On the scene with Tom Mintier in Jerusalem

London Bureau Chief Tom Mintier spoke to CNN.com from Jerusalem where he is reporting on the latest from the region after an Israeli helicopter gunship targeted a van carrying members of Yasser Arafat's Fatah party, including a senior official of Tanzim.

Tom Mintier

Q: Can you elaborate on what the Tanzim is?

MINTIER: The word Tanzim really is organization. It describes them as part of the Fatah. The Tanzim is made up of young men with weapons who do not really take commands directly from Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat. They're not part of the Palestinian police. They're in effect a paramilitary unit, while not in uniform.

These are the people who were targeted by the Israeli gunship.

Q: What was Israel's justification for today's attack?

MINTIER: They apparently knew who was in the vehicle. The Israeli Intelligence Service has been watching these people for well over a month. They say (this senior official) was targeted on his way to commit an attack on soldiers in an area close to an Israeli military camp. So, it wasn't simply a vehicle traveling down the road that looked suspicious.

Q: What would be the incentive for Israel to have this official dead?

MINTIER: He was an organizer. These are not people who wear suits and ties. Israelis are saying he has been responsible for four or five attacks on Israeli military positions.

Q: How did Palestinians react to this attack?

MINTIER: They called it an assassination. They said the vehicle was bombed in area "A," which is under the Palestinian Authority control. They think it's an escalation of the violence, and they feel it will push, not stop, the intifada. They also promise a response in kind.

Q: Meanwhile, Arafat is here in Washington to meet with U.S. President Bill Clinton. What are Palestinians' expectations for that summit?

MINTIER: I think (today's attack) probably gives the Palestinians something to add to the agenda. It's no secret that Yasser Arafat would like to have a U.N. protection force to be in areas like this to act as a buffer between the Israelis and to act as observers for events like this.

That is something Arafat came to the United States to push forward on the agenda, not only at the Oval Office, but also at the U.N. tomorrow.

Q: What's the general mood on the streets among both Palestinians and Israelis?

MINTIER: It's divided pretty equally. If you ask someone on the Israeli side of Jerusalem what they think, they say it's about time that some kind of response has been taken to these attacks on the settlements and on Israeli military positions.

If you ask people in Gaza or the West Bank what they think, they say it's a horrible act of aggression and that this attack was unwarranted. As I said, many Palestinians are calling this an assassination.

Clinton, Arafat meet as Mideast deaths continue
November 09, 2000