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CNN 20: Arafat's Return to Hebron, January 19, 1997

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE, JANUARY 19, 1997)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): At times Arafat seemed lost in a forest of flags and a frenzied crowd which fought its way through bodyguards 10-deep to reach out to the Palestinian president. For Arafat, it was a triumph against all odds. Hebron is the jewel in the crown after months of bitter negotiations with the government of Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. At last, it seemed worth it.

Standing on the balcony of what was the Israeli occupation headquarters and a prison, Arafat struck a conciliatory tone.

"The victory," Arafat said, "is the victory of peace. That is our success."

And he held out an olive branch to Hebron's militant Jewish settlers.

"I say to the settlers in Hebron," Arafat continued, "we do not want confrontation. We just want peace."

(on camera): Yasser Arafat's magnanimity was not shared by Hebron's militant Jewish settlers. They declared this a time of national mourning, and were outraged that Arafat was even permitted in the city.

(voice-over): Still, there seemed a happier spirit in much of Hebron. An Israeli soldier chatted with a Palestinian policeman. And a father introduced his son to a Palestinian policeman for first time in either the father or the son's life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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