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Morning News

Crisis in the Middle East: Another Push for Peace as More Violence Rips Through the Region

Aired January 2, 2001 - 9:01 a.m. ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Another push for peace in the Middle East, as more violence rips through the region. Today Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will be in Washington to meet with President Clinton for more talks aimed at forging a possible deal with Israel.

CNN's Carl Rochelle joining us now live now from the White House with the latest.

Carl, good morning.

CARL ROCHELLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well that push will come right here at the White House, we expect as early as this afternoon. Now, neither of the principles are here at the moment. President Clinton on his way back from Camp David, where he spent the holiday weekend, expected to arrive very soon. And Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian Authority president, is on his way to Washington, delayed a little bit because he had to stop and refuel. We understand there are some head winds up on the way in. But he's expected to arrive, probably within the next hour or so, for those meeting which will take place here.

This all started, Daryn, with a phone call from President Clinton to Mr. Arafat yesterday, 45 minute phone call, when he asked him to come and hope that they could make some progress in moving forward on those key principles. Now Israel has said it accepted the principles in principle, but the Palestinians had not moved forward on that at all.

Here are some of the key parts of that proposal from the administration: The Palestinian state would covered 95 percent of the West Bank and all of Gaza; Palestinian refugees would abandon claims to Israeli land; Palestinians would get sovereignty over Haram al- Sharif/Temple Mount and Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem. Israel would control the Western Wall at the base of the Temple Mount/Haram al- Sharif and Israeli neighborhoods in Jerusalem. Jerusalem would be the capital of both Israel and the Palestinian state, and there would be help from the international community to implement the agreement.

Now, although Israel had said that it accepted it in principle, Mr. Barak later came back and said, that under no circumstances, would Israel cede sovereignty over the Temple Mount area. Mr. Clinton did place a phone call to Mr. Barak yesterday, also, to explain to him what he hoped to accomplish in the meetings with Chairman Arafat, President Arafat, here at the White House, and to discuss with him the latest violence in the Middle East. But Mr. Barak is also quoted as saying that he does not believe that they can move forward on this proposal effectively in the three weeks remaining in the Clinton administration, before Mr. Clinton leaves office.

Nonetheless, Daryn, they are going to sit down and try to talk here at the White House later today between President Arafat and President Clinton -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Carl, thank you very much. We will be checking in a bit later with you at the White House.

Meanwhile, while President Clinton awaits the arrival of Yasser Arafat, more bombs and more gunfire in the Middle East today combined to make the prospects of peace even more doubtful.

CNN's Matthew Chance now has a latest from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amid the latest violence, security has been tightened in Gaza and the West Bank. The reimposed measures not only seal off Palestinian-controlled areas from Israel, but prevent Palestinians from moving freely inside. Main roads running through the Gaza Strip have been blocked.

As reports of explosions and gun battles continue to filter from Gaza, at least two Israeli soldiers are reported to have been injured. But these first images are of Sabri Hader (ph), a 52-year-old Palestinian farmer. Palestinian police say he was shot in the neck by Israeli troops as he worked on his land. The Israelis say they fired after an explosion in the area in accordance with their procedures.

Overnight, scenes of chaos in the Israeli coastal town of Netanya, more than 40 people were injured in a series of explosions there. The Israeli police says is was a car bomb attack. They suspect the most seriously injured person was the bomber.

The violence comes amid renewed diplomatic efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yasser Arafat, the president of the Palestinian Authority, is to meet in Washington with President Clinton for talks on U.S. proposals to end the conflict. But Palestinians and Israeli officials are voicing doubts of any agreement.

This is what President Arafat will do. He will bring the Palestinian position clear to the American administration so that nobody will say that the Palestinian are not jumping at the chance that are given to them to make peace with Israel.

EHUD BARAK, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Right now there are no diplomatic contacts with the Palestinians. We are now focusing on our struggle against terrorism. I do not foresee that it is likely that an agreement will be signed in the coming weeks.

CHANCE: And, as confrontation continues between Israelis and Palestinians, both sides appear to preparing to blame the other if the latest peace effort fails.

(on camera): But still, the door may not be closed on future talks. Mr. Barak has said he would still consider sending representatives to Washington, if there was a resumption of Israeli- Palestinian cooperation on security, and if there was a clear end to the violence.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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