US President Bush sharply criticized Israel and Prime Minister Sharon in a press conference last night. \"Frankly,\" said the President, \"it\'s not helpful what the Israelis have recently done in order to create conditions for peace. I understand someone trying to defend themselves and to fight terror. But the recent actions aren\'t helpful.\" He didn\'t explain the apparent contradiction between the last two sentences. To compound the difficulty, he later said in answer to a reporter\'s question, \"Our policy is to deny sanctuary to terrorists anyplace in the world, and we will be very active in doing that.\"
In a snide jab at Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Bush said last night, \"I certainly hope that Prime Minister Sharon is concerned about the loss of innocent life. We certainly -- I certainly am. It breaks my heart and I know it breaks the heart of a lot of people around the world to see young children lose their life as a result of violence -- young children on both sides of this issue.\"
Only hours after Bush\'s speech, an article in The New York Times reported that the estimated total of enemy casualties in Afghanistan is more than 800, or an average of more than five every day. In contrast, the number of Palestinians killed in the 18 months during which they have attacked Israel is just over two a day.
In a snide jab at Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Bush said last night, \"I certainly hope that Prime Minister Sharon is concerned about the loss of innocent life. We certainly -- I certainly am. It breaks my heart and I know it breaks the heart of a lot of people around the world to see young children lose their life as a result of violence -- young children on both sides of this issue.\"
Only hours after Bush\'s speech, an article in The New York Times reported that the estimated total of enemy casualties in Afghanistan is more than 800, or an average of more than five every day. In contrast, the number of Palestinians killed in the 18 months during which they have attacked Israel is just over two a day.