Excessive Response
events" in recent days, beginning with a
cross-border attack by Hezbollah guerillas
in southern Lebanon that killed an Israeli
soldier. Israel, which holds Lebanese mas-
ter Syria responsible for controlling
Hezbollah, responded with an attack on a
Syrian radar site in Lebanon, reportedly
killing three soldiers.
This was followed by the Palestinian mortar
attacks and the Israeli response, which was a
combined land, sea and air attack that divided
Gaza into three zones.
Commitment Questioned
In its strongest language yet, U.S.
blasts Israeli attack on Gaza.
Above:
Secretary of State
Colin Powell gestures
at a State Department
press conference.
4/20
2001
20
MATTHEW E. BERGER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Washington
ondemning Israel's reoccupation
of a piece of the Gaza Strip, the
United States has resorted to its
strongest criticism of Israel since
Mideast violence erupted last fall.
Secretary of State Colin Powell on Tuesday
acknowledged that Israeli actions Monday
"were precipitated by the provocative
Palestinian mortar attacks on Israel," but said
that "the Israeli response was excessive and dis-
proportionate." He urged "both sides to
respect the agreements that they've signed."
State Department spokesman Richard
,
Boucher said Israel should "fully withdraw'
from the Gaza Strip, as it quickly began to
do. Some IDF officials said the withdrawal
began before the U.S. criticism.
Boucher also called on the Palestinians to
renounce terrorism and "exercise control
over all elements" of the PLO and the
Palestinian Authority. State Department
officials said Boucher's statement was not
meant to excuse the Palestinian Authority
from controlling Hamas and other groups
that operate from P.A.-ruled territory but
are not formally part of the Palestinian
Authority or the PLO.
Abraham Foxman, national director of
the Anti-Defamation League, called the
State Department's comments an "unwar-
ranted overreaction."
"Palestinian mortar attacks against an
Israeli town in the Negev Desert introduced
a new dimension into the seven-month-long
period of violence," Foxman said. "Israel,
which has the responsibility to protect its cit-
izens, had no choice but to demonstrate that
the Palestinians' escalation of hostilities into
Israel proper will not be tolerated."
Other Jewish organizations were less criti-
cal, saying they understand that the Bush
administration feels constrained to issue
tough comments on Israel in order to win
Arab support for America's Iraq policy.
State Department officials said they are
familiar with the sequence of events and
understand that Israel's entry into Gaza was
provoked by Palestinian mortar attacks on
an Israeli town. Still, the officials said, both
sides went too far in the past several days.
"The situation is threatening to escalate
further, posing the risk of a broader con-
flict," Powell said. He noted that "there can
be no military solution to this conflict."
State Department officials Tuesday said
they have seen four "deeply troubling
The State Department criticism, echoed by
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, is a
break from the Bush White House's usual
language on Israel. Previously, the adminis-
tration sought to be "even-handed," but
was cautious not to chastise Israeli actions
too strongly.
However, U.S. officials noted that they
have been critical of Israel's use of exces-
sive force, its policy of "targeted killings"
and its recent incursions into areas under
P.A. control.
U.S. administration officials were quick
to explain that the statement does not
mean that they are questioning Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's willingness to
participate in peace talks, but said they are
concerned about Israel's current strategy.
"What's going on now, the latest attacks,
raises the question of Israel's commitment
to the written agreements," a State
Department spokesman said.
The United States has been active in
recent days getting Israeli and Palestinian
security officials together for talks.
While State Department officials refrain
from calling the United States a mediator, talks
have taken place several times at the home of
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk.
The Palestinians canceled talks scheduled
for Monday night, but the United States
has been trying to convince the two sides to
sit down together about once a week.
"There's a limit to what we can do with
this level of escalation," a department
spokesman said. "There has to be a small
amount of calm restored."
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern
Affairs Edward Walker is in the Middle East
to discuss policy toward Iraq. But the State
Department is considering having him meet
vs/ith the Israeli and Palestinian leadership —
probably separately, a spokesman said. E