Hillary Clinton in Mideast, Hopes to End Escalated Violence
Uploaded by PBSNewsHour on 20.11.2012
Transcript:
bjbjVwVw ca<| JUDY WOODRUFF: This was a day of urgent diplomacy aimed at stopping the
battle of airstrikes and rockets between Israel and Hamas. Rumors of a cease-fire flew all
day, and Secretary of State Clinton arrived in the region after nightfall. She met first
with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and she called for more than just a temporary
truce. SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON: The rocket attacks from terrorist organizations
inside Gaza on Israeli cities and towns must end and a broader calm restored. The goal
must be a durable outcome that promotes regional stability and advances the security and legitimate
aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians alike. JEFFREY BROWN: Prime Minister Netanyahu said
he would welcome a diplomatic solution. But failing that, he said will take whatever military
action is necessary. Underscoring that point, the Israelis launched new airstrikes after
dark. We have a report from John Ray of Independent Television News in Gaza. And a warning: Some
of the images may be disturbing. JOHN RAY: They packed in a panic, loading cars and donkey
carts. Tonight, Israel warned Palestinians to evacuate the border, to head to the safety
of Gaza City. Whether war or peace was heading their way, these people took no chances and
fled. Too late for this boy who woke today to a nightmare that will never end. Ashraf
has just found out that his father and brothers are dead. They don't dare tell his sister.
She lies in a side ward, her back broken, a family shattered. NABEEL HIJAZY, Gaza City:
They don't have any -- no Hamas, no Fatah, nothing, nothing, nothing. He's in the house.
In that time, in that time, all the children sleeping in the house. JOHN RAY: Where their
house once stood, there is now a deep crater. Evidently, this was a precision strike. Israel
says it has hit only terrorist targets. People here are torn by twin emotions, the desire
to make Israel pay for all this destruction, all this death. At the same time, there's
a yearning for peace to bring this killing to an end. This is a war that seems to be
ending on a bang, not a whimper. The last few hours this evening have seen both sides
intensify hostilities. There's been no holding back, even as peace beckons. And in the hospital,
another family tragedy unfolds. A girl cries for her father, but he has perished. In intensive
care, there are yet more children, all with blast injuries, all fighting for their lives.
Ashraf tells me his people will never give up their struggle. Cease-fire or no cease-fire,
the cycle of violence and suffering has spanned another generation. JUDY WOODRUFF: The Palestinians
have reported more than 130 killed since the Israeli offensive began. The Israeli death
toll rose to five today, when a rocket blast killed a soldier and a civilian contractor.
John Irvine, of Independent Television News, filed this report from Southern Israel. JOHN
IRVINE: On its way into the front garden of a family home, the Palestinian rocket cut
the tops of trees and severed a power cable. But the engineers in their flak jackets had
it fixed within a couple of hours, routine stuff in an Israeli town hit by dozens of
rockets in the last week. The lady of the house, however, knew this had been a close
call and was furious. She said: "We live in fear and under fire. We can't take the children
outside. We can't go anywhere." That nobody was injured was thanks to a warning system
fitted to every house in the town. When it goes off, it gets everyone's attention. If
it says to run, you run? WOMAN: Yes, yes, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. JOHN IRVINE:
This town is so close to the Gaza Strip that when the alarm goes off, residents have just
15 seconds to make it to safety. On this occasion, the homeowner came through here and got into
her bomb-proof room just in time. For more than a decade, Palestinian rockets have been
part of life here. But the intensity of the attacks of the last week has brought everything
to a standstill. MAN: Today, it's alarm for 20 -- 20 times. JOHN IRVINE: Twenty times?
MAN: Twenty times. JOHN IRVINE: Previous cease-fires have been nothing more than pauses. People
here need a permanent end to this. urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags country-region urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags
City urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags PlaceType urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags
PlaceName urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags place JUDY WOODRUFF: This was a day of urgent
diplomacy aimed at stopping the battle of airstrikes and rockets between Israel and
Hamas Normal Microsoft Office Word JUDY WOODRUFF: This was a day of urgent diplomacy aimed at
stopping the battle of airstrikes and rockets between Israel and Hamas Title Microsoft Office
Word Document MSWordDoc Word.Document.8
battle of airstrikes and rockets between Israel and Hamas. Rumors of a cease-fire flew all
day, and Secretary of State Clinton arrived in the region after nightfall. She met first
with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and she called for more than just a temporary
truce. SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON: The rocket attacks from terrorist organizations
inside Gaza on Israeli cities and towns must end and a broader calm restored. The goal
must be a durable outcome that promotes regional stability and advances the security and legitimate
aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians alike. JEFFREY BROWN: Prime Minister Netanyahu said
he would welcome a diplomatic solution. But failing that, he said will take whatever military
action is necessary. Underscoring that point, the Israelis launched new airstrikes after
dark. We have a report from John Ray of Independent Television News in Gaza. And a warning: Some
of the images may be disturbing. JOHN RAY: They packed in a panic, loading cars and donkey
carts. Tonight, Israel warned Palestinians to evacuate the border, to head to the safety
of Gaza City. Whether war or peace was heading their way, these people took no chances and
fled. Too late for this boy who woke today to a nightmare that will never end. Ashraf
has just found out that his father and brothers are dead. They don't dare tell his sister.
She lies in a side ward, her back broken, a family shattered. NABEEL HIJAZY, Gaza City:
They don't have any -- no Hamas, no Fatah, nothing, nothing, nothing. He's in the house.
In that time, in that time, all the children sleeping in the house. JOHN RAY: Where their
house once stood, there is now a deep crater. Evidently, this was a precision strike. Israel
says it has hit only terrorist targets. People here are torn by twin emotions, the desire
to make Israel pay for all this destruction, all this death. At the same time, there's
a yearning for peace to bring this killing to an end. This is a war that seems to be
ending on a bang, not a whimper. The last few hours this evening have seen both sides
intensify hostilities. There's been no holding back, even as peace beckons. And in the hospital,
another family tragedy unfolds. A girl cries for her father, but he has perished. In intensive
care, there are yet more children, all with blast injuries, all fighting for their lives.
Ashraf tells me his people will never give up their struggle. Cease-fire or no cease-fire,
the cycle of violence and suffering has spanned another generation. JUDY WOODRUFF: The Palestinians
have reported more than 130 killed since the Israeli offensive began. The Israeli death
toll rose to five today, when a rocket blast killed a soldier and a civilian contractor.
John Irvine, of Independent Television News, filed this report from Southern Israel. JOHN
IRVINE: On its way into the front garden of a family home, the Palestinian rocket cut
the tops of trees and severed a power cable. But the engineers in their flak jackets had
it fixed within a couple of hours, routine stuff in an Israeli town hit by dozens of
rockets in the last week. The lady of the house, however, knew this had been a close
call and was furious. She said: "We live in fear and under fire. We can't take the children
outside. We can't go anywhere." That nobody was injured was thanks to a warning system
fitted to every house in the town. When it goes off, it gets everyone's attention. If
it says to run, you run? WOMAN: Yes, yes, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. JOHN IRVINE:
This town is so close to the Gaza Strip that when the alarm goes off, residents have just
15 seconds to make it to safety. On this occasion, the homeowner came through here and got into
her bomb-proof room just in time. For more than a decade, Palestinian rockets have been
part of life here. But the intensity of the attacks of the last week has brought everything
to a standstill. MAN: Today, it's alarm for 20 -- 20 times. JOHN IRVINE: Twenty times?
MAN: Twenty times. JOHN IRVINE: Previous cease-fires have been nothing more than pauses. People
here need a permanent end to this. urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags country-region urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags
City urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags PlaceType urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags
PlaceName urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags place JUDY WOODRUFF: This was a day of urgent
diplomacy aimed at stopping the battle of airstrikes and rockets between Israel and
Hamas Normal Microsoft Office Word JUDY WOODRUFF: This was a day of urgent diplomacy aimed at
stopping the battle of airstrikes and rockets between Israel and Hamas Title Microsoft Office
Word Document MSWordDoc Word.Document.8