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Support for Sharon's war may be dwindling in Washington |
WASHINGTON,
April 11 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Amid mounting U.S.
frustration over hardline Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's
refusal to withdraw troops from Palestinian lands, the White House
denied Thursday that the offensive was costing Sharon U.S. support,
news agencies reported.
U.S.
President George W. Bush, who has repeatedly urged an end to West Bank
invasions that Israel says are meant to neutralize Palestinian
resistance fighters, "believes that Prime Minister Sharon is
committed to peace," said spokesman Ari Fleischer in a report by
Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Earlier,
The Washington Post, citing unnamed senior U.S. administration
officials, reported that Sharon's refusal to heed Bush's appeals to
end the deadly two-week operation was eroding support for him in the
White House, AFP said.
The
officials told the daily that they worried the Prime Minister's
intransigence could make Bush appear ineffective and tarnish his
standing in the world, perhaps costing support for Washington's
"war on terrorism."
"The
President has called on all parties to step up to their
responsibilities. All parties have an obligation to act. Not just one:
all parties," countered Fleischer.
As
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, on a risky Middle East peace
mission, was slated to meet with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on
Saturday, the spokesman said it was "vital" for the
Palestinian leader to denounce terrorism.
"It
is vital, it is imperative, for Chairman Arafat to make public
statements denouncing the murderous bombings and other forms of
terrorism that are taking place, to renounce violence as a political
instrument, and reaffirm his commitment to negotiations as the only
path" to peace, said Fleischer.
He
added that Bush spoke by telephone late Wednesday with Powell and
would do so again after the Secretary arrives in Israel late Thursday,
AFP said.
Sharon,
quoted in a Los Angeles Times article Thursday, told reporters during
a visit to an army base near the devastated refugee camp of Jenin
that, "I hope our great friend the United States understands that
this is a war of survival for us.”
Speaking
in Madrid on Wednesday, Powell addressed Sharon's concern in response
to a reporter's question about it.
"We
understand the difficult situation that Israel finds itself in, but we
believe that the best way to relieve this tension, the best way to
move forward and provide a solution to the crisis that we find
ourselves in, is for the withdrawal of Israeli forces," Powell
said, "and the President has been reinforcing that point of view
every day."
Asked
whether Powell would try to pin down an elusive ceasefire, Fleischer
replied, "He will make every effort possible to bring conditions
for peace to take hold, and that hopefully includes a ceasefire."
Prodded
on whether the Post account was accurate, the spokesman tersely
replied: "No."
The
daily said some officials are distinguishing between support for
Israel and backing Sharon, while others worry that he may not be able
to play a long-term role in ending the conflict with the Palestinians.
"Sharon
is arguably doing what he thinks needs to be done," a senior
administration official told the Post. "After he's finished,
what's next? The fear is that he knows no other way than being
tough."
Experts
have warned that Israel's relentless offensives into West Bank cities
and towns, which sparked criticism in European capitals and anger in
Arab nations, could hamper the U.S. campaign sparked by the September
11 terrorist strikes.
Specifically,
they cautioned that Arab anger over Israel's actions might cripple
U.S. efforts to rally broad regional support for action against Saddam
Hussein's Iraq, the next likely major target in the "war on
terrorism.".
