Bush 'Deeply Troubled' by Israeli Strike

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.

"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.

Right-o, Chris. Happy to volunteer other people's sons and daughters to put their life at risk. Bad helicopters, bad, bad.

It's Mossad's job, dammit. It's what they're good at. The object of the exercise is to fix, find, and kill the jihadi bossman, not some poor kid.

If a helicopter strike MISSES ITS FREAKING TARGET and ends up killing a couple of civilians instead, it's not much damn good, is it? We're not plinking T-72's in the Karbala Gap, for God's sake! This is a built up urban area. Gaza is one of the most concentrated cesspools of humanity in the Arab world.

Mossad knows where these people are. They are the ones who should be sent in to make them disappear. Now, with the civilian casualties, the Israelis are going to have to be doubly cautious. This makes the political situation even harder to handle, and encourages the Hamas to try, try again.

Only a series of assassinations, made to look like Palestinian infighting, can bring this under control and slowly, but surely, deprive Arafat of his chesspieces. Give the jihadist bastards a taste of their own medicine.

Until people get serious and decide that Arafat must be retired, permanently, this thing will continue to occur. Only when the Pallies fight each other for power can Israel withdraw safely and play kingmaker.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

>>>What we seem to disagree on is why they should be willing sacrifice to make it happen while the other side continues to blow their loved ones to oblivion.

Both sides are wrong. Israel to a lesser degree of course. The Palis have had three times the amount of citizens killed in the last three years, then the Israeli's have. So both sides continue to sacrifice and suffer. The problem you have is you don't view the Palis as people, but rather as cattle. You want them physically removed from Israeli territory. Such an action, would start the bigger regional conflict I mentioned. And once again, most Israeli's don't want the Pali's moved out. They want the conflict settled and they want lasting peace.

>>> ... we make demands on Israel. That is perposterous and you know it.

What actual demands have we made on Israel that they probably already gave the green light to? Come on D1, you know better then that. Sharon even realzies this can't go on forever and most Israeli's beleive some rational conclusion must be reached and soon.

>>>Could you please tell me why Bush must remain impartial on the subject of Israel? France, Germany, the EU, the UN, all middle east leaders and just about every other nation's leadership on the planet openly condemns Israel at every opportunity. In the face of this YOU think we should remain impartial. Please grace us with the reasoning behind betraying Israel in the quest for peace. I'd love to hear it.

I don't need your condescending tone D1 and I don't give a rats arse about what other nations of the world may think about Israel. Other nations of the world have not been engaged in any real peace process before. I doubt Kofi Annan and the UN have designs on securing a peace in this Isareli/Pali conflict. Bush has presented what is being called a "Road Map to Peace", so he would look pretty foolish, if he didn't try and appear to be the honest broker, he says he is.

>>>Anyone with half a brain knows that our leadership remains silent regarding terrorism perpetrated against Israel until Israel responds. Then we damn Israel for jeopardizing prospects for peace. With assitance like this, who needs enemies?

Pure horsecrap! I've heard Bush, Powell, Rice, even Rumsfeld condemn the Pali's. Our media and especially the world media has a tendency not to print such remarks from "our leaders", so as to diminish any right Isarel may have to respond with their military and protect their interests.

If you think killing all the Palis is the answer, you're wrong.

>>>Along with the rest of your misguided comments, this one takes the cake.

My remarks haven't been misguided. They've been right on the money. You need a dictionary to look up the meaning of the word "if". Such is the meaning of rhetorical phrasing.

If you think Israel should engage in another war with the Arab world, you're wrong.

>>>What exactly do you call mass casualty bombings and daily military style incursions into Israeli territory, peace?

The current three year old conflict is nothing compared to the all out wars of 1967 and 1973. And again, I used that word "if".

>>>So anotherwords Israel should just sit there and allow continued attacks on it's citizens? B.S., and you know it.

I never said that or even infered such a scenario. You did! I do think Israel has every right to protect and defend itself and have thought that since I was old enough to understand what was happening with Israel and their ME neighbors. Growing up in NYCity, half my good friends were Jewish. Many would spend summers in Israel and returned to share their stories with their friends and schoolmates. It was a first hand account of real life.

Your problem D1, as with most American's, is you don't understand the Israeli people and their strong desire for lasting peace. All out war may yet come some day in the ME. The US remains a strong friend and ally to the Israeli people. We will stand with them, as we always have. Try and see past your own nose once in a while and understand the nature of the politics involved here. Peace doesn't come without a price. If I could snap my fingers and end the conflict, I would, but this is the real world. PresBush has offered an option to both sides. There may not be many opportunities left.

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