hi again, Wolf.
BLITZER: Hi again to you as well, Kate. It's Independence Day now in Israel, but there's lack of celebration. Coming up, I'll show you what's going on on the streets of Jerusalem tonight. And I'll also show you what surprise was in store for me.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Earlier we asked: "When Israel gained independence in 1948, its population was 806,000. What's its population today?" The answer: 6.5 million, an eightfold increase, or, on average, 4 percent each year.
Israelis are tonight celebrating their 54th year of independence. Earlier this evening, I wanted to see firsthand the festivities.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: It's just after 8:00. Officially, it's the start of Israel's Independence Day, 54 years of Israeli independence. We've driven as far as we can. They're not letting us get any closer to the central part of Jerusalem. We're going to begin walking towards all the celebrations.
We've been walking for a few minutes. We're heading towards the central part of Jerusalem. As you can see, they've blocked traffic inside the perimeter, inside the central part of the city. We're walking towards there. We'll be getting there very soon. In years past, there would have been a lot of people. When we get there, we'll find out how big these celebrations this year are going to be.
All right, we're getting closer now to the central part of the city. Security is obviously tight -- limited traffic over here. Soldiers, they're going to probably check to see what's going on. But we're going to go in.
Watch it. Watch your step over there.
Sporadically, a few young people, but not a whole lot of people here this year in the central part of the city for this Independence Day.
Here is King George Street. Take a look: pretty empty, pretty depressing. A lot of Israelis are just going someplace else to celebrate their Independence Day, or they're probably staying home, the safest place to be.
As you could see, they are getting ready for a little concert. It doesn't look like a whole lot of people have gathered to enjoy the music. Presumably, there will be (AUDIO GAP) music. There are some vendors getting ready to sell some stuff here to celebrate this day. But business is not booming.
I'm going to walk down Ben Yehuda Street. This is where there were several suicide bombings incidents in recent weeks and months. Some of the shops are open. But, again, I don't see a whole lot of people in central Jerusalem.
All right, we're getting closer to Zion Square now. This is the real central part of Jerusalem at the end of Ben Yehuda Street. Normally, as I say, there would be a lot more people than there are now. But there are a few more people here. They're beginning to celebrate Israel's 54th birthday. Let's walk down.
Let's see if we can talk to some of these young kids. They probably speak some English.
You weren't scared to come down here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't care. It's my country. I don't care what...
BLITZER: How old are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm 16.
BLITZER: Why did you come here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because I feel like I support Israel the time I'm here. Like I show in the cameras and all the people not scared. Like, I support Israel as much as I can. And what I'm doing right now, I think it's supportive, to be here, to show the world that I'm here.
BLITZER: Thanks.
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: I guess somebody got a little fun. And I paid the price for it. I'm heading back to the hotel.
Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And this is the culprit, this spray. They're all spraying people left and right.
Lou Dobbs is standing by.
I'm not going to spray you, Lou. You're standing by with a preview of "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" at the top of the hour. Lou, tell us what you have.
LOU DOBBS, "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE": You've got a deal, Wolf. Thank you very much. And thanks for the forbearance this time.
Coming up tonight: Israel invading additional Palestinian villages just one day after Ariel Sharon vowed to withdraw from virtually all of the West Bank. We, of course, will have a live report for you from Jerusalem. And religious differences playing a major role in this conflict -- we'll have a special report tonight on the reach and the influence of the world's major religions in the Middle East. And I'll be talking with leaders of the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish faiths. And a powerful rally storming Wall Street today -- we'll be able to tell you about the good news today on Wall Street: the Dow soaring more than 200 points. I'll be talking with longtime bull Harvey Eisen (ph) about what we can expect.
All of that and a lot more coming up at the top of the hour. Please join us, but for now back to Wolf Blitzer -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Lou. And the results of our "Web Question of the Day" when we come back: "Can there be peace while Yasser Arafat remains in charge?"
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
Now the results of our "Web Question of the Day": "Do you think there will be peace under Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's watch?" Look at this: 33 percent of you say yes; 67 percent say no. Remember, this is not a scientific poll.
That's all the time we have tonight. This note: tomorrow night, a tale of two cities -- I will speak with the mayors of Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Jerusalem. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" begins right now.
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