Bush Under Fire in Congress for Criticizing Israel
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Bush Under Fire in Congress for Criticizing Israel
By STEVEN R. WEISMAN and JAMES DAO
ASHINGTON, June 11 — Supporters of Israel in and out of Congress
assailed President Bush today for criticizing Israeli attacks on
Palestinian militant groups as the administration worked to protect
its Middle East peace initiative from a new cycle of violence.
On a day of new attacks and counterattacks by Israeli and Palestinian
militant forces, diplomats said there was concern in the
administration that without dramatic improvement of some kind, the
peace initiative known as the road map could founder.
A day after he criticized Israel for its attempt to kill a militant
Palestinian leader, Mr. Bush today denounced a suicide bomb attack on
a bus in Jerusalem that killed 16 people and wounded more than 100.
"I strongly condemn the killings," he said, "and I urge and call upon
all of the free world, nations which love peace, to not only condemn
the killings, but to use every ounce of their power to prevent them
from happening in the future."
At a hearing of the House International Relations Committee,
Representative Gary L. Ackerman, said that Mr. Bush's rebuke might
lead his critics "to think of the word hypocrisy."
"How can we take certain actions in response to terrorism, and then
tell others that when they do the same exact thing that it is not
helpful?" Mr. Ackerman, a New York Democrat, said during questioning
of William J. Burns, the State Department's senior diplomat for Middle
Eastern affairs.
The influential pro-Israel lobbying group, the American-Israel Public
Affairs Committee, known as Aipac, issued a rare criticism of Mr.
Bush, if only obliquely. Israel, it said, "will and must take the
responsibility to fight terrorist organizations" and "it should be the
policy of the U.S. to support" such actions.
The bombing today was an apparent retaliation for Israel's attempt to
kill Dr. Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a top leader of Hamas, on Tuesday. It
happened at about the same time as an Israeli missile attack in Gaza.
Despite the violence, senior administration officials said that the
peace initiative was still alive.
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and Kofi Annan, the United Nations
secretary general met and urged calm.
"There are those who do not wish to see the Palestinian people achieve
a state living side by side in peace with Israel," Mr. Powell said. He
called on Israel, the Palestinians and the Arab nations in the region
to "remain steadfast, to continue moving down the path that was laid
out at Aqaba last week by the leaders who were assembled."
Mr. Powell was referring to a summit meeting in Jordan last week
attended by Mr. Bush, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel and the
Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas.
Mr. Annan called on the Israelis and Palestinians to "stay the
course."
But there was an unusual quality to the statements given the inflamed
situation. If there was a new wrinkle to the day's developments, it
was the criticism directed at Mr. Bush for his rebuke of the Israeli
government on Tuesday.
Reflecting dismay that a new round of violence might undermine the
spirit achieved in Aqaba and Sharm el Sheik, Mr. Bush said the attack
on the Hamas leader would not help Israel's security. His statement
drew fire from those saying that Israel had carried out the attacks to
defend itself, just as the United States has done.
Representative Robert Wexler, a Florida Democrat, said Israel's use of
military force to protect itself against "a ticking time bomb factory"
was "100 percent justified."
Representative Tom Lantos of California, the ranking Democrat on the
International Relations Committee, defended Israel's right to protect
itself, saying that the Palestinian Authority under Mr. Abbas was
unable to do the job. If the Palestinians will not disarm terrorists,
"then Israel clearly will do so," he said.
"We would do so," he continued. "Any self-respecting society will do
so. People in government have to defend their citizens."
Appearing before the committee, Mr. Burns, the assistant secretary of
state for Near Eastern affairs, acknowledged under sharp questioning
from Democrats that Mr. Abbas would probably have to take forceful
steps to disarm and dismantle terrorist groups if the peace initiative
were to succeed. "I believe he is committed to doing the hard things
that are going to be required to make that possible," Mr. Burns said.
But a diplomat in touch with the administration said that the
situation was so perilous that Mr. Abbas could be ousted from power if
the cycle of violence did not abate. He said that there would be a
meeting in Europe later this week of envoys focusing on the Middle
East.
The envoys — from the United States, the European Union, the United
Nations and Russia — are to prepare for a higher-level meeting
attended by Secretary Powell in Jordan on June 22. The group, known as
the quartet, devised the step-by-step plan to end violence and
establish a Palestinian state in three years. The plan was endorsed by
the Palestinians and, in a qualified manner, by Israel last week.
Despite the hopeful words from many sides, the fast-changing situation
was putting new pressure on Mr. Bush to get more involved in saving
the peace negotiations.
On one hand, Israel sought today to dispute the American analysis that
led the Bush administration to condemn the attack on the Hamas leader.
Israeli officials said that far from being a mere political spokesman
for Hamas, Dr. Rantisi was part of a faction within Hamas that
advocated attacks on Israel as a means to destroy Mr. Abbas, who is
also known as Abu Mazen.
"There has been an ongoing debate within leadership circles in Hamas
over the last few days about how to approach Abu Mazen," an Israeli
official said. "One faction has said we have to fight against Abu
Mazen and intensify terrorism. This faction lies outside Hamas itself
— in Damascus, Jordan and elsewhere. Rantisi is one of their most
vocal forces."
But other diplomats said the Israelis had to know that the attack
would provoke a new cycle of violence and make it impossible for Mr.
Abbas to keep what little support he has among Palestinians.