U.S. President George Bush is expected to deliver his long-awaited policy speech on the Middle East today or tomorrow. It was under the assumption that the die had not been cast that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon flew to Washington last week, in a final attempt to persuade Bush not to call for a Palestinian state, temporary or otherwise, and to explain why Arafat must not be allowed a say in future diplomatic matters. Many officials in the Bush Administration, such as Vice President Cheney, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, Under Defense Secretary Wolfowitz, and others basically agree with Sharon, while Secretary of State Powell feels that Arafat should be given another chance. National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice said yesterday that the current Palestinian Authority structure cannot serve as a basis for an independent PLO state, and that the rampant corruption in the PA is not conducive for the establishment of a democratic Palestinian entity. Jerusalem government officials express optimism that Bush will not favor a PLO state at this time, as this would hamper Israel\'s anti-terrorism efforts.



Public Security Minister Uzi Landau yesterday expressed sharp criticism for the “temporary” state idea. He said that such an entity would be the greatest victory for Yasser Arafat and his terrorist regime for carrying out daily attacks against Israeli since September 2000. Landau said that Israel must immediately step up its war against terrorism, and not just in one place at a time, \"but in the entire Palestinian Authority at once.\"