U.S. : Israel killings inflame mideast conflict
Palestine-USA, Politics, 8/28/2001

The United States said on Monday that Israel's assassinations of Palestinian leaders were inflaming the Middle East conflict.

In language rare in official U.S. statements, the State Department also called on Israel to alleviate "the pressure, the hardship and the humiliations of the Palestinian people.''

The State Department repeated its frequent appeal to the Palestinian Authority to stop attacks on Israelis and arrest those responsible for attacks.

Asked to comment on the killing on Monday of Palestinian politician Abu Ali Mustafa, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said:

"We think Israel needs to understand that targeted killings of Palestinians don't end the violence, but are only inflaming an already volatile situation and making it much harder to restore calm,'' he told a daily briefing.

The United States was particularly concerned because 20 American citizens, including women and children, were living in the building which Israeli helicopters attacked when they killed Mustafa, the head of the radical Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Boucher said.

The assassination of Mustafa came after several days of intense violence between Israel and the Palestinians. Seven Israelis and four Palestinian have been killed in two days.

Asked if the United States would respond with more active diplomacy. Boucher said Washington was in contact with the parties through its ambassador to Israel and its consul-general in Jerusalem and other representatives in the Middle East.

Secretary of State Colin Powell , who is in the second week of a summer vacation, has not spoken to any Middle East leaders in recent days, he added.

Asked to expand on the use of the word "humiliations,'' he said: "I think it's an accurate description of the effect of some of these measures.'' He declined to elaborate.

The spokesman dismissed the widespread perception that President Bush (news - web sites) is ignoring State Department advice in his strongly pro-Israeli statements on the Middle East.

Bush angered Arabs on Friday with statements that echoed Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon 's position on violence and talks with the Palestinians.

"The Israelis will not negotiate under terrorist threat. It's as simple as that,'' Bush said.

Three days earlier, Bush said in a speech unrelated to the Middle East that the United States needed a strong military to ''protect Israel and our allies and America.''

Diplomats in Washington said Middle East specialists in the State Department and National Security Council felt Bush was complicating their work with his pro-Israeli positions.

But Boucher said: "There's no difference between what I'm saying and what the president said.''

Despite Mustafa's killing, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said efforts were continuing to bring the sides together for new talks although careful preparation would be needed.

The latest violence has overshadowed attempts by Germany to mediate a meeting between Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Peres on a truce that was brokered by the United States in mid-June but has never taken effect.

At least 537 Palestinians, 154 Israelis and 14 Israeli Arabs have been killed in the violence that flared in September after peace talks stalled.

Previous Stories:
  Bush slams Israeli strikes against Jenin   (8/15/2001)
  Two US-based organizations Call for Removal of Israeli Forces from Orient House   (8/13/2001)
  ADC calls state department to investigate case of US citizen reported missing in the West Bank   (8/10/2001)

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