KNOXVILLE, Tennessee, April 9 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - U.S. President George W. Bush said Monday, April 8, Israeli forces should withdraw from Palestinian cities they have occupied "without delay," after hard line Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he was not finished with its military campaign in the West Bank.

"I meant what I said to the prime minister of Israel," said Bush, on a visit to Tennessee. "I expect there to be a withdrawal without delay."

"I also meant what I said to the Arab world [that] in order for there to be peace, the leaders must stand up to terrorism," Bush said. "There is mutual responsibility on both sides and it's going to take leadership on both sides."

"They need to begin to withdraw now," White House spokesman Ari Fleisher emphasized. Bush "meant what he said and he expects Israel to act,” repeatedly saying that Bush expects "action" and "results."

The Washington Post reports that Bush's comments came hours after Sharon delivered a speech to the Knesset in which he said he promised Bush he would try to wrap up the invasion as quickly as possible, but that he did not intend to withdraw immediately.

"These missions have not been completed yet, and the army will continue operating as quickly as possible until the mission has been completed, until it has dismantled Arafat's terror infrastructure and until the murderers hiding in different places have been arrested," Sharon said.

And traveling in Morocco, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday that Israel should quit the West Bank "now", warning that its operation was creating "significant and severe" problems.

Referring to previous calls by Bush for Israeli troops to end their invasion of Palestinian cities begun March 29, Powell told reporters here: "The president meant 'now'".

Powell warned that Israel's massive military operation to crush Palestinian activists was creating "significant and severe" problems.

U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni met with Sharon after Bush reiterated his call for Israel to withdraw "without delay" from Palestinian towns it has re-occupied, officials said.