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U.S. Rebukes Israel for Air Strikes, Gets "Positive" Letter from Arafat
WASHINGTON, Feb 12 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – In a rare departure from its usual steady support, the United States on Monday criticized recent air strikes by Israel in heavily populated areas of Gaza. The U.S. also acknowledged it had received a "positive" letter from Palestinian President Yasser Arafat outlining steps he is taking to counter arms smuggling.
U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said that although Washington's first priority in the Middle East remains the need for Arafat to take action, the U.S. is "seriously concerned" about Israel's actions, AFP reported.
"Though we understand the need for Israel to take steps to ensure its self-defense," he told reporters during a press briefing, "we are seriously concerned about Israeli attacks over the past several days on Palestinian Authority facilities, particularly in areas that are heavily populated by civilians.
"We are especially concerned by attacks on or near Palestinian prison facilities, reported releases of prisoners detained in those areas, and reports that a United Nations facility was struck, with possibly a U.N. official wounded."
Israel claimed it carried out the strikes, which injured at least 37 people. This was in retaliation for a Palestinian shooting attack in Beersheva in southern Israel on Sunday, which killed two female soldiers, and a rocket attack - the first-ever Palestinian use of homemade rockets against Israeli territory.
"We are deeply troubled by the upsurge in violence in the region," Boucher said.
"Attacks such as [the Israeli airstrikes] are counter-productive to efforts to reduce the violence and restore calm, and we think that both sides need to remain focused on the need for substantive ongoing security cooperation," he said.
Boucher could not confirm that the Palestinians had used new rockets, but said reports that they had were also "deeply troubling."
"Chairman Arafat and the Palestinian Authority need to act now to halt this kind of dangerous and provocative escalation," he said.
He reiterated that U.S. President George W. Bush was "deeply concerned" about the harsh circumstances of Palestinian parents trying to raise and educate their children.
"We do continue to underscore the importance of alleviating the economic pressures on the Palestinian people," he said.
When asked by reporters about his apparent criticism of Israel, Boucher replied, "I don't think so". He added "there are actions now that we have made clear in the past we didn't think were helpful, and once they're repeated now we think they're not helpful."
While laying down this unusually blunt criticism of Israeli actions, Boucher had praise for a letter from Arafat that was delivered through the U.S. Consul-General in Jerusalem to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, but cautioned that the Palestinian leader still had to act to rein in anti-Israel attacks.
"We see it as a positive letter, we're currently studying it," Boucher said, noting that it dealt largely with the measures Arafat was, or would be taking in regard to the foiled Karine A weapons smuggling operation.
"Actions must follow words and we hope now to see strong, resolute, and irreversible actions by Chairman Arafat and the Palestinian Authority along the lines that he indicated in the letter," he told reporters.
Boucher declined to detail exactly what Arafat had written about the Karine A affair, named for the Palestinian-captained ship carrying 50 tons of arms from Iran that Israel seized in the Red Sea on January 3.
A senior State Department official said Arafat, who has consistently denied any knowledge or involvement in the incident, had gone beyond his previous remarks about the incident.
"It wasn't the standard denials," the official said. "It indicated that he was taking actions with regard to any possible arms smuggling or for that matter any form of military or arms relationship with Iran and the Palestinian Authority."
The United States and Israel have accused Iran, the Lebanese Hezbollah movement as well as senior Palestinian officials in the case. Iran and Hezbollah have denied any involvement.
The official noted that Arafat had ordered the arrest of one senior Palestinian official who was allegedly involved and said he hoped more arrests would follow.
Meanwhile, Boucher said he could not comment on reports that France has suggested the immediate creation of a Palestinian state.
"Our view on the idea of two states living side by side has been repeatedly expressed," he said. "The proposals made by France in this regard, I think, have a lot of different aspects. At this point I haven't seen either Palestinians or Israelis support them. So I don't think I'm going to try to comment on every idea that's out there."
With additional reporting by Ayesha Ahmad, IOL correspondent
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