Bush Tells Sharon to Withdraw 'Without Delay'

Sat Apr 6, 6:31 PM ET

By Adam Entous

CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - In a test of wills, President Bush (news - web sites) on Saturday demanded that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) withdraw his forces now from Palestinian areas, but Sharon stopped short of promising to end the offensive on Bush's timetable.

Bush told the prime minister in a telephone call to pull back "without delay," warning that a U.S.-led peace mission was at stake, according to a senior administration official.

But Sharon, in spite of mounting pressure from Washington, Israel's closest ally and provider of $3 billion in annual aid, promised only to end the military offensive "as expeditiously as possible," the official said.

It was Bush's first call to Sharon since Israeli forces launched their drive into Palestinian cities, and was a dramatic illustration of the administration's new hands-on approach to the crisis in the Middle East.

Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) will leave for the region on Sunday, and Washington feared that the Israeli offensive, if still underway, would undermine U.S. hopes of brokering a cease-fire.

"The president urged Ariel Sharon to withdraw so the peace mission can succeed," a senior Bush administration official said, adding: "He told the prime minister that he meant what he said, that Israel needs to withdraw without delay. He told the prime minister Israel needs to make progress now."

STAND OFF

Bush asked Israel on Thursday to withdraw its forces from cities in the West Bank it occupied in a military offensive across the Palestinian-controlled area.

Instead, Sharon pressed ahead with a military campaign, which Israel says is aimed at rooting out the people it believes are responsible for a wave of suicide attacks.

U.S. officials said Bush called Sharon "as a friend," and told him in a 20-minute telephone conversation that "Israel needed to defuse the situation so diplomacy can work."

Sharon's office said he had told Bush that "Israel will make every effort to accelerate" the operation.

Sharon also told Bush that Israel was aware of Americans' wish to see the Israeli military action end quickly. But he explained that Israeli forces were acting "under difficult conditions, in cities and villages where there are weapons and a lot of explosive material," Sharon's office said.

The phone call came in the middle of Bush's weekend summit with British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites) that largely focused on the escalating violence in the Middle East.

"Withdraw without delay," Bush said at a joint news conference with Blair, adding: "I expect Israel to heed my advice."

At the same time Bush kept up his sharp criticism of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (news - web sites), saying he had failed the test of leadership by not halting Palestinian attacks against Israel. He urged Arafat and other leaders to "reject terror."

"As Israel steps back, we expect the Arab world to step up and lead -- to lead against terror, to get into an immediate cease-fire," Bush said.

Fierce fighting raged in the West Bank on Saturday as Israel pushed ahead with its military offensive despite stepped-up U.S. calls for a withdrawal.

Israeli jets and artillery also hit targets across south Lebanon in retaliation for the most extensive guerrilla attacks on the Jewish state's armed forces since they withdrew from the area two years ago.

Despite the surge in fighting, Bush and Blair seemed confident that Sharon would comply with their increasingly insistent calls for a withdrawal.

"I think they will heed the call," Bush told reporters.

But he said in his weekly radio address that he had "no illusions about the difficulty" Powell will face in trying to secure a cease-fire.

"The United States is strongly committed to finding a just settlement in the Middle East. That settlement must lead to two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security," Bush said.

But the president warned "Arab governments, the Palestinian leadership and the Palestinian people" that suicide bombings against Israel jeopardized "the very possibility of an independent Palestinian state."

Bush singled out Arafat for criticism at his press conference with Blair. "He (Arafat) never earned my trust because he hasn't performed," Bush said. "He said he would fight off terror. He hasn't. He needs to speak clearly, in Arabic, to the people of that region and condemn terrorist activities."

The White House says Powell has no plans "at this moment" to meet with Arafat during his mission to the region. Officials have made clear that could change, however.

-- (revenge okay for us @ but. not for you), April 07, 2002

Answers

"He told the prime minister that he meant what he said, that Israel needs to withdraw without delay."

"Withdraw without delay," Bush said at a joint news conference with Blair, adding: "I expect Israel to heed my advice."

Oooooh, you talk so tough Dubby! And what are ya gonna do if he doesn't obey your order, go tell your Mommy?

LMAO!!!

-- (Dubya@the.manchild), April 07, 2002.

In his second debate against Al Gore, Bush continued to drive home his point about how we should stop "nation-building" and stay out of other countries. All the Bush supporters rallied around him, claiming that he had "won" the debate. Amazing how things can change once you actually get into office.

-- (shh@dont.tell), April 07, 2002.

How arrogant. Does that moron actually think he has the right to go around telling other countries what to do, and expect them to heed his every command? Just goes to show you what happens when you put too much power into the hands of a child, they abuse it.

-- (Dubya is @ so. infantile), April 07, 2002.

Israel defies Bush on pull-out

By Paul McGeough

Gaza City April 8 2002

Israeli forces pushed further into the West Bank last night in defiance of a demand from President George Bush that they withdraw "without delay".

Mr Bush's plea, made in a 20-minute phone call to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that aides described as "terse", came in the face of intensifying Arab anger and new threats of attacks on US interests in the Middle East.

Mr Bush kept up his scathing criticism of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, but he hardened his public message to Mr Sharon. The President's demand was said to have been blunt. "I don't expect them (the Israelis) to ignore (it)," he told reporters later at a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The new attempt at coaxing a makeshift peace coincided with heavy fighting in the West Bank cities of Nablus and Jenin and renewed Israeli artillery and air attacks in southern Lebanon in retaliation for cross-border strikes against Israel.

As US Secretary of State Colin Powell embarked on a peace mission that looked increasingly fraught, key developments included:

* Thirty tanks and armoured vehicles reportedly entered the hilltop village of Beit Rima near Ramallah on the central West Bank, with troops conducting house to house searches for militants.

* Ten new Palestinian deaths were reported in the territories as the blitz entered its 10th day. At least 50 Palestinians, including five children, and five Israeli soldiers were reported killed on Saturday, the highest daily toll since the launch of the Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in September 2000.

* In Cairo, a meeting of Arab foreign ministers denounced the Bush administration's handling of the conflict and urged the United Nations Security Council to force Israeli compliance with its calls for Israel to pull back from the West Bank. They also threatened to boycott talks with Mr Powell if he refused to meet Mr Arafat, who the Israelis have pinned down in Ramallah.

* The militant Palestinian Hamas organisation vowed revenge for the weekend killing by Israelis of Qais Adwan, the bomb-maker who Israel claims masterminded the Passover suicide bombing that killed 26 Israelis at Netanya two weeks ago. Leaders of the political wing of Hamas in Gaza issued a warning that the US should expect attacks against its interests in the Middle East.

Although Mr Powell was due in the Middle East on Monday, he is not expected in Israel before Friday. He will first visit Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Morocco.

The Israelis claim that Mr Bush's acknowledgement of their right to self-defence "legitimises" their West Bank mission. Critics claimed that the Sharon Government could buy time to conclude the operation as long as Mr Powell was not on Israeli soil.

Mr Sharon is reported to have told Mr Bush the mission would be expedited but "there are a great deal of weapons, explosives and armed terrorists" in the villages and communities under Israeli attack.

-- haahahaha (shove@it.bush), April 07, 2002.

El stupido,

W is under pressure from Colin Powell, the Euros and people of your ilque to influence the Israelis to stop terrorizing the terrorists. His temporizing words are for public consumption. If he genuinely goes squishy, you will hear great growls on the Right.

-- (roland@hatemail.com), April 07, 2002.

Don't think so El Retardo Rolo. Colin Powell and other intelligent people know that the situation needs to be handled diplomatically, as in a summit and a peaceful mediated discussuion between parties.

Dumbshit Dumbya is just an overgrown child so he has no clue how to handle something like this himself without making threats to blow people up. He doesn't understand that you cannot command respect, you have to EARN it.

The idiot doesn't even know that Taiwan is not a Republic, and he has likely worsened our relations with China because he is such a moron.

-- (Dumbya@foreign.relations.imbecile), April 07, 2002.

Forunately Sharon isn't paying attention to any of this crap.

-- Carlos (riffraff@cybertime.net), April 10, 2002.

Sharon sure as hell isn't going to pay attention to a hypocrite like Dumbya, that's for sure. Where does Dumbass get off blowing the crap out of hundreds of innocent civilians in Afghanistan in his crusade against terror and then turning around and trying to order Sharon not to do the same thing? Bwaahahahaa!! Who the fuck is he kidding?

-- (Dumbya@dumbshit.traitor), April 10, 2002.

Well ‘dumbshit’, he certainly didn’t fool you did he? You obviously have some special insight and appear to be on top of things. BTW, super size that order would ya.

-- Free (head@case.analysis), April 11, 2002.

LOL!

No, it doesn't require any special insight "nut case". It's very easy to spot plain and simple hypocrisy when you see it. Of course it does require a brain, which unlike you, most of us have!

-- Bwaaahahaaa!! (nut case @ is. a dumbshit), April 11, 2002.

Pull out? That doesn't sound very manly to me...

George Carlin

-- helen (we@shoulda.left.afganistan.alone), April 11, 2002.

Helen, That USED to be the advice of the Catholic church as a form of birth control, snicker, just goes to show you how much they know about precum.

-- (whatever@gigesdr.org), April 12, 2002.

Mexican Catholics still use that form of birth control. That's why their families have an average of 9 kids.

-- (religion is @ for. fools), April 12, 2002.

I guess you came from a small family?

-- (cin@cin.cin), April 12, 2002.

Who, me?

Nope, not what I would consider "small". We have 5 kids in my family. Maybe "medium" for back in the 50's when were born. These days though (in the United States), the average married couple are only having 1 or 2 kids.

-- (religion is @ for. fools), April 12, 2002.

That's why their families have an average of 9 kids.

Si senor, theees eees how we take back Aztlan

-- (pancho@tex mex.sex), April 12, 2002.