By
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - President Bush, taking a tough line on Palestinian attacks on Israel, urged Yasser Arafat yesterday to speak out forcibly and clearly to condemn violence.
At a news conference, Bush said he had directed Secretary of State Colin Powell to telephone the Palestinian leader with the U.S. message. "I hope Chairman Arafat hears it loud and clear," Bush said.
Powell promptly made the call.
But at his West Bank headquarters in Ramallah, Arafat was defiant.
"Our people will continue the Al Aqsa uprising until we raise the Palestinian flag in every mosque and church and on the walls of Jerusalem," he said after briefly inspecting his elite force's mobile homes that were scored by Israeli bombardment Wednesday.
Bush, at the White House, also admonished Israel, saying it "should exercise restraint in its military response.' And, he said, Israel should lift its curbs on Palestinian civilians so those who live in Gaza and on the West Bank can get to their jobs in Israel.
The thrust of his message, though, was that Arafat must strive to contain militants who have struck at Israel and resume security talks with Israel.
Asked if he would invite the Palestinian leader to the White House, as his recent predecessors did frequently, Bush dodged a direct reply and said he had a busy schedule.
Bush's remarks at the White House, followed a day of Israel's bombardment of Palestinian strongholds on the West Bank and in Gaza. It was the toughest action taken by new Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in response to a series of attacks on Israel.
Yesterday, a pair of evenhanded statements from the White House and the State Department pulled back from what had been virtually unqualified support and understanding for Israel and Sharon against overwhelming world pressure on behalf of the Palestinians.
The support was typified by a U.S. veto of a Palestinian resolution to send U.N. observers to the region that was opposed by Israel as likely to contribute to its condemnation. Instead, Israel urged direct talks with the Palestinians on security, an approach the Bush administration supported.
But after Israel struck on the West Bank and Gaza on Wednesday, the State Department said "we recognize Israel's need to provide for its security." But then, implicitly criticizing Israel for the way it chose to do it, the department added: "We do not believe there is a military solution to this conflict."
Bush followed a similar approach in his statement yesterday. And he said he would not try to force terms of a settlement on the two sides.
"I am involved on the telephone," Bush said, recalling he met last week at the White House with Sharon.
Also, Bush said he would look for help next week when he is visited by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah II of Jordan "to rally them to convince Mr. Arafat to speak out against violence in a language the Palestinians understand."
"Our goal," Bush said, "is to encourage a series of parallel and reciprocal steps to halt the escalation of violence ... and to restore normalcy to everyone in the region."
The Israeli bombardment was aimed at strongholds of Arafat's elite guard, which Sharon has linked to a series of deadly attacks on Israel.
On Capitol Hill, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., urged the United States to take a "balanced approach" to the conflict during a hearing before the House International Relations subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia.
"The body count on the Palestinian side is a lot higher than the Israeli side," he reminded other panel members yesterday.
The White House, which had hesitated for hours, considering whether Bush should make a public statement, rolled out its own evenhanded declaration, criticizing both Israel and the Palestinians.
The two sides "should live up to the commitments they have made, combat terrorism and engage in dialogue," it said.
In language reminiscent of past White House statements that often struck a neutral pose, the statement said Bush was calling on both sides "to exercise maximum restraint to calm the situation and set the foundation for a return to negotiations."
"The tragic cycle of incitement, provocation and violence has gone on far too long," the White House said.
The State Department, for the second consecutive day, called on Arafat's Palestinian Authority to "speak out publicly against violence and terrorism, arrest the perpetrators of terrorist acts and resume security cooperation."
At the same time, Israel should "exercise restraint while taking steps to restore normalcy for the lives of the Palestinian people by easing closures and removing checkpoints," the White House said.
Separately, the State Department said, "It is essential that this violence come to an end." Specifically, the administration demanded that Palestinian militants stop their suicide attacks against Israelis.
Israel is defending its right to protect its people, and 22 Arab leaders pledged at a two-day summit that ended financial and moral support for the Palestinian uprising Wednesday.
Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, longtime advocate of an accommodation with Arafat, notified Powell by telephone as the attack got under way. He described it as a "surgical strike" at the source of a series of attacks on Israelis, Arafat's elite guard, Force 17.
Later, Israeli Ambassador David Ivry met with Assistant Secretary of State Edward Walker.
Earlier, at the United Nations, the Bush administration stood alone with Israel to block an observer force, while the State Department insisted Arab governments support curbs on exports of military equipment despite their demand at a 22-nation summit for lifting the sanctions.
