Officials in the Bush administration ended their unequivocal support for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's hard-line policies against the Palestinian Authority by stating their belief that these policies would fail. After previously confirming Israel's right to defend itself, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell yesterday criticized Sharon's statements suggesting that the Palestinians had to suffer major losses before they would renounce terror.

"If you declare war against the Palestinians thinking that you can solve the problem by seeing how many Palestinians can be killed, I don't know that that leads us anywhere," Powell said. Earlier he told a House of Representatives subcommittee that Sharon "has to take a hard look at his policies to see whether they will work."

A senior American official told the New York Times that the

Sharon "has to take a hard look at his policies to see whether they will work" - U.S. Sec. of State Colin Powell

administration had to respond strongly to Sharon's statements lest Sharon interpret the American silence as implicit permission to intensify military actions against the Palestinians. "We had to make clear to him that there is simply no evidence that approach will succeed," the official said.

Sharon's office issued a statement in which he rejected the American criticism. "The war that Israel finds itself in was forced on it by the Palestinian Authority and its Chairman following the Camp David summit in July 2000. Israel never declared war on the Palestinians; Israel is returning fire against the terrorist organizations in the framework of its right to self-defense. He who initiated the war has the power to stop it but he continues to prefer the terrorist war."

On Monday, Sharon said that Israel was in a war against a "cruel, bloodthirsty enemy," and in the current situation, "it's them, or us." Palestinians "have to be hit hard, and it has to hurt them," he told reporters. Israel "must cause them losses, victims, so that they will feel it."

Possible change in American policy?
Diplomatic officials in Israel said that Powell's statements may indicate a change in American policy, but it was not clear if they represented the positions of President Bush, ynet reported. According to these officials, "What is important to Sharon is Bush's position."

Following his meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday, Bush emphasized that peace was "only possible if there is a maximum effort to end violence throughout the region, starting with Palestinian efforts to stop attacks on Israelis."

The Bush administration is reportedly weighing different options with regards to its Middle East policies. American officials were cool to Mubarak's proposal of a summit meeting between Sharon, himself and PA Chairman Yasser Arafat, as they realized realistically that Sharon would not agree to meet with Arafat while Palestinian terrorist attacks continue. The administration also reportedly considered sending special envoy Anthony Zinni back to the region, but his return was apparently conditional on concrete actions by Arafat to reduce violence, terror and incitement.

One Israeli official expressed concern that Vice President Dick Cheney, due to begin his visit to the Middle East on Sunday, may use the opportunity to shift the American focus from pressuring Arafat to fight terror to pressuring Israel to exercise restraint, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Officials in the Prime Minister's Office told ynet that Powell's statements "do not change the basic fact that Israel has a right to defend itself. Israel is protecting itself, just like the United States is doing."

Canada criticizes Israeli attacks on Palestinians
Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham said yesterday that although Israel had a right to defend itself, there was no justification for the killing of Palestinian civilians.

"Innocent civilian casualties, no matter what their background or religion, are not justifiable and ultimately compromise Israel's image as a vital and compassionate nation, as well as ultimately undermining the hopes of Palestinians and instilling a bitterness which will ultimately prejudice prospects for fair-minded peace," Graham said, speaking to the Canada-Israel Policy Conference.

"Canada supports the creation of a viable, independent and democratic Palestinian state which will serve to secure peace in the region," he said. Graham, who became Canada's foreign minister in January, also stated in his first major policy address that his country had "strongly and repeatedly" urged Arafat to bring to justice those responsible for the violence that has escalated in the past few weeks. "We'll continue to urge the Palestinian leader to eradicate terrorism," he said, but added Israel must also do its part to end the violence.

Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, speaking on the occasion of Israeli President Moshe Katsav's visit to Canada, issued a warm statement of support for Israel, saying that nothing in the Canadian experience could capture the kind of fear Israelis live with every day. But Chretien warned that Israelis could not avoid negotiations with the Palestinians if they wanted peace.

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