Current events in the Middle East and the violent clashes between Palestinians and Israelis were one of the main areas of concern for which the two candidates were asked their opinions.

Both candidates, as expected, backed Israel, with Gore at one point referring to the Palestinians only as the other side in the peace negotiations. Neither of them mentioned anything about the killings or deaths of Palestinians.

The Clinton administration has come under heavy criticism by the Jewish lobby and Israel after the U.S. abstained its vote during the last U.N. resolution condemning the excessive use of force against the Palestinians by Israeli forces.

"Israel should, should feel absolutely secure about one thing. Our bonds with Israel are larger than agreements or disagreements on some details of diplomatic initiatives. They are historic, they are strong and they are enduring," Gore said.

Gore reminded Israel and Jewish voters of the strong and enduring relationship the U.S. has with Israel. He added that Israel should not be alarmed if there is an occasional disagreement about some details.

Bush assured Israel of his stance as an ally, and should he be elected, "I'm going to stand by Israel," he said.

But he added that the American policy should reach out to the moderate friends like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait and Jordan.

Both candidates blamed the Palestinians for the increasing violence and asked for its immediate end. "We need to insist that Arafat send out instructions to halt some of the provocative acts of violence that have been going on," Gore said.

But there was no mention of the way Israel has countered the stone uprising of the Palestinians.

Bush said that resolving the Mid-East crisis should be based on the timetable of the conflicting and involved sides over there, and not the president's timetable, a reference to recent criticism of the Clinton-Gore administration blamed for increasing the pace of the negotiations hoping to reach a settlement before the end of its term, without giving enough time to the people of the region to be psychologically and emotionally prepared for the repercussions of any peace settlement.

Bush suggested this might have played a factor in escalating the violence.

With a previous reputation for his inability to pronounce, or even spell the names of some foreign capitals or world leaders, Bush showed a remarkable sense of understanding of the world affairs.

Gore, with an experience of seven years in office, performed as expected.

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