For the first time since Prime Minister Sharon took office, public opinion does not support his security policies. A Gallup poll published in Maariv today shows that 53% of Israel\'s residents are not satisfied with his performance in this area, while only 38% feel that he is doing an acceptable job. Support for the Prime Minister in general has also dropped: Only 49% are happy with him, compared with 59% in a previous poll.
Middle East analyst Emanuel A. Winston writes today that Israel called off its planned strike against the Beit Jala terrorists this week in the face of American pressure. \"During a visit to a peaceful and serene national park in Colorado,\" Winston writes, \"[U.S. President] Bush deplored [what he called] the cauldron and cycle of violence in the Middle East... Bush and [U.S. State Secretary] Powell have said that the Jews are ‘provocative’ when they defend themselves and they must use ‘restraint’. They cannot defend themselves, cannot touch Arafat, cannot mount a major offensive because it is not good for American business with the Arab nations... [But in truth,] according to Professor of International Law at Purdue University, Louis Rene Beres, there is no \'cycle of violence\' in the Mideast, only persistent Arab murders of Jewish civilians followed by carefully limited Israeli retaliation.\"
Middle East analyst Emanuel A. Winston writes today that Israel called off its planned strike against the Beit Jala terrorists this week in the face of American pressure. \"During a visit to a peaceful and serene national park in Colorado,\" Winston writes, \"[U.S. President] Bush deplored [what he called] the cauldron and cycle of violence in the Middle East... Bush and [U.S. State Secretary] Powell have said that the Jews are ‘provocative’ when they defend themselves and they must use ‘restraint’. They cannot defend themselves, cannot touch Arafat, cannot mount a major offensive because it is not good for American business with the Arab nations... [But in truth,] according to Professor of International Law at Purdue University, Louis Rene Beres, there is no \'cycle of violence\' in the Mideast, only persistent Arab murders of Jewish civilians followed by carefully limited Israeli retaliation.\"