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"We
have to be very, very careful about the use of American
forces," Lugar
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WASHINGTON,
June 15
(IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - As U.S. President George W. Bush
called on the international community Sunday, June 15, to "deal
harshly" with Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, a leading
Republican lawmaker said Washington might send forces to help stop the
group’s attacks against close-ally Israel.
U.S.
forces might be part of an international force to help stop attacks by
Hamas and other groups, Sen. Richard Lugar, the chairman of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, said in an interview on "Fox
News Sunday".
Lugar
said such a force could be used to quell Israeli and Palestinian
disputes, "and, maybe even more important, to root out the
terrorism that is at the heart of the problem."
Asked
if such troops would target members of Hamas and other groups, he said,
"That may be the conclusion."
"...It
may not be just Hamas but clearly Hamas is right in the gunsights,"
he added.
Hamas
ruled out the halt of attacks against Israeli targets as long as the
Jewish state’s army keeps occupation of Palestinian areas and
continued its daily aggressions that left many civilians dead, injured
and maimed.
The
lethal week of violence that left more than 50 people dead was triggered
by an Israeli botched assassination attempt of a Hamas
leader Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi, on Tuesday, June 10, that drew vows for revenge
by the resistance group.
U.S.
President George W. Bush said he was “deeply troubled” by the
attempt on Rantissi’s life, which came few days after he attended a peace
summit in Jordan with Israeli and Palestinian premiers.
American
Participation
Lugar
said that whether to insert forces into the volatile situation is being
considered, including "whether they are to be all by
themselves" or in conjunction with a United Nations or NATO force.
"That
is always a possibility but having said that, I would just say this is
down the trail. We have to be very, very careful about the use of
American forces," he said.
"But
clearly, if force is required ultimately to root out terrorism, it is
possible there would be American participation."
The
U.S. and Israel shrugged off a proposal by U.N. Secretary General Kofi
Annan called for the dispatch
of an international peacekeeping force to stem the spiraling violence in
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"Deal
Harshly" With Hamas
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"The
free world and those who love freedom and peace must deal harshly
with Hamas and the killers," Bush
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Meanwhile,
Bush called on the international community Sunday to "deal
harshly" with Hamas and other Palestinian groups behind deadly
anti-Israeli attacks.
“The
free world and those who love freedom and peace must deal harshly with
Hamas and the killers," Bush was quoted by Agence France-Presse
(AFP) as telling reporters as he left Sunday services at First
Congregational Church in Kennebunkport.
"For
those of us who are interested in moving the process forward, we must
combine our efforts to cut off all money, support, for anybody who tries
to sabotage the peace process," he said.
Hamas
leader said in an interview with IslamOcline.net earlier in the day that
he is well “confident”
that Arab countries will not halt their support to resistance groups
fighting against the more than 50 years Israeli occupation.
Many
Palestinians felt furious that the U.S. administration does only care
about the security of Israel, without paying heed to their dilemma,
mainly based on Israel’s occupation of their land and its rejection to
allow the return of more than three million refugees who had been forced
out since 1948, the year of Israel’s creation.
Bush
sidestepped questions about whether the United States would provide
money or arms to help Palestinian prime minister Mahmud Abbas set up a
security force that can deal forcefully with the so-called
"extremists".
"We
would like for the Palestinian Authority to set up a security force ...
that will do the job that Prime Minister Abbas assured me that they're
interested in doing, which is to defeat those terrorists," he said.
Bush
downplayed the need for himself to engage in telephone diplomacy, saying
there were "plenty of contacts" between Washington and both
sides.
Pre-emptive
Attacks
Bush’s
remarks came as Israel’s ambassador to the United States said that
pre-emptive attacks on Hamas and other Palestinian groups are his
country’s only option until the Palestinian Authority can quell the
violence
"We
have been showing restraint," Ambassador Daniel Ayalon said on NBC's
Meet the Press.
"But
if we have a choice of trying to kill a terrorist or of waiting for him
to come and kill 16, 17 civilians, I don't think there is any dilemma
here.
Palestinian
factions said that attacks against Israeli target are only a reaction to
military escalations of the Israeli army.
They
accuse the United States of not being a fair partner in the Middle East
peacemaking, given a clear bias towards the Jewish state.
