RUHLE LIVE AT MSNBC HEADQUARTERS
HERE IN NEW YORK CITY.
IT IS TUESDAY, MAY 18th, AND WE
HAVE TO START WITH THAT BREAKING
NEWS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST.
THIS MORNING A ROCKET FIRED FROM
GAUZE KWA HAS
GAZA REPORTEDLY KILLED TWO
PEOPLE.
IT COMES AS THE U.S. TRIES TO
STEP IN TO STOP THE ESCALATING
CRISIS.
ON MONDAY PRESIDENT BIDEN CALLED
ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN
NETANYAHU TO PERSONALLY EXPRESS
HIS SUPPORT FOR A CEASE-FIRE.
BUT THIS MORNING, ISRAEL IS
KEEPING UP ITS EFFORTS TO
PRESSURE HAMAS MILITANTS.
PALESTINIANS ARE OBSERVING A
GENERAL STRIKE IN CEASE-FIRE
OPERATIONS.
RICHARD ENGEL IS ON THE WEST
BANK.
RICHARD, TELL US ABOUT THE
SITUATION THERE.
>> SO HERE IN THE WEST BANK
WERE ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF
RAMALLAH.
PALESTINIANS HAVE COME OUT TO
PROTEST AND ALSO TO CLASH WITH
ISRAELI SOLDIERS AND THEYRE
EXPRESSING SOLIDARITY WITH THE
PEOPLE OF GAZA.
WHATS INTERESTING HERE IS THESE
ARE NOT ALL HAMAS SUPPORTERS.
THIS IS NOT TRADITIONALLY A
HAMAS STRONGHOLD.
THERE ARE OTHER PALESTINIAN
FACTIONS THAT HOLD SWAY HERE.
BUT ALL OF THE PALESTINIAN
FACTIONS ARE COMING TOGETHER
RIGHT NOW.
THE REASON IM LOOKING AROUND IS
WERE TRYING TO SEE IF THERE IS
TEAR GAS COMING FROM THE ISRAELI
SOLDIERS RIGHT NOW.
YOU MIGHT BIBLE TO SEE THERE IS
A DRONE UP IN THE SKY, AND THAT
DRONE IS EITHER AN ISRAELI
DRONE, EITHER TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS
OF US OR IT COULD DROP TEAR GAS.
IT IS SOMETHING THE ISRAELIS DO
QUITE A BIT.
INSTAUD OF LAUNCHING TEAR GAS,
THEY WILL FLY A DRONE AND DROP
IT INTO THE CROWD.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THE ISRAELIS --
THE PALESTINIANS ARE TRYING TO
FIRE FIREWORKS TO DISRUPT OR
CONFUSE THE DRONE.
THE BUT THAT IS WHAT WE ARE
SEEING HERE.
THERE HAVE BEEN VOLLEYS OTEAR
GAS, AND EVERYONE IS RUNNING
TOWARD ME.
WE CAN HOLD IT HERE FOR A
SECOND.
THIS IS ALL JUST FIREWORKS AT
THE MOMENT.
BUT IT MIGHT INSPIRE THE
ISRAELIS TO LAUNCH A WHOLE
VOLLEY OF TEAR GAS.
THE REASON WHAT IS HAPPENING
HERE IS BECAUSE OF GAZA.
ALMOST FOURTH OF JULY HERE ALL
OF A SUDDEN.
AND IT IS NOT JUST HERE IN THE
WEST BANK.
ALSO WITHIN ISRAEL ITSELF, THE
ISRAELI CITIZENSHIP IS HOLDING A
STRIKE AND IN JERUSALEM
PALESTINIANS ARE ON A STRIKE.
SO THIS MOVEMENT IN GAZA, THE
ATTACK AGAINST GAZA, HAS CREATED
A DEGREE OF SOLIDARITY AMONG
PALESTINIANS, EVEN IF THEY DONT
SUPPORT HAMAS AS A POLITICAL
PARTY, AS A MILITANT GROUP.
HAMAS IS STILL FIRING ROCKETS IN
ISRAEL.
THERE WERE MORE ROCKETS FIRED
THIS MORNING.
THERE HAD BEEN ABOUT A SIX-HOUR
PAUSE IN WHICH HAMAS DID NOT
FIRE ROCKETS BUT THEY RESUMED
THIS MORNING AND ACCORDING TO
ISRAELI MEDICAL OFFICIALS, AT
LEAST TWO ISRAELI SOLDIERS WERE
KILLED.
IT DOES SEEM LIKE THOSE WERE
JUST FIREWORKS TRYING TO DISRUPT
THIS DRONE AND CAUSE SOME PEOPLE
TO SCATTER HERE.
THE NEXT STEP WILL BE WILL THE
ISRAELIS FIRE TEAR GAS AND
REALLY DISPERSE THESE CROWDS?
AND THE DRONE IS NOW ABOVE US.
I HAVE A FEELING IT IS JUST
TAKING OUR PICTURES, BUT WE WILL
SEE.
>> RICHARD, DO YOU FEEL SAFE
WHERE YOU ARE?
IT DOESNT LOOK SAFE.
>> THE SITUATIONS ARE FLUID.
I HAVE COVERED A LOT OF THESE
KINDS OF DEMONSTRATIONS AND YOU
COME PREPARED.
YOU HAVE A HELMET AND GAS MASK
AND YOU ARE ALWAYS KEEPING YOUR
EYES OPEN, AND THE BIGGEST THING
YOU WANT TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT
IS LIVE AMMUNITION. THAT IS WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO
THAT IS WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO
BE AFRAID OF.
AND THOSE TRACKS CAN POTENTIALLY
BE THAT.
NOW ON THE HILL THE ISRAELIS ARE
TAKING COVER, THEYRE PULLING
BACK.
SO IT COULD VERY WELL BE THAT
SOMEONE -- NOT SURE WHERE -- IS
FIRING LIVE AMMUNITION.
THAT WOULD BE A SIGNIFICANT
ESCALATION.
THE ISRAELIS RESPOND VERY
AGGRESSIVELY WHEN THEY ARE FIRED
ON WITH LIVE AMMUNITION, SO WE
ARE MOVING BACK AND YOU CAN SEE
THE PALESTINIANS ARE CELEBRATING
BECAUSE WHATEVER THAT WAS, THOSE
CRACKLES IN THE DISTANCE THAT
SOUNDED LIKE IT COULD HAVE BEEN
LIVE AMMUNITION, GOT THOSE
ISRAELIS ON THE HILLSIDE, THE
ONES WHO HAVE BEEN FLYING THAT
DRONE AND THROWING IN THE TEAR
GAS, IT GOT THEM TO TAKE COVER
BEHIND THE HILL.
BUT I HAVE SEEN ENOUGH OF THESE
LONG ENOUGH, THE ISRAELIS HAVE
NOT RETREATED VERY FAR.
THEY ARE JUST PULLED BACK BEHIND
THAT HILL AND I SUSPECT THEY
WILL BE RESPONDING HERE WITH
QUITE A BIT OF TEAR GAS.
PALESTINIANS ARE CELEBRATING THE
MOST MINOR OF THEIR VICTORIES.
THEY GOT THE ISRAELIS TO PUSH
BACK, AND NOW THEYRE COMING
BACK ON THE STREETS.
SO IT IS A FLUID DYNAMIC THAT
HAS PLAYED OUT QUITE A BIT IN
THE WEST BANK.
BUT WHATS DIFFERENT THIS TIME
IS IT IS PLAYING OUT IN THE WEST
BANK IN SOLIDARITY WITH HAMAS
AND SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE
OF GAZA.
AND THAT IS THAT SOMETHING
DOESNT OFTEN HAPPEN, THE
PALESTINIANS ARE NOT ALWAYS UNED
IT HERE, SO THEY ARE HOPING THEY
ARE STARTING A MOVEMENT.
>> ARE THERE CIVILIANS AROUND
YOU?
IT DOESNT LOOK LIKE AN
ORGANIZED EFFORT.
IT LOOKS LIKE CIVILIANS.
>> IM SORRY, CAN YOU REPEAT
THAT.
>>.
>> ARE YOU SURROUNDED BY
PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS?
>> OH, NO, WE ARE DEFINITELY
SEEING CIVILIANS.
THERE HAVE BEEN FAMILIES THAT
HAVE COME OUT HERE.
THERE HAVE BEEN FAMILY WITH
CHILDREN.
I SPOKE TO A WOMAN WHO BROUGHT
HER 8-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER HERE
KNOWING THIS IS A VOLATILE
SITUATION BECAUSE SHE SAID SHE
WANTED HER DAUGHTER TO LEARN
THIS IS THE STRUGGLE THAT SHE
WAS BORN INTO, THAT THIS, SHE
SAID, PALESTINIAN LAND, THIS IS
THE HOMELAND, AND SHE WANTED THE
NEXT GENERATION TO COME.
YES, THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF
DIFFERENT PEOPLE HERE AND IT IS
NOT ORGANIZED, AS YOU SAY.
THERE ARE NO BUSES HERE THAT
HAVE BROUGHT IN THESE
PROTESTERS.
WERE ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF
RAMALLAH.
THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO WALKED
HERE THEMSELVES AND THEY
REPRESENT A BROAD CROSS-SECTION
OF PALESTINIAN SOCIETY.
>> RICHARD, I COULD TALK TO YOU
ALL DAY BUT I KNOW YOU NEED TO