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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

Israeli Leadership Wants Yasser Arafat Out

Aired September 12, 2003 - 05:02   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The big question this morning, can the Middle East be even more tense than it already is? The Israeli leadership wants Yasser Arafat out of the West Bank, out of Gaza, out entirely.
To Jerusalem now and Fionnuala Sweeney -- good morning.

FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

It's just after 11 o'clock in the morning here in Jerusalem and people on both sides of this conflict still absorbing the news that emerged from that Israeli security cabinet meeting Thursday evening. That is in principle the cabinet has taken a decision to remove Yasser Arafat, in principle.

Now, they didn't actually mention the word expulsion, but it's very clear from the statements that they do see him, as they've always regarded him of late, as an obstacle to peace.

Of course, the reaction in Ramallah was one of fury. Thousands of Palestinians going to the compound where Yasser Arafat remains holed up and has been there since April of last year. He made a defiant speech to the crowd, saying that he wouldn't be kicked out and that as far as he was concerned, before the news emerged, he had said this ground was, as he put it, terra sancta, sacred ground -- Carol.

COSTELLO: What do you think will happen? I hate to ask you that with, because I know it's impossible to know, but everybody is wondering, will Israel really do that? Will they really expel Yasser Arafat?

SWEENEY: It is a statement of intent, if you like to put it that way. Now, Israel does not have the support of Washington for this and the American ambassador to Israel, Dan Kurtzer, within the last hour, finished a meeting with the Israeli defense minister, Shaul Mofaz. Before he went into that meeting, he reiterated what had been said by the State Department in Washington on Thursday, that while they regard Yasser Arafat as an obstacle to peace -- he is not part of the peace process, in their view -- it would not be helpful to remove him from the scene at this time.

One also has to take into account the reaction of the many Palestinians, not just in Gaza and the West Bank, but also in Jordan, neighboring Jordan, where there's a significant Palestinian population; also in Egypt, the reaction there, and remember, Egypt is a partner for peace with Israel. There is a peace agreement between the two countries. So I think from the Israeli point of view, it's a statement of intent. It's something that's been talked about over the years and finally now it's officially back on the table. But don't expect it any time soon.

COSTELLO: Fionnuala Sweeney reporting live from Jerusalem this morning.

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