President George W. Bush plans to reinforce yesterday\'s State Department directive to Israel to \"get out\" of the PA-controlled areas. He will \"stop by\" a meeting between visiting Foreign Minister Peres and National Security Council head Condoleeza Rice, and tell Peres that the IDF must immediately withdraw from the areas it took over this weekend.
Reading from a prepared statement, State Department spokesman Phil Reeker said yesterday, \"Israel Defense Forces should be withdrawn immediately from all Palestinian controlled areas and no further such incursions should be made.\" Prime Minister Sharon has rejected the demand, and Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer explained that Israel alone is responsible for its security.
Former Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami said today that what is chiefly driving the United States in this situation is the desire to placate the Arab nations and keep its coalition intact.
The State Department spokesman continued, \"We deeply regret and deplore Israel Defense Forces actions that have killed numerous Palestinian civilians over the weekend. The deaths of those innocent civilians under the circumstances reported in recent days are unacceptable, and we call upon Israel to ensure that its armed forces exercise greater discipline and restraint.\" At the same time, Afghan sources were announcing that the American bombings there over the past two weeks had killed some 1,000 civilians. The Americans say that the number of civilians killed is less than 20. The dead civilians, according to the Afghans, include 100 in a hospital, ten in a mosque, and the 13-year-old son of Taliban leader Mola Omar.
Meir Rosenne, former Israeli Ambassador in Washington and Paris, and the legal counsel to the Foreign Ministry, told Arutz-7 today: \"There have been other crises before between Israel and the U.S., but I don\'t think this is one of them… The U.S. needs a strong Israel. I\'m sure that the Americans have not forgotten that the Palestinians danced on the roofs when Scuds fell not only on Tel Aviv, but also on Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)… There is no danger of the Americans cutting off relations with us tomorrow, but you don\'t have to be an expert in international relations to realize that such a statement by the Americans will lead the terrorists to more freely perpetrate terrorist attacks... In addition, it causes damage in that the world will come to us with complaints.\"
Reading from a prepared statement, State Department spokesman Phil Reeker said yesterday, \"Israel Defense Forces should be withdrawn immediately from all Palestinian controlled areas and no further such incursions should be made.\" Prime Minister Sharon has rejected the demand, and Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer explained that Israel alone is responsible for its security.
Former Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami said today that what is chiefly driving the United States in this situation is the desire to placate the Arab nations and keep its coalition intact.
The State Department spokesman continued, \"We deeply regret and deplore Israel Defense Forces actions that have killed numerous Palestinian civilians over the weekend. The deaths of those innocent civilians under the circumstances reported in recent days are unacceptable, and we call upon Israel to ensure that its armed forces exercise greater discipline and restraint.\" At the same time, Afghan sources were announcing that the American bombings there over the past two weeks had killed some 1,000 civilians. The Americans say that the number of civilians killed is less than 20. The dead civilians, according to the Afghans, include 100 in a hospital, ten in a mosque, and the 13-year-old son of Taliban leader Mola Omar.
Meir Rosenne, former Israeli Ambassador in Washington and Paris, and the legal counsel to the Foreign Ministry, told Arutz-7 today: \"There have been other crises before between Israel and the U.S., but I don\'t think this is one of them… The U.S. needs a strong Israel. I\'m sure that the Americans have not forgotten that the Palestinians danced on the roofs when Scuds fell not only on Tel Aviv, but also on Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)… There is no danger of the Americans cutting off relations with us tomorrow, but you don\'t have to be an expert in international relations to realize that such a statement by the Americans will lead the terrorists to more freely perpetrate terrorist attacks... In addition, it causes damage in that the world will come to us with complaints.\"