U.S. urges Israel to leave Beit Jala

Washington calls on Syria to control PFLP

From Elise Labott
CNN Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The State Department warned Tuesday that Israel's continuing incursion into a West Bank town would "make matters worse" in the Middle East and called on Israel to withdraw.

The United States also urged Syria to restrain a Palestinian group whose leader was killed in an Israeli raid Monday.

Early Tuesday, Israeli troops rolled tanks into the West Bank town of Beit Jala with the objective of curbing Palestinian gunfire into the disputed Jerusalem suburb of Gilo. The troops took up positions within the town in what military officials said was a temporary move.

"The Israelis need to understand that incursions like this will not solve the security problems," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Tuesday. "As a consequence, we believe the Israelis should withdraw their forces from this area."

Boucher further called upon Israel to move its troops away from the nearby Beit Jala orphanage, which is associated with the Lutheran church.

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"We want both sides to avoid any action that would jeopardize the safety of the children," he said.

Following the lead of top U.S. officials, including President Bush, Boucher also criticized the Palestinian Authority for not doing more to restrain violence in territories under its administration.

"The Palestinians need to stop the shootings and attacks against Israelis in Gilo and elsewhere," he said. "The Palestinian Authority must exercise its authority, if it's serious about ending the current crisis."

In recent days, Palestinians have complained that Israel is using U.S.-made weapons -- including 2,000-pound aerial bombs -- against Palestinian targets. The Arms Export Control Act, which regulates use of U.S.-supplied weapons to foreign powers, says that Israel can only use American weapons for self-defense and internal security.

When asked about whether Israel has violated the law, Boucher said the administration will "continue to monitor the way the U.S. weaponry is used."

A senior Israeli official visiting Washington told reporters Tuesday that the United States has not complained to the Israeli government in private about Israel's use of U.S.-made weapons against Palestinians since the beginning of the intifada last year.

"They understand that we have the right to defend ourselves and that we are not the cause of the violence," said the official.

A senior State Department official said the administration is "careful not to give a complete green light" to Israeli use of the weapons, but that "Israel makes the case that this is self-defense." He added that the administration objected to Israel's use of heavy weaponry, which ran the risk of civilian casualties.

Arab countries and the Arab-American community have criticized Israel's use of weapons purchased from the United States, specifically for its program of "targeted killings" of Palestinians believed to be terrorists -- such as Monday's killing of Mustafa Zibri, the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

U.S. officials called on Syria to control the PFLP on Tuesday after a PFLP spokesman urged Arabs to attack U.S. interests in response to Zibri's death. The group has a large presence in Syrian territory and is largely believed to be controlled by Syria.

"We are raising the spokesman's remarks with the Syrian government, noting we hold the Syrian government responsible for the safety and security of Americans in Syria," Boucher said. He said the United States welcomed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's recent expression of support for a "just and comprehensive peace" in the Middle East.

"We think such a position conveys on him certain responsibilities -- to exercise restraint where he has influence to prevent any further escalatory violence," Boucher said.