The military battles have died down - but the propaganda battle begins to heat up, and Israel finds itself under pressure from several quarters. The Palestinian Authority has begun to present Israel\'s tenacious struggle against terrorists in Jenin as a \"massacre.\" Israeli officials find themselves on the defensive, yet maintain that Israel was involved in a war with ruthless terrorists whose cynical use of women and children as human shields led to many deaths. Hundreds of Arabs were killed in the battles, though the exact number is a matter of dispute. World media continue to press Israel to allow them to enter the area, while the UN and other international elements are intensifying their demand for international observers in the area.
Temporary relief seems to have come to Israel from one direction, as the U.S. has apparently dropped its demand for an immediate withdrawal. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said yesterday, \"The withdrawals are continuing... Both sides have obligations, not just one… The Administration sees Ariel Sharon as a man of peace…\" This new approach was evident in Secretary Powell\'s remarks today, as well (see below).
In a related item, criticism within the U.S. of American pressure on Israel began to intensify yesterday. Senator Hilary Clinton (Dem.-New York) was pointed in saying that Powell did not stand by Israel\'s side in its current struggle nor regarding the EU proposal to place economic sanctions on Israel.
An anti-Israel resolution in the European Parliament was thwarted by the thinnest of margins last night. Sixty members voted to call on EU nations to recall their ambassadors from Israel, and sixty also voted not to. The resolution thus did not pass.
Temporary relief seems to have come to Israel from one direction, as the U.S. has apparently dropped its demand for an immediate withdrawal. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said yesterday, \"The withdrawals are continuing... Both sides have obligations, not just one… The Administration sees Ariel Sharon as a man of peace…\" This new approach was evident in Secretary Powell\'s remarks today, as well (see below).
In a related item, criticism within the U.S. of American pressure on Israel began to intensify yesterday. Senator Hilary Clinton (Dem.-New York) was pointed in saying that Powell did not stand by Israel\'s side in its current struggle nor regarding the EU proposal to place economic sanctions on Israel.
An anti-Israel resolution in the European Parliament was thwarted by the thinnest of margins last night. Sixty members voted to call on EU nations to recall their ambassadors from Israel, and sixty also voted not to. The resolution thus did not pass.