Mideast - AFP
Bush troubled by renewed violence in Gaza
Date: Tue, May 18, 2004
WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush (news - web sites) said that violence in the Gaza Strip (news - web sites) was "troubling" while reaffirming his belief that Israel, which launched a massive raid there, had a right to target extremists.
"The unfolding violence in the Gaza Strip is troubling and underscores the need for all parties to seize every opportunity for peace," he said in a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a powerful pro-Israel group.
"The United States is strongly committed, and I am strongly committed, to the security of Israel as a vibrant Jewish state. Israel is a democracy and a friend, and has every right to defend itself from terror," he said.
Later, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the United States understood Israel's reasons for the raid in the Palestinian refugee camp of Rafah, which it said was to smash tunnels used to smuggle weapons under the border with Egypt.
"The Israelis have told us they will make every effort to minimize the impact on Palestinians not involved in acts of terrorism or arms smuggling," McClellan told reporters.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Israel had offered explanations in response to urgent US queries after Israeli troops demolished nearly 90 homes in Rafah last week, drawing rebukes from Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) and national security advisor Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites).
But, he suggested the responses had not assuaged US concerns, particularly after media reports in Israel that warned of the demolition of a vast swathe of homes in Rafah that face the Egyptian border for a security trench.
"We've asked them questions about these things," Boucher said. "We've tried to pursue them about what's going on ... We're saying there are better ways to solve this than by knocking down houses of innocent people."
In his address, Bush renewed his call for the creation of an independent Palestinian state living at peace with Israel, but warned that for that to happen "all parties must renounce violence and fight terror."
"For the sake of peace, this country is committed to helping the Palestinian people establish a democratic and viable state of their own. Israel needs a truly responsible partner in achieving peace. The Palestinian people deserve democratic institutions and responsible leaders," he said.
The president also called on Arab and European governments to do more to battle anti-Semitism, warning it "is not a problem of the past."
"In its cruder forms, it can be found in some Arab media, and this government will continue to call upon Arab governments to end libels and incitements," he said.
"I will continue to call upon our friends in Europe to renounce and fight any sign of anti-Semitism in their midst," added Bush.
Medical sources said at least 20 Palestinians were killed and more than 30 wounded when Israeli tanks and troops swept through the heart of the Rafah Gaza refugee camp.
Two of the dead were children, 11-year-old Ahmed Mohammed al-Mughayer and his sister Asmaa, 15, who were hit by bullets as they played in their home.
Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said that no time limit had been set for "Operation Rainbow." The Palestinian Authority (news - web sites) riposted by accusing Israel of conducting a "war of extermination."
Families had earlier packed their possessions and fled their homes amid fears that the army was to raze hundreds of buildings during the operation in defiance of widespread international criticism.
Most of the fatalities were members of the three main Palestinian armed factions -- Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
SOURCE
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