Bush 'Deeply Troubled' by Israeli Strike

AP ^ | 06/10/03 | SCOTT LINDLAW

[Pokey78]

WASHINGTON - President Bush scolded Israel on Tuesday for a helicopter attack on a senior Hamas leader that killed a bystander and a bodyguard, warning that such a strike "does not contribute to the security of Israel."

The strike came less than a week after Bush launched the "road map" toward Middle East peace he helped craft at a summit with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas.

"The president is deeply troubled by the strike of helicopter gunships that reportedly killed at least two persons and wounded 20 others," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said. "The president is concerned that this strike will undermine efforts by Palestinian authorities to bring an end to terrorist attacks, and it does not contribute to the security of Israel."

Abbas denounced the helicopter strike as a "criminal and terrorist" Israeli attack, and asked the United States to intervene.

Bush said after the summit in Aqaba, Jordan, last week that he would seek to keep the parties on the path to peace if he saw them straying. The prepared statement issued from Fleischer's lectern seemed to be in keeping with that.

"What's important in this new environment is for Palestinians and Israelis to find ways to work together on the path to peace," Fleischer said. "This is going to require both the Palestinian Authority and Israel to find new ways to protect the road map so it can advance to face terrorism."

"In looking at the progress that must be made for the road map and looking at this attack, the president is deeply troubled by it," Fleischer said.

The White House has often tempered such warnings to Israel by emphasizing that "Israel has a right to defend itself," and Fleischer repeated that language Tuesday.

But, he added: "Israel has to act on that right in a manner that is consistent with larger objectives, and in this case the president views this as deeply troubling."

In the attack Tuesday, Israeli helicopters fired missiles at a car carrying Abdel Aziz Rantisi, the most high-profile political leader of the Islamic militant group Hamas to be targeted by Israel in 32 months of fighting. Rantisi said he jumped out of his car when he heard the choppers overhead. He was injured and underwent surgery.

After the attack, Hamas threatened revenge "that will be like an earthquake."

"We will continue with our holy war and resistance until every last criminal Zionist is evicted from this land," Rantisi told the Arab TV satellite station Al-Jazeera from his hospital bed.

Abbas accused Israel of trying to destroy the "road map" plan to get out of its commitments.

At the same time, Israeli troops dismantled 10 tiny, uninhabited settlement outposts in the West Bank overnight, in line with the first requirements of the peace plan.

But the road map also says Israel must refrain from actions that undermine trust. It does not specifically rule out the targeted killings of Palestinian militants.

Israel said after its acceptance of the plan last month that it would from now on reserve the practice of targeted killings to "ticking bomb" scenarios, as a last means of preventing attacks on Israelis.

[FierceDraka]

I"m "deeply troubled" that President Bush is "deeply troubled" over this.

I'm deeply troubled about the Israeli strike as well. I'm deeply troubled because the strike didn't involve a high-yield nuclear weapon!

[playball0]

I don't like Bush using Daschlisms, but the Dems can't attacking him using those words. The hoots would be deafening.

BTW, I'm deeply sadded that the Israelis ........... missed.

[blackdog]

With all the good technology out there, why are the Israeli's still blowing stuff up? If they could start using some nice food additives, sound wave devices, accidents in the home, killer prostitutes, and such, things would go a lot better for self defense.

But I guess then Hamas would just blow themselves up to still keep territory sentiment at a high insanity level? A day without a jew delivering some injustice toward a Palestinian is like a day without sunshine.

[Publius6961]

Bush 'Deeply Troubled' by Israeli Strike

But not by the 4 Israelis killed? Which triggered the strike?

Remarkable!
Strange, even.

[blackdog]

Easy to say when you are upwind by ten thousand miles!

[dennisw]

warning that such a strike "does not contribute to the security of Israel." .............


WANNA BET!!! Matter of fact Israel killed a Hizbuallah big shot back in 1989 with a helicopter rocket to his car, and it greatly changed events

[tomahawk]

If Hamas isn't destroyed, then there will be no peace.

Who's going to do the job?

Not Abbas. Israel is going to have to do it.

[MoJo2001]

Wait! President Bush is actually "deeply concerned" and actually "deeply troubled" over this. LOL! Talk about wording! I'm just more annoyed by all of this, but your point is right on th mark. Woohoo!

[Jason_b]

There will be no peace regardless.

[dennisw]

But Israel really screwed the pooch on this one, though. IMHO, Israel should have been able to take out the Hamas leader without so much collateral damage (bystanders). Now, most are very bad, but one of the casualties is an 8 year old girl now with brain damage.

There was not much collateral damage. 2 dead?? Anyway I'm in mourning for the Jews killed by such Jihadist filth in the past week.

You want some freaking collateral damage go check out those who get maimed and traumatized by the next suicide bomber

[rintense]

I am deeply confused by President Bush right now.

[dennisw]

Yup, Israel has to do the dirty work that Mazen will get assassinated for trying to do. That's if he cares to try which I doubt. Just the tired old good cop/bad cop routine by the Pallies. Hamas very bad so give away the store to Araft/Mazen the moderate Jew killers.

[DoughtyOne]

I used to harbor the same theory you do on this subject. I have since come to realize that the oil embargos create severe hardships for the states imposing them. They have become accustomed to the major cash flow oil sales generate, and when that cash flow is interrupted, they actually do feel it severely.

As for cutting our dependence, I think every new home in this nation should be self-sustaining, with other homes converted at the earliest opportunity. In my opinion we have allowed the power producers to subsidize an insane policy that sees them able to demand large fees when we would be better served if by different policies.

This would not only bring our energy problems under control, it would insulate us against attack on our major energy resources.

[American in Israel]

President Bush scolded Israel on Tuesday for a helicopter attack on a senior Hamas leader that killed a bystander and a bodyguard, warning that such a strike "does not contribute to the security of Israel."

Bush then said, don't miss next time...

[MrsEmmaPeel]

You mis-read my post. I just said that the press will play up the 8 year old girl with brain damage and not ask the obvious question: "why was the attack necessary?" It would have been better had Israel just taken the Hamas leader out.

[DoughtyOne]

If I were Israel I would set a date when terrorism was going to stop or else. I don't care what that date is, but if terrorism didn't stop I'd move the entire west bank population out of there. I would deport them and never allow them to return, end of story!

I can't imagine a condition where I would accept terrorism from a people sworn to destroy me without adopting such a policy. Irael either has a right to exist or it doesn't. I think it does. And I know I wouldn't put up with what they have.

[MrsEmmaPeel]

If I were Israel I would set a date when terrorism was going to stop or else. I don't care what that date is, but if terrorism didn't stop I'd move the entire west bank population out of there. I would deport them and never allow them to return, end of story!

I really think that is the only solution. I've often fancied a snatch and grab on Arafat, drop him off in Antarctica barefoot with a day's worth of rations.

[FierceDraka]

There is a complicated game afoot here, something along the lines of good cop / bad cop.

It would be politically unwise at this time for the President to laugh out loud about the Pallies getting their a$$es kicked again.

IMHO, the game GW is up to involves giving the enemies every possible opportunity to redeem themselves by behaving as civilized people, which he knows (as does everyone else involved) they will not.

And once the olive branch has been refused, burned and broken one too many times, we will be justified (by world opinion) in allowing Israel to finish them off once and for all.

It's the old game of giving one's adversaries just enough rope to hang themselves.

If I'm wrong, then god help us all.

[Frank_Discussion]

I agree with you. I'm just saying that the US Foreign Policy stance only makes sense if there is something else going on behind the scenes that we aren't privy to.

The issue with not angering OPEC is a non-starter for me. We have oil here, and we'll go get it, if need be. And if push comes to shove, Iraq has some reparations that can be addressed handily by it's oil. We will not be bent over on the oil issue.

[MatthewViti]

"The president is concerned that this strike will undermine efforts by Palestinian authorities to bring an end to terrorist attacks,..."

What a crock of $h!t