On the scene with Mike Hanna in Jerusalem

Mike Hanna

CNN Jerusalem Bureau Chief Mike Hanna spoke with CNN.com Monday about the internal Israeli political negotiations under way, as well as the continued turmoil in the Middle East.

Q: Why is Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak trying to persuade the opposition Likud party to join the so-called unity coalition government?

HANNA: There are intense political negotiations going on. Ehud Barak, having called for a timeout in the peace process, has opened the door for the opposition Likud party, headed by Ariel Sharon, to join his coalition. The reason for this is that the Likud was opposed to Barak's peace process. By putting that process on hold, Barak has created an environment in which perhaps Likud would be able to join his coalition.

This being said, Barak is also facing pressure from within his own Cabinet among some ministers who have threatened to resign if Likud is included in the government. Given the fact that the country's Knesset, or parliament, reconvenes next week after a long recess, it's real decision time for Barak.

Q: What are the tough decisions Barak is faced with?

HANNA: He is going to have to decide whether he will go with a broad national unity government, which includes Likud, and lose some ministers of his government who have been very important players in the peace process. Or (he will have to decide) whether to keep Likud out and go to the Knesset and hope that he can persuade the majority of the members in parliament to continue to support him in dealing with this national crisis.

Q: How likely would it be that the Knesset would support Barak if Likud is left out?

HANNA: That is a question that we won't know until parliament actually convenes next week. From the indications, there does appear to be some support for Barak's increasingly strong-arm tactics in dealing with this crisis. His opponents in the past had accused him of being too weak and giving too much away to the Palestinians. By putting the peace process on hold and by using strong tactics in the streets, he may still be able to hold onto the majority, even without Likud's support.

(Barak) would want Likud on his side in terms of forming a strong, unified government. But most observers would say that the inclusion of Likud in the government kills, once and for all, any idea about renewing the peace process. So that would lead to another set of problems for Ehud Barak and that is -- where do we go from here with no peace process whatsoever and no likelihood of it reconvening.

Q: What would it take for the peace process to get revived at this point?

HANNA: All would agree that the first step toward trying to get the peace process revived would be an end to the violence. But that (takes you back) to the apportionment of blame from both sides, where Israel says the Palestinians are responsible for the violence and the Palestinians say Israel is responsible for the violence. If neither side is willing to accept responsibility for the violence, then who is going to end it?

Q: What is the latest from the Palestinian Authority following this weekend's Arab summit in Cairo and the latest diplomatic developments in Israel?

HANNA: There's deep anger at the decision by Barak ... to put the whole peace process on hold. There's deep anger too among Palestinian politicians that the announcement by Barak followed an Arab League summit, which Palestinians believe was really soft on Israel. Palestinian leaders say that if Barak takes such a hard-line action -- as they would see it -- in the wake of what was a moderate Arab resolution, then it just proves they were correct in demanding that the Arab nations take a far stronger line against Israel.

Q: What's the mood on the streets among ordinary citizens with the latest developments on the diplomatic front as well as news of more violence today?

HANNA: Among Israelis, the significant point is that at the beginning of this week, in two separate newspapers, an opinion poll showed that the majority of Israelis still support the peace process. So, there does appear to be a substantial and significant number of Israelis who support the peace process despite the ongoing violence, according to those polls. For many Israelis, the violence they are seeing on their television screens every day is a reflection of what the real alternative is to negotiations.

The dilemma for ordinary Israelis is whether to fight for a unity government and face what they see as a common enemy, or whether to bring pressure to bear on their government to continue with the peace process. That is a terribly difficult decision, given the violence that many Israelis believe is being directed against them.

On the Palestinian side, there is anger at the fact at what they regard as the Israeli occupation. That is, the presence of Israeli security forces and Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories continues and has been reaffirmed by the (Israeli) government. This after seven years of a peace process that many Palestinians would appear to believe has brought them absolutely no benefits. There is a clear feeling among the demonstrators you see in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that negotiations won't bring them what they want -- that they're going to have to try to seize it themselves.

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October 22, 2000

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